By Victor Kanayo
Brazil will now play Croatia in the quarter-final of the ongoing 2022 FIFA World Cup after bashing South Korea 4-1 in the round of 16 encounter.
Neymar struck on his return from injury as Brazil produced a magical display to zoom into the last eight.
The five-time world champions blitzed their opponents with a bewitching first-half display where they scored four times in 36 minutes.
Croatia on their part kicked out Japan on penalties earlier same day.
It was in similar painful way they exited the World Cup four years ago at the same stage when providence ensured that Belgium almost with the last kick of the ball eliminated the determined Japanese.
Again this time, they were on the driver’s seat, taking a deserved 1-0 lead at half time through Daizen Maeda.
But Croatia fought back gamely and levelled up through Ivan Perisic’s header, 10 minutes into the second half.
The game was stalemated at 1-1 at regulation and added time, leading into the first extra time of the tournament.
They have made plenty of friends by cleaning up the dressing rooms after games and leaving origami models behind, but they crumbled under the pressure of the first shootout of the competition.
Croatia won twice on penalties on their way to the final in Russia, four years ago, and here they were clinical with goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic the hero.
Livakovic made three saves from the spot and Mario Pasalic scored the decisive penalty to send Zlatko Dalic’s team into the last eight.
