Japan seize up in shootout as Croatia move into quarter-finals

Doha: Dominik Livakovic has proved the hero for Croatia in the first match at this World Cup to go to penalties, making three saves to keep their hopes alive and put an end to Japan’s giant-killing run in Qatar.

Having beaten Germany and Spain to finish as shock winners in Group E, the Samurai Blue were out to become the first Asian team to reach the quarter-finals at a World Cup in 20 years and make the deepest run at the tournament in their history.

Croatian players celebrate after defeating Japan.Credit: AP

But they simply froze in the shootout, with three awful, softly taken spot kicks from Takumi Minamino, Kaoru Mitoma and veteran skipper Maya Yoshida, making admittedly easy work for Livakovic, the Dinamo Zagreb goalkeeper who is now the toast of Croatia.

Mario Pasalic tucked away the winner into the bottom-left corner, sealing a 3-1 victory for them on penalties – their third win from three shootouts at the World Cup – and extending their decorated skipper Luka Modric’s international career for at least one more match.

Nikola Vlasic and Marcelo Brozovic scored the other penalties for Croatia. Takuma Asano had kept Japanese hopes alive with their only successful conversion, and when Marko Livaja hit the post with Croatia’s next one, it was 2-1 after three kicks each, but Yoshida’s misfire followed.

A shootout was required after the two sides could not be separated after 120 minutes of tight, tense and incredibly even football left scores locked away at 1-1 at the Al Janoub Stadium, the same venue where all three of the Socceroos’ group-stage matches were played.

Croatia’s goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic saves a penalty kick by Japan’s Kaoru Mitoma.Credit: AP

Croatia, the beaten finalists at the last World Cup, will now prepare for a quarter-final showdown with Brazil, who destroyed South Korea to extinguish the last remaining Asian hope left in the tournament.

Not since South Korea made the quarter-finals in the 2002 edition they co-hosted with Japan has an AFC nation made it into the last eight at the World Cup.

The Samurai Blue have now crashed out in the round of 16 for the fourth time, although Daizen Maeda’s goal late in the first half on Monday night (local time) resulted in them drawing first blood and gave rise to greater hopes.

Maeda, one of Ange Postecoglou’s Japanese stars at Celtic, bundled home from close range after a clever short corner-kick routine two minutes from half-time - but Japan’s lead was whittled away 10 minutes into the second half, when Tottenham Hotspur star Ivan Perisic’s brilliant, crisp header guided Dejan Lovren’s cross into the net.

Takumi Minamino of Japan shoots the team’s first penalty saved by Dominik Livakovic.Credit: Getty

From there an intriguing tactical battle unfolded. While the intent was positive from both sides, the cutting edge in attack was too often lacking. Meanwhile, extra time was a slog: both Croatia and Japan struggled physically, and it seemed from a long way out that the winner would eventually be decided by the lottery of a shootout.

The harsh reality for Japan is that they have squandered a brilliant opportunity to go deeper than they ever have in this tournament, and the tears shed by their players and fans at the end said it all.

Croatia have thus far been a disappointment, held to scoreless draws by Morocco and Belgium either side of a 4-1 rout of Canada, and have failed to reproduce the sort of football that made them neutral’s favourite four years ago.

However, they and Modric, who came off in the 99th minute, now live to fight another day, while Japan will be left to wonder what might have been.

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