AL RAYYAN, Qatar — For 45 minutes, then 90, after which 15 extra, Brazil tried all of 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, it pivoted to a few of soccer’s darker arts: dives and flops, shirt pulls and shoves and appeals to the referee for justice.
None of it labored. Croatia had introduced a vise to a gunfight, and for greater than two lengthy hours on Friday it calmly and methodically squeezed the life and the enjoyment out of Brazil. Croatia, opponents ought to know by now, doesn’t exit the World Cup and not using a struggle.
The Brazilians obtained a late purpose. The Croatians answered with an excellent later one. The sport went to a penalty-kick shootout. And solely then, with eight fast kicks breaking a tie after 120 minutes couldn’t, was it over.
Croatia was heading to the semifinals. Brazil was going residence. Once more.
“For me, Brazil is soccer and soccer is Brazil,” Croatia defender Borna Sosa mentioned. “To beat Brazil, it’s possibly the most effective feeling ever.”
Brazil had arrived in Qatar final month with the singular purpose it units for itself at each World Cup: to win it. A five-time World Cup champion, a rustic that believes it has as rightful a declare as any nation to supremacy within the sport it adores, Brazil had maneuvered via its first three video games on cruise management. Its development had by no means been unsure after successful its first match with its star, Neymar, within the lineup and splitting the subsequent two whereas he sat out nursing an ankle damage.
Its normal swagger had returned on Monday, with a 4-1 victory over South Korea that featured chic passing, dancing purpose celebrations and a reset of the nation’s annual expectations at sky excessive.
When it began to go proper on Friday, when Neymar’s purpose gave Brazil the lead in further time, the gamers and the nation breathed a sigh of aid. However simply as out of the blue, all of it went fallacious: a Croatian equalizer, a loss on penalty kicks, a quarterfinal exit as a substitute of a doable date with Argentina within the semifinals on Tuesday.
“What went fallacious is that it’s soccer,” Brazil goalkeeper Alisson mentioned. “Something can occur.”
Many followers and a few journalists instantly blamed Brazil’s coach for the defeat; after the sport, he headed off calls to give up by saying he had already determined to depart his submit. Others simply turned their backs.
“I’m not watching this Cup anymore,” mentioned Andressa Valentim, 26, a forestry engineer who was crying at a restaurant in Brasilia after the loss. “For me, it’s over.”
A Temporary Information to the 2022 World Cup
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Croatia, its opponents ought to know by now, doesn’t exit the World Cup and not using a struggle. It had clawed its technique to the ultimate of the final version, in Russia in 2018, by surviving three video games that went to further time, and it had already prevailed in a single shootout in Qatar, in opposition to Japan on Monday.
“In the case of penalty shootouts, we turn into the favorites,” Croatia Coach Zlatko Dalic mentioned via an interpreter after beating Brazil. It was, he mentioned, “as if our opponents had already misplaced the sport at that time.”
The trail there had been regular, however not straight. Croatia had appeared to expire of rope on the finish of the primary extra-time interval, when Neymar accomplished a lightning-speed give and go to attain, giving Brazil a deserved, if delayed, lead. Its followers exhaled. Its nation did, too.
However Croatia had a response for that as nicely: a counterattack within the 117th minute, a cross out of nowhere and into the center, a tough shot by Bruno Petkovic deflected in to tie the rating. It was solely then that the groups’ World Cup quarterfinal, scoreless after two halves and now not so after two intervals of additional time, arrived on the place the place so lots of Croatia’s video games wind up now: in a penalty-kick shootout.
And by then even the Brazilians in all probability may sense the top that was coming.
4 Croatians calmly stepped up and transformed their penalties. Two Brazilians — Rodrygo, who went first, and Marquinhos, who went final — didn’t.
And similar to that, Brazil, which had one foot within the semifinals lower than half-hour earlier, was out.
It may hardly consider it. Marquinhos dropped to his knees simply in entrance of the penalty spot after which rested his brow on the grass. Neymar, who by no means obtained to take his try within the shootout, held his arms over his face at midfield, then rose and bit his collar, his face a disbelieving stare. Thiago Silva came to visit and gave him a kiss on the verify. Daniel Alves arrived with a hug. A tear rolled down Neymar’s cheek.
On the far facet of the sector, Croatia’s delirious sprints in each route coalesced round goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, who had saved Rodrygo’s penalty and compelled Marquinhos to attempt to lower his razor shut.
Croatia, the staff that won’t be crushed, will face the winner of Friday’s second recreation between Argentina and the Netherlands within the semifinals subsequent week. Block out some further time for it if you happen to plan to look at.
Brazil can’t say it didn’t attempt all the pieces to win. When Vinícius Júnior and Richarlison and Raphina couldn’t discover a well beyond Livakovic, Antony and Rodrygo and Pedro have been despatched on to attempt. When Neymar lastly discovered a approach via, the lead lasted solely about quarter-hour. The strain returned. The exit door loomed.
Croatia’s shootout was as scientific as its broader efficiency was methodical. Nikola Vlasic went left. Lavro Majer went down the center. Luka Modric shot excessive. Mislav Orsic shot low.
When, a second later, Marquinhos pinged his try solidly off the left submit, the sector was rapidly awash in colours of individuals nonetheless attempting to type out what had simply occurred. The Brazilians, the favorites dressed of their well-known yellow shirts, staggered round or stood in place or sat off to the facet, resigned to the truth that the nation will now wait one other 4 years so as to add to its report haul of 5 World Cup titles.
Croatia’s red-and-white-checked celebration was all over the place by then, a haphazard sea of flags and hugs and shirtless males and operating youngsters scattered across the area. Certainly one of Modric’s youngsters leaped into his arms. Lovren took one among his by the hand for a stroll. And within the heart of the sector, Leonardo and Manuela Perisic, the youngsters of Croatia ahead Ivan Perisic, made a bee line for the middle circle, towards Neymar, who was then wrapped in a teary embrace with a teammate.
A Brazil employees member stepped in to move off Leonardo, extending an arm to counsel it won’t be the precise time. However Leonardo had caught Neymar’s eye, and the Brazilian turned towards him. The boy and the famous person clasped arms. Neymar cradled the boy’s head. They exchanged a quick phrase. Then they parted, the boy operating off together with his sister, again to the Croatian celebrations. Neymar quickly headed to the locker room, towards one other lengthy wait.
James Wagner contributed reporting from Al Rayyan, and André Spigariol from Brasilia.