Japan took on Croatia in the ongoing FIFA World Cup on 5 December 2022. It was the fifth clash in the Round of 16 that took place in Al Janoub Stadium. Japan came to this clash after sealing the top spot in Group E. They defeated both Spain and Germany in the group stage and managed six points in three matches.
On the other hand, Croatia managed five points in three matches and finished in the second spot in Group F. So, the stage was set for an enthralling battle between these sides. Croatia fans were looking for a dominant performance over the spirited Japan team.
Croatia defeated Japan 3-1 in the penalty shootout in the FIFA World Cup 2022
Japan started the game with more intensity than Croatia. In the third minute of the game, Japan had a chance when Shogo Taniguchi headed a ball. But, it was not on the target. Then, Croatia came close to scoring when Ivan Perisic had a chance in the ninth minute. But, Japan goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda made a comfortable shot. After that, Daizen Maeda missed a chance to score in the 13th minute.
But, Japan scored the first goal in the 43rd minute. Daizen Maeda open the scoring while Maya Yoshida came up with a headed assist. Maeda reacted quickly to score that goal while Yoshida managed a header. Thus, the first half ended 1-0. In the second half, Croatia did not take too long to equalize the game. In the 55th minute, Ivan Perisic came up with an unbelievable header to score that goal.
Dejan Lovren came up with a beautiful ball into the box which Perisic managed to guide to the goal with his head. After that, in the 63rd minute, Luka Modric came up with a dipping effort but Gonda saved it comfortably to deny him. Then, in the 66th minute, Ante Budimir’s headed effort was out of target by a small margin while Andrej Kramaric provided the ball. Then, both teams tried to take the lead. But, they failed as the game finished 1-1 after 90 minutes. After that, in the next extra 30 minutes, either team managed to score a goal as the game went into penalty shootouts. There, Dominik Livakovic showed class as he saved three penalties and Croatia defeated Japan 3-1 in the penalty shootout.
