Dominik Livakovic, Croatia’s goalkeeper, put on another penalty shootout masterpiece, and was overjoyed to have followed in the footsteps of his predecessors.
Livakovic stopped three penalties as Croatia won 3-1 on penalties following a 1-1 draw with Japan at Al Janoub Stadium to go to the quarter-finals against Brazil.
His efforts were similar to those of Danijel Subasic, who made three saves as Croatia edged Denmark at the same stage four years ago in Russia.
“It’s something we do in Croatia,” Livakovic explained. “That was obvious four years ago. I carry on the tradition of my predecessors, and I attribute it to the analysis we conduct on penalty takers.”
Croatia finished second in the first half, trailing at halftime to Daizen Maeda’s close-range strike. With extra time failing to separate two committed but limited sides, Ivan Perisic drew his side level with a magnificent header 10 minutes into the second half.
“It’s important to win, but it’s always simpler to resolve the game in 90 minutes since penalties are risky,” Livakovic remarked, trying to downplay his heroics.
“The penalties worked well for us this time. I don’t believe they were difficult to save. Prior to this match, we conducted research.”
Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic lauded his modest goalkeeper, whose heroics were not surprising.
“We have an incredible goalie, he was invincible,” Dalic remarked. “I was quite confident when we started the shootout. He was excellent in training yesterday, and I had no doubt he would do so again today.
“We had made multiple substitutes and did not have [Luka] Modric, [Mateo] Kovacic, or Perisic on the field, but Livakovic addressed all of our difficulties.
“He proved to be Subasic in Russia; history repeats itself.”
Croatia has a strong World Cup record, finishing third in 1998 and runners-up in 2018. The Russian squad has mostly disbanded, and Dalic has challenged today’s players to make their own mark.
“This generation is tenacious; they never give up,” he remarked. “They exemplify the Croatian people’s spirit. We have suffered so much that the Croatian national team is now a source of pride for us.
“In 2018, we had a wonderful generation, but now we have 18 new players, and I told them that this is their moment to make history.”
Japan’s defeat ended a spectacular run that included victories over Germany and Spain. However, a first World Cup quarter-final berth eluded them.
Coach Hajime Moriyasu praised his team and disputed that they had crumbled under pressure.
No, I don’t think so “He stated. “Their goalkeeper was outstanding, and the Japanese players who took the penalties were brave.
“We clearly wanted to win, but that does not diminish the players’ efforts. I believe Japanese football can continue to develop.
“We cannot achieve everything at once, we cannot become superheroes overnight; we must grow gradually, but Japan is reaching a level where we can compete on the global stage.”