Croatia 1-1 Denmark (Croatia win 3-2 on penalties)
It was 9 pm Russian time with degrees in the mid-20s in Nizhny Novgorod when the match kicked off.
It was an even hotter start – and finish!
Highlights of the game
The Danes pounced first and stunned Croatia in just under a minute – Mathias Jorgensen side-footing the ball past a partly unsighted Danijel Subasic via his legs and the post for the first goal they’ve conceded from open play in this tournament.
Amazingly, within two minutes, Mario Mandzukic had swept home an equaliser after a defensive clearance from Henrik Dalsgaard bounced into his path off the unfortunate Andreas Christensen – also the first goal Denmark have conceded in the competition from open play.
The scene was well and truly set for a FIFA 2018 clash of modern-day Danish dynamite and Croatian creativity.
Christian and Luka. Exquisite Eriksen and magnificent Modric.
After such a breathtaking start, complete with haphazard defending, most FIFA 2018 predictions would have tipped an open game to live up to its pre-match billing.
Sure enough, SBOBET football fans will have noticed the equaliser prompted Croatia to find their groove, and they edged the early stages.
Kasper Schmeichel’s palms stung from Ivan Rakitic’s 25-yard effort. He also parried Ante Rebic’s rebound and when the ball came out to the lively Ivan Perisic – it’s easy to see why Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho wanted to sign him last summer – Schmeichel pressured him into firing over.
Dejan Lovren should possibly have done better from close range after an inviting Modric cross. At the other end, Eriksen chipped the ball against the top of the bar and post with what was an attempted cross, before Schmeichel was again called into action, denying Rakitic in his 95th international appearance.
In this form, it is easy to see why Schmeichel saved 12 of the 13 shots on target he faced in the group stage, only conceding one from the penalty spot.
Denmark saw more of the ball after the restart, indeed their interplay was slightly more impressive for a spell, but the second half naturally failed to live up to the first 45 minutes.
It would have been understandable if both nations, who would have been visibly lifted by finding out the winners would play host quarter-final opponents, held what they had. But they both continued to attack and chased a winner.
Subasic denied substitute Nicolai Jorgensen before Sime Vrsaljko drilled a shot straight at Schmeichel. Perisic flicked a header onto the roof of the net and Rakitic rifled an injury-time shot narrowly wide which Martin Braithwaite matched with a volley a foot wide from the edge of the box.
Denmark started extra-time as the livelier outfit with the long throw-ins of full-back Jonas Knudsen a useful outlet, and Lasse Schone driving a shot narrowly wide, yet for all the probing, the intent of the early stages was simply not there with both reluctant to concede.
The Danes remained the brighter side but penalties seemed on the cards until Modric produced a moment of magic, releasing Andrej Kramaric who rounded Schmeichel. He was just about to roll the ball into the empty net before Jorgensen brought him down.
As Modric stepped up, Schmeichel read it superbly and saved the spot-kick, much to the delight of his legendary father Peter.
A psychologically key moment for the penalty shoot-out which followed moments later?
Not quite. Schmeichel and Subasic were terrific with saves galore, but Rakitic had the final word as Croatia triumphed 3-2 on spot-kicks.
For only the second time in their history and 20 years after their first, Croatia have reached the World Cup quarter-finals.
Key statistics
Some FIFA 2018 news for you to start with: this was the first day since the quarter-finals at Mexico 86 that two matches on the same day went to a shoot-out.
This was the quickest period in which two sides have scored in a World Cup match.
The Croats have now won four successive World Cup games for the first time.
They are also unbeaten in their last 19 games.
Modric has now equalled Darijo Srna as the Croatian international with most appearances at major tournaments (18 at the World Cup and European Championship).
Eriksen, tireless again here, ran further than any other player in the group stage, covering 36 kilometres in total.
What’s next?
It’s the unlikely quarter-final next. Croatia will take on hosts Russia in Sochi on Saturday night (July 7).
It’s a flight home for unlucky Denmark who will now take a summer break before they play Slovakia and Austria in Autumn internationals.
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