Brazil Out Of World Cup 2022
11 December 2022
Spread the love

Croatia beat Brazil 4-2 on penalties on Friday to set up a World Cup semi-final against Argentina or the Netherlands.

The match finished 1-1 after extra time, with Bruno Petkovic canceling out Neymar’s brilliant solo opener, which saw him equal Pelé’s record as highest goalscorer in the country’s history, with 77 goals.

Brazil’s Rodrygo and Marquinhos both missed their penalties, dooming their team’s effort to reach the next round.

Croatia’s goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic put in a heroic performance, making eleven saves throughout the match and stopping one penalty in the shoot-out. He saved the attempt from Rodrygo, and Marquinhos later hit the post.

The match had finished 1-1 after extra time, with both goals coming in the additional 30 minutes. Neymar scored late in the first half of extra time to give Brazil the lead, but Croatia equalized when Bruno Petkovic scored in the 117th.

Five of Croatia’s last six matches at World Cups have gone to extra time, including in its penalty shootout win over Japan in the round of 16 in Qatar. The team has been successful in eight of its last 10 knockout matches at the tournament.

Read more ‘The World Cup is shaping up like the Champions League’
Brazil was trying to return to the semifinals for the first time since 2014. The team hadn’t made it to the last four since hosting the tournament eight years ago, when the Seleçao was embarrassed by Germany 7-1.

Brazil was trying to defeat a European opponent in the knockout stage of the World Cup for the first time since the 2002 final against Germany, when the team won for the last time. – Lemonde, AFP