Croatia moved into the World Cup quarterfinals by beating Japan in a penalty shootout on Monday at Al Wakrah, Qatar.
The teams had played to a hard-fought 1-1 draw. Daizen Maeda opened the scoring for Japan in the 43rd minute and Croatia’s Ivan Perisic headed in the equalizer in the 55th.
Croatia advanced 3-1 on penalties, with Nikola Vlasic, Marcelo Brozovic and Mario Pasalic converting from the spot. Takuma Asano scored for Japan, but Croatian goalkeeper Dominic Kivakovic denied attempts by Takumi Minamino, Kaoru Mitoma and Maya Yoshida.
Runner-up to France at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Croatia will next face the winner of Monday’s second match between Brazil and South Korea.
–Field Level Media
