Al Rayyan, Qatar, Dec 9,(dpa/GNA) – Neymar’s goal was not enough, as record World Cup champions Brazil crashed out 4-2 on penalties in the World Cup quarter-finals against Croatia on Friday.
Rodrygo and Marquinhos, missed from the spot for Brazil, while Nikola Vlasic, Lovro Majer, Luka Modric and Mislav Orsic converted all four penalties taken by Croatia following a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes.
The 2018 runners-up Croatia, were very well-organized and strong defensively, and managed to hold Brazil into a game of patience.
A scare, however, came in extra-time, when Neymar scored a 105th-minute stunner, that seemed to send the five-time champions into the next stage, equalling Pele’s national record 77 goals.
But extra-time experts Croatia, playing one for a fifth time in six knockout games at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, didn’t settle for defeat and were gifted a counter-attack, which was concluded by Bruno Petkovic.
His weak shot, was deflected by Brazilian defender Marquinhos into the net, to make the shoot-out decide.
The Croatian side were successful in a World Cup shoot-out for a fourth consecutive time, after beating Denmark and hosts Russia in 2018, and Japan in Qatar.
Brazil, meanwhile, have kept the negative record of losing a World Cup knockout stage game against an European nation, since beating Germany 2-0 in the 2002 final. They have been eliminated in the quarter-finals for the fourth time in five events since then.
GNA