Utilizing the same extra-time blueprint that fueled its incredible run to the 2018 final, Croatia stunned Brazil in a penalty-kick shootout to clinch a spot in the World Cup semifinals.
In 2018, Croatia also needed a shootout in the round of 16 and quarterfinals to advance to the final four; now, it’ll face the winner of Argentina vs. the Netherlands next week after eliminating a Brazilian side widely picked to win the title.
After a scoreless 90 minutes, Croatia embarked on its fifth extra-time match in its last six World Cup knockout games dating back to 2018. Despite an incredible goal from Neymar in stoppage time of the first extra-time period, which saw the PSG star tie Pelé’s all-time men’s national team scoring record, Croatia bounced back in the 117th minute behind a goal from Bruno Petković to tie the score at 1–1.
