
AL WAKRAH, Qatar — Croatia, runners-up at the last World Cup, are alive in this one.
In a marathon round of 16 match Monday in Qatar, Croatia beat Japan on penalty kicks, 1-1 (3-1). Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livaković was the star of the game-ending shootout, the tournament's first, amazingly blocking three Japanese shots. Livaković tied a World Cup record with most saves in a shootout.