World Cup Now: Who was Croatia’s man of the match vs. Japan?

Last updated: 2022/12/06 at 2:31 AM

BigP Published December 6, 2022

Croatia defeated Japan on Monday in a wild round of 16 game decided by penalty kicks to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Japan struck first in the 43rd minute, and Croatia would counter early in the second half to even the score. The two teams headed to extra time after being deadlocked at 1-1, but neither side could get things done.

In the end, Dominik Livaković was the hero for Croatia, denying three of Japan’s penalty-kick attempts.

On the latest “World Cup Now,” former USMNT players Jimmy Conrad, DaMarcus Beasley and Sacha Kljestan shared their initial reactions and explained which player they believe was most instrumental in Croatia’s win.

Japan vs. Croatia Highlights | 2022 FIFA World Cup

Conrad: Dominik Livaković made three penalty saves in this penalty shootout. The last time that happened was in 2018. There’s something about Croatian goalkeepers in this competition stepping up in big moments. He was excellent when it mattered most, and now Croatia is moving on.

Beasley: Livaković is my man of the match, too. He made three saves in a penalty shootout, and that doesn’t happen very often. That said, Croatia needs to step it up in the next round. For large periods of this game, Croatia’s midfield looked invisible at times. Going up against either Brazil or South Korea, it’s going to be tough for Croatia to get through. I don’t want to call it luck because they are good players, but how long are they going to keep playing this way — not creating chances — and still winning matches?

Kljestan: Three saves is unbelievable. That’s tough, so I’m going with Livaković as well. The Croatians have winning in their blood. They are surviving by any means necessary in this tournament, and that’s really all that matters in the World Cup. I also have a lot of respect for Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić for taking out three of his best players in this game to give them just a little bit of rest they need for the next round. Hopefully it helps them.

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