PLAYER RATINGS: Classy Neymar goal not enough for Brazil in shock loss
PLAYER RATINGS: Neymar’s classy finish not enough for Brazil’s attack, which stumbled through Vinicius Jr … but Luka Modric drags Croatia into the World Cup semi-finals after heroics from goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic
- Croatia defeated Brazil 4-2 on penalties following a 1-1 draw after extra-time
- Neymar had looked like giving Brazil the win after scoring in extra-time
- But Croatia sub Bruno Petkovic struck just three minutes from the end
- Brazilian duo Rodrygo and Marquinhos both failed to score in a penalty shootout
Croatia stunned Brazil by defeating them 4-2 on penalty kicks to advance to the World Cup semi-finals on Friday.
Despite falling behind to a Neymar goal in extra-time, a dramatic late Bruno Petkovic equaliser brought penalties that saw Rodrygo and Marquinhos miss for the pre-tournament favourites to condemn them to their Qatar exit.
After a dramatic quarter-final, here is how both sets of players rated at the Education City Stadium.
Croatia recorded a quarter-final shock after dumping out World Cup favourites Brazil
Dominik Livakovic – If making nearly a dozen saves during two hours of play wasn’t enough, Croatia’s goalkeeping hero has now kept out four shootout kicks – the joint most in the tournament’s history. 9
Josip Juranovic – Best player on the field in the first half – creative going forward and also key to keeping Vinicius Junior quiet. But his influence waned during the latter stages. 7.5
Dejan Lovren – Would still be at Liverpool if he could put in a performance as classy as this on a regular basis. A defensive wall that thwarted Brazil time and time again. 8
Vinicius Junior is denied by Dominik Livakovic who was outstanding in goal for Croatia
Josko Gvardiol – Enjoying an excellent tournament and alongside Lovren has built a defensive partnership that is strong enough to win the World Cup. 8.5
Borna Sosa – Back in the side following illness and although he started well, met his match as soon as Antony came on in the second half for Brazil. 6.5
Luka Modric – Another masterclass from the 37-year-old. Playing the killer ball wasn’t his game on the night but his reliability to bring the ball out of defence and constantly provide respite was absolutely vital. 8.5
Marcelo Brozovic – Was treading eggshells all game after an early booking and a stricter referee may have sent him off. Poorly missed a chance to score moments before Neymar’s goal but was strong in the midfield. 7.5
Mateo Kovacic – Worked tirelessly in the midfield for Croatia but ran out of gas in extra-time as Brazil ramped up the attacking pressure. 7
Mario Pasalic – Had a decent low cross in the first half well that Perisic failed to convert but otherwise spent more time back in the defence. 6
Luka Modric was at his imperious best to help keep Croatia’s midfield in shape
Andrej Kramaric – Croatia’s No 9 battled well but never looked an threat from a central area even though he defended well from his advanced positioning up the field. 5.5
Ivan Perisic – A constant attacking outlet for Croatia but his final ball was often poor as were his attempted shots on goal. 6.5
SUBSTITUTES
Mislav Orsic – Had six minutes to make an impact. Only needed three to set-up the equaliser before also scoring in the shootout. 7.5
Lovro Majer – Was thrown on for the second half of extra-time when Croatia needed a goal and helped keep the pressure on Brazil until the late vital breakthrough. 7
Nikola Vlasic – Came on during the second half as a pair of fresh legs but did little to improve on the performance of the man he replaced in Pasalic. 6
Bruno Petkovic – A big improvement to Croatia’s attack. Superb solo play nearly set up a late winner in normal time, but his dramatic late equaliser will go down in Croatian football folklore. 8
Bruno Petkovic proved Croatia’s hero after coming off the bench to net a late equaliser
Brazil (4-3-3)
Alisson – Had little to do and failed to save the only shot on target against him, even if it took a deflection. Not at fault for the shootout defeat but he failed to get close to any Croatian kick. 6
Eder Militao – An average display from the full-back and he had little to do defensively. Was error free though before departing in extra-time. 6
Marquinhos – An excellent night at the back ended with the ultimate nightmare as it was his helpless deflection that brought the Croatia equaliser before he then missed the penalty that sent Brazil out. 7
Marquinhos’ missed penalty kick condemned Brazil to their World Cup elimination
Thiago Silva – Has been excellent at the back the whole tournament and ensured Kramaric found no joy against him. Likely his last World Cup match at the age of 38. 7.5
Danilo – Like Eder had little to do from a defensive standpoint and spent much of the evening in a supporting attacking role. 6
Casemiro – Struggled in the early stages from a Croatia press but soon got on top of a midfield despite often being outnumbered in the centre of the park. 7.5
Lucas Paqueta – Missed a couple of key chances in the second half following an anonymous first half performance before departing as a substitute. 7
Raphinha – Had next to no impact on Brazil’s attack for the near hour he was on the pitch and it was no surprise to see him replaced by Antony. 5
Neymar – Arguably one of Brazil’s worst attackers and was profligate in his finishing, but his late moment of magic was evidence of why he can never be replaced. 7
Neymar struggled to produce his best form but did find the net in emphatic style on Friday
Vinicius Jr – Looked well off it compared to his star performance against South Korea and he met his match in Croatia full-back Joisp Juranovic before being replaced. 5.5
Richarlison – Not the goal threat he was against South Korea but played a couple of teasing balls into the box for Neymar, which the forward should have done better with. 6
SUBSTITUTES
Alex Sandro – Recovering from a knock and brought on in extra-time to try and defend a lead as well as build some match minutes for a semi-final that was never to come. 6
Fred – A surprise non-starter in place of Paqueta but once the change was made after Brazil took the lead did little to justify why he should have been included from the start. 6
Antony – A big improvement after coming on for the struggling Raphinha. Croatia’s full-backs never looked as in control once he injected venom in the Brazil attack. 7
Rodrygo – Had a couple of neat touches but wasn’t much of an upgrade on Vinicius Jr before he saw his shootout kick crucially saved. 6
Pedro – Made himself busy inside the Croatia penalty area as Brazil pressed for an opening goal but fared little better than Richarlison. 6.5
Vinicius Jr (left) was off the pace for Brazil before being substituted in the second half
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