Croatia are through to the quarter-finals of the World Cup after beating Denmark in the second penalty shootout of the day
A frantic start saw Denmark score in under a minute as Mathias Jorgensen latched onto the end of a long throw that caused mayhem in the six-yard-box, but just three minutes later Mario Mandzukic equalised with a clinical finish after the ball punballed around the penalty area.
Denmark survived an early onslaught of Croatian possession but went on to have the better chances of the match as both Martin Braithwaite and Nicolai Jorgensen came close during the second half.
As the 90 minutes drew to a close, the two sides were limited to shots from range as neither wanted to risk committing too many men forward.
The game finally came back to life as Croatia were awarded a penalty 25 minutes into extra time after Mathias Jorgensen brought down Andrej Kramaric through on goal, but Kasper Schmeichel saved from Luka Modric to keep Denmark’s hopes alive and penalties were needed once again.
Both sides missed their first and fouth penalties as goalkeepers Schmeichel and Danijel Subasic stole the show. But it was Subasic who came out on top as he saved from Nikolai Jorgensen. Ivan Rakitic then went on to score the decisive penalty and win it for Croatia.
Denmark rocketed into a 1-0 lead within the opening minute after Mathias Jørgensen converted Jonas Knudsen’s long throw into the penalty box.
It was a scrappy affair only helped by Danijel Subasic’s poor handling in the Croatian goal.
It didn’t take long for Zlatko Dalic’s side to return fire after Mario Mandzukic’s equally as fortunate finish found the Denmark net in the fourth minute.
Both sides settled down throughout the remainder of the first half, and while Croatia edged the first 45 minutes in terms of possession and shots, both teams went into the changing with one goal each.
The second half was a more cagey affair, with neither team really willing to commit numbers to their attack as they tweaked their line-up with substitutions and opting to change their tactics.
Denmark’s full-backs were notably higher and wider than they were in the first half, but to little avail as not even creative maestro Christian Eriksen could penetrate the Croatian defence even with the tactical adjustments.
Croatia’s best chance of the second half was Ivan Perisic’s 74th minute shot which fell into Kasper Schmeichel’s hands from 25 yards out while Denmark’s best opportunity was Lasse Schöne’s half-volley just before full-time.
With neither side able to to replicate their high-energy performance from the first half, extra time loomed along with the possibility of the day’s second penalty shootout.
Extra time was more of the same from both nations with neither willing to commit tired bodies forward in search of the winning goal.
Pione Sisto came close in the second half of extra time a curling right-footed finish, but it wasn’t to be as it skimmed the post and the penalty shootout was becoming an even more realistic possibility.
However, Jørgensen gave away a penalty five minutes before the end to deny Croatia a clear route through to an open goal and it looked like Denmark’s World Cup dreams were over as the referee pointed to the spot.
But Danish keeper Schmeichel produced a stunning save to his left to deny Luka Modric’s spotkick and keep his country’s hopes alive.
Following Modric’s penalty miss neither side could muster another attack and the penalty shootout was required to find a victor.
Eriksen was the first from the spot and his penalty kick found the left post to put Denmark into the worst possible start.
However, the Spurs’ midfielders miss didn’t overly matter as Schmeichel saved Croatia’s opening penalty from Milan Badelj.
Simon Kjaer finally opened the penalty shootout proceedings with a brilliant spotkick that found the top corner, but Andrej Kramaric leveled it at 1-1 moments later.
Michael Krohn-Dehli and Luka Modric were up next, and both converted to lock the score in at 2-2.
Schöne and Perisic then missed, leaving the scores at 2-2, before Jorgensen then missed again for Denmark.
The responsibility then fell on Rakitic’s head, and the Barcelona man converted to fire Croatia to the quarter-finals, winning 3-2 on penalties.
They will now play Russia in the quarter-final on Friday, July 6 in Sochi after the hosts also emerged victorious via penalties earlier in the day against Spain.
