2022 FIFA World Cup Recap: Brazil blows it

Brazil is heading home.

Tite sent out the exact same starting XI that Brazil had when they played South Korea in the previous match.

Croatia did quite well starting the match. They put Brazil under pressure and forced them to make mistakes. Casemiro and Eder Militao were two early victims of Croatia’s press with both players making errors that nearly led to quality goal scoring chances for their European opponents.

Militao ended up securing the first yellow card of the match in the 25th minute with Marcelo Brozevic receiving the first yellow for Croatia in the 36th minute.

The first half was a tight affair with both sides getting some chances but failing to convert. The next 45 minutes were of a similar variety with no goals scored in the first 90 minutes.

Dominik Livakovic was the star for Croatia in this match. He made numerous key saves that kept his country in contention for the win. Livakovic made nine saves in the first 90 minutes of the match. He was also the hero in the shootouts.

Seleção made its first chance in the 56th minute with Antony replacing Raphinha on the right wing. Tite then made a bold move in the 63rd minute with Rodrygo replacing Vinicius Jr. Another bold move came in the 83rd minute with Pedro replacing Richarlison. The last substitution of the evening for Tite was a double sway with an extra substitution win down in extra time as Fred and Alex Sandro replaced Lucas Paqueta and Eder Militao.

In extra time, Brazil’s biggest star answered the call. Neymar slotted home the lone goal of the match in the 105th minute. It was a beautiful illustration of his skill and ball control.

But that’s not all the game had in store as Bruno Petkovic scored in the 117th minute. This meant the game went to a penalty kick shootout. With Livakovic coming up clutch in the penalty kicks