bluesfan94
Registered User
Teams: Brazil v. Croatia
Time and Date (CST): Friday, December 9, 9:00 AM
Venue: Education City Stadium
Storyline: This quarterfinal matchup pits last World Cup's runner-up against the country with the most World Cup wins in its history. Brazil enters this matchup in scintillating form, coming off a 4-1 drubbing of South Korea in the Round of 16 which had a scoreline that slightly flattered the Asian nation. All four Brazilian goals came in the first half, allowing for a relaxed second half and the chance for some Brazilian players to get a breather. The four goals were each scored by a different player, with Richarlison perhaps scoring the most technical of the goals, coming after three seal dribbles and a nice flick. Brazil was bolstered by the return of Neymar and retain both quality starters and depth, even in the face of a handful of injuries. Their group stage campaign was comfortable, if perhaps disappointing, as wins in their first two matches, one against Serbia and the other against Switzerland, allowed for a rotated squad that ultimately lost in Cameroon despite controlling the match. Brazil entered the tournament as one of the favorites and has done little to shake that evaluation.
Croatia, meanwhile, had a bit of a rockier road to get to this round. The 2018 runner-up and dark horse contender this year required penalties to get past Japan in a match where Croatia was the favorite. Japan went up with a goal on the stroke of halftime, leading to some thoughts of an upset, but Croatia leveled through a well-placed header by Ivan Perisic. For the most part, Croatia controlled the match, although Japan had its chances on the break, including demanding an impressive save from Croatian goalkeeper, Dominik Lovakovic. Lovakovic repeated those heroics in the penalty shootout, saving three Japanese penalties, and Mario Pasalic's cool finish in the fourth round of PKs gave Croatia the win. In the group stages, Croatia had a rather boring 0-0 draw against Morocco, who joins the Balkan nation in the Quarterfinals, before beating Canada 4-1, despite falling behind early. They followed that performance up with another 0-0 draw, this one a nail biter, against Belgium, who many thought could be a contender this year as well. Croatia has a strong midfield, but lacks some quality in attack. Croatia will seek to slow the tempo of the match, control the midfield battle, and eliminate Brazilian scoring chances, while Brazil will likely play its uptempo brand of soccer that has served it so well thus far.
This will be the 5th meeting of these sides, with Brazil having never lost, winning the last three matchups, including in the 2006 and 2014 World Cups, and the sides having drawn once.
Last edited:
