AL RAYYAN, Qatar — For 45 minutes, then 90, after which 15 extra, Brazil tried all the instruments in its appreciable arsenal: the toe pokes and the again heels, the sweetly bending curlers and the outside-of-the-foot slices. As its frustration mounted, its coach despatched on new forwards and his workforce pivoted to some of soccer’s darker arts: the dives and flops, the feigned outrage and shirt pulls, the arms-out appeals to the referee for justice.
None of it labored. Croatia had introduced a vise to a knife combat, and for greater than two lengthy hours on Friday it calmly and methodically squeezed the life and the pleasure out of Brazil. Croatia, opponents ought to know by now, doesn’t exit the World Cup with no combat.
Still, that combat appeared over close to the finish of the first extra-time interval, when Neymar accomplished a lightning-speed give and go to attain, giving Brazil a deserved, if delayed, lead. But Croatia had a response for that too: a counterattack in the 117th minute, a cross into the center, a tough shot by Bruno Petkovic deflected in to tie the rating.
It was solely then that the workforce’s World Cup quarterfinal match, scoreless after two halves and not so after two intervals of further time, arrived at the place the place so many of Croatia’s video games wind up now: in a penalty-kick shootout.
And by then even the Brazilians most likely might sense the finish that was coming.
Four Croatians stepped up and, calmly and one after the other, made their penalties. Rodrygo, Brazil’s first taker, had his shot saved, and Marquinhos, its final, hit the publish. And similar to that, it was over.
Marquinhos dropped to his knees close to the spot, then put his head on the grass. Neymar, who by no means bought to shoot, held his palms over his face at midfield, rose and staggered just a little, bit his collar.
Brazil’s World Cup is over. Croatia, which has now taken 5 knockout video games to further time in the previous two World Cups, is transferring on.
The workforce that won’t be overwhelmed will face the winner of Friday’s second recreation between Argentina and the Netherlands in the semifinals subsequent week. Block out some further time for it.
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