Soccer World Cup

Croatia, Argentina power through on penalties

Ken Satomi / The Yomiuri Shimbun
Croatian players chase after goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic (1) after beating Brazil in a penalty shootout on Friday in Al Rayyan, Qatar.

By Yu Hirasawa / Yomiuri Shimbun Sportswriter

15:22 JST, December 10, 2022

AL RAYYAN, Qatar — Croatia knocked out powerhouse Brazil to advance to the semifinals with its second straight win in a penalty shootout, and Argentina also needed a shootout to make the last four for the first time since 2014 on a thrilling day of soccer Friday at the World Cup in Qatar.

Croatia, following up its win over Japan on penalties in the round-of-16, outshot the favored Brazilians after the two teams played to a 1-1 draw, with both goals coming in extra time.

Four hours later in Lusail, Qatar, Argentina ousted the Netherlands in a shootout after a 2-2 draw to earn a semifinal clash with Croatia, the losing finalist at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.