hope safe entry 2022 FIFA World Cup Semifinalist, five-time world champion Brazil took on croatia Friday night (9 December) at Education City Stadium.be encouraged Dominic LivakovicWith a heroic display (11 saves), the Europeans put an end to Canarinho’s dream, beating them 4-2 on penalties in a game that ended 1-1 at the end of extra time.
Al Rayyan got off to a brisk start, with neither team showing their quality in the opening encounter. Five minutes into the game, Vinicius Junior found himself with a little space on the left wing. He failed to find his teammate on his first pass, but the ball came back to him. The winger then tried his luck with a shot from the edge of the box, but it was caught comfortably by Dominic Livakovic.
In the 13th minute, Croatia organized a lightning fast counterattack. Josip Juranovic sprints into the right channel before passing the ball to Mario Pasalic.The winger picks a pass in the penalty area, but Ivan Perisic He missed a shot in the middle of the box.
Eight minutes later, Vinicius Jr. cut inside from the left, played a one-two with Richarlison and tried to get the ball into the bottom right corner. Dejan Lovren made an excellent interception to prevent the winger from testing the keeper.
In the second minute of the second half, Edel Militao made a low pass from the right. Josco Gvadio Attempts to clear the ball at the near post but directs the ball towards his own goal instead. Livakovic made a crucial save to prevent the goal.
In the 66th minute, Lucas Paqueta volleyed and hit the goal after receiving the ball in the penalty area of Croatia. Livakovic rushed down the line to deny him. nine minutes later, Neymar Croatia’s goal fell from the left. Livakovic again sprinted out of the defense to stop his shot.
Both teams attempted to take the lead before the end of regulation but were unable to. At the end of 90 minutes, the two sides scored a goalless draw, and the game entered overtime.
In stoppage time in the first half of overtime, Brazilian superstar Neymar finally broke the deadlock. Neymar scrambled into the box on a pass back from Paqueta and beat an in-form Livakovic with a superb finish.
Just when it looked like Croatia had nothing more to give, they suddenly had a moment of magic. Mislav Orsic drives inside on the left wing and finds a low cross from Bruno Petkovic inside the box. Petkovic kicked the ball through and luckily found the goal with the help of a deflection in the frontcourt. Marquinhos.
At the end of overtime, the two sides drew 1-1, and the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup entered a penalty shootout. Rodrygo’s penalty was saved by Livakovic, while Marquinhos hit the post in the shootout. Croatia won all four penalties 4-2 in the shootout.
Here are three disappointments and two shiners for Brazil’s 2022 FIFA World Cup defeat on Friday:
Underperforming: Rafinha
Barcelona right-winger Rafinha had a frustrating night at the Education City Stadium. Croatia kept a close eye on him, making sure he didn’t have too much space to run into. They also prevented him from connecting with his teammates, stifling his creativity.
Image: Rafinha after the game against Croatia. https://t.co/NcgTv3pzPU
The former Leeds United winger neither took a shot nor created any chances. He also misplaced crosses, making just 17 passes (81% accuracy) and lost nine possessions. Tite saw his unlucky form and replaced him with Manchester United’s Anthony in the 56th minute.
Performer: Richarlison
Brazil center Richarlison missed any shots on target against Croatia. However, he still managed to have a positive impact on the game. He handles the ball brilliantly, creates many chances and is quite good in one-on-one duels.
Richarlison you have a great game 2026 will be yours 🫶🇧🇷
Against the 2018 FIFA World Cup finalist, Richarlison played four key passes, created two big chances, won three duels and drew a foul. He also helps on the defensive end, trying tackles and clearing.
Underperforming: Vinicius Jr.
After scoring his first FIFA World Cup goal in a 4-1 win over South Korea in the round of 16, Vinicius Jr. entered the game in good spirits. The Real Madrid man showed confidence early on, cutting from the left. Unfortunately, he couldn’t keep up his good form as Croatia tightened their grip on him. He lost possession several times, misplaced his throws, and never seemed intent on breaking the ice.
Before being replaced by Rodrygo in the 66th minute, Vinicius Jr. lost possession 8 times, misplaced 3 of his crosses and completed only 8 passes (80% accuracy).
Played by: Neymar
Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar scored a historic goal against Croatia to win the match. Neymar got the ball in the middle and passed it to Paqueta who went forward. Neymar, who continued to run, received a pass back from Paqueta, slid into the gap between the left back and the center back, and found the top of Livakovic’s goal.
With this goal, Neymar became the joint top scorer in Brazil’s history, tying Pele’s record of 77 goals. Neymar also played a key cross, sent 3 accurate crosses, completed 3 dribbles, caused 4 fouls, and had an interception.
Underperformance: Rodrygo
In the 66th minute, Real Madrid winger Rodrygo replaced Vinicius Jr. The striker made some encouraging runs and played a couple of key passes but missed Brazil’s opening penalty. The 21-year-old’s penalty lacked power and placement, allowing Livakovic to dive straight to the left to block it.
Luka Modric goes to comfort Rodrygo after missing a penalty 😢 https://t.co/Zve3D9rg45
In the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup, Rodrigo missed all 4 crosses, lost 7 times in 11 duels, lost the ball 10 times, and fouled 3 times. He also missed a shot, missed two dribbles and was dribbled once.
