Qatar: Five-time champions Brazil have been defeated in the first quarter finals of the ongoing Football World Cup in Qatar. The champion’s dream has now been dashed as Croatia defeated the world’s number 1 team in a penalty shootout. Now with this, Croatia has reached the semi-finals for the second time in a row. And now the Brazilian team has been knocked out in the quarter-finals for the second time in a row. The star player Neymar scored a goal for Brazil in this match, but he could not win the team. After the extra time, the score was tied at 1-1. Croatia went on to win 4-2 on penalties.
- Defeated the world’s No. 1 team in the quarterfinals
- Five-time champions Brazil were eliminated
- The penalty shootout has been a strong suit for Croatia
The biggest upset ever in a football World Cup
In the match, Croatia pulled off one of the biggest upsets ever at a football World Cup, defeating the world’s No. 1 team in the quarter-finals. Croatia won the match 4-2 in penalty shootout. They also won the pre-quarter final match against Japan in a penalty shootout. The last time in 2018, Croatia won three knockout matches in a penalty shootout before the final. In the final, France did not allow this to happen and won the match 4-2.
Not a single goal was scored in this match till the stipulated 90 minutes.
This match finally went to extra time, Neymar created a sensation by scoring a goal in the injury time of the first half of the extra time. He scored in the 105th + 1st minute to give the team a 1-0 lead. It looked like the Brazilian team would win this match easily, but something else was to happen. Petkovic scored in the 117th minute to equalize for Croatia. After this, the match reached a penalty shootout.
The penalty shootout has been a strong suit for Croatia. It was a big challenge to beat Brazil in this match but Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livkovic saved around 12 to 13 goals in the match. He also stopped Rodrigo’s goal in the penalty shootout.