AL WAKRA /Qatar/, December 5. /TASS/. The national football team of Croatia has advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar after defeating Team Japan on Monday night.
Regular time as well as extra time between the teams ended with the score 1-1. The goals, in regulation, were scored by Japan’s Daizen Maeda in the 43rd minute and Croatia’s Ivan Perisic in the 55th minute.
Both extra time periods yielded no goals from either team and the 2018 FIFA World Cup runner-up Croatia came out on top in the shootout 3-1.
"We have given everything throughout this tournament and had great results, coming back against Spain and Germany," the Japanese team’s captain Maya Yoshida was quoted as saying by the official FIFA website after the match. "I’m proud of my team, proud of my teammates…"
"It’s really tough but I’m really proud of what we have done. And I’ve really enjoyed this tournament," he added.
Playing in Group E at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Japan reached the playoff round after defeating Germany 2-1, then losing to Costa Rica 0-1 and finally squeaking past Spain with a 2-1 win.
The national team of Croatia played in Group F and in its opening group stage match the team managed to secure a scoreless draw against Morocco, then trounced Canada 4-1 and eventually enjoyed another scoreless draw with Belgium to reach the Round of 16.
Croatia, the runner-up at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, will now await the winner of the match between Brazil and South Korea, scheduled to face off later tonight, in the quarterfinals.
2022 FIFA World Cup
Qatar is hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup between November 20 and December 18 at eight stadiums in five cities across the Persian Gulf country, namely in Doha, Lusail, Al Wakrah, Al Khor and Al Rayyan.
The eight host stadiums are: Al Bayt Stadium, Khalifa International Stadium, Al Thumama Stadium, Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Lusail Iconic Stadium, Stadium 974, Education City Stadium, and Al Janoub Stadium.
The coveted World Cup Trophy will be taken home by one of 32 teams divided into eight groups. The group stage matches are being held across numerous fields in Qatar between November 20 and December 2 with the top two teams from each group advancing to the playoffs.
Qatar won the right to host matches for the 2022 FIFA World Cup on December 2, 2010. The championship kicked off last Sunday with a spectacular ceremony and the subsequent opening match between host Qatar and Ecuador, which ended 2-0 in favor of Ecuador.
In March 2015, FIFA officially announced that the 22nd edition of FIFA’s flagship event would be played in November and December of 2022, with the final match set for December 18, 2022, coinciding with - Qatar National Day. The objective, in principle, was to hold the tournament over 28 days.