Qatar World Cup 2022 Day 16: Brazil make light work of South Korea, Croatia through on penalties

Croatia have made it through to the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar after beating Japan 3-1 on penalties. Will South Korea be able to take down Brazil in Monday's second match?
7 min read
05 December, 2022

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Brazil and Croatia have advanced to the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar as the victors of two very different matches.

The Croatians beat Japan 3-1 in a penalty shootout after their match at the Al Janoub Stadium ended in a 1-1 draw.

But in the later match, Brazil put in what might be the most confident team performance of the competition so far to ease into the last eight with a 4-1 win against South Korea at Stadium 974.

9:35 PM
The New Arab Staff

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8:56 PM
The New Arab Staff

Full-time: Brazil 4-1 South Korea

Brazil were less of a treat to watch in the second half than in the first, but their superiority over the South Koreans was undeniable.

They will face Croatia in a quarter-final showdown on Friday.

Brazil put on their most confident performance of the tournament [Jam Media/Getty]
8:37 PM
The New Arab Staff

Brazil 4-1 South Korea

A consolation goal for South Korea is met with wild celebration from their fans.

7:51 PM
The New Arab Staff

Half-time: Brazil 4-0 South Korea

Brazil are looking supreme, ratcheting up a virtually unassailable four-goal lead in the first half.

There's been plenty to celebrate in the first half for the Brazilians [Lars Baron/Getty]
7:38 PM
The New Arab Staff

Brazil 4-0 South Korea

Another goal, another celebratory dance - Lucas Paqueta makes it four for Brazil.

7:30 PM
The New Arab Staff

Brazil 3-0 South Korea

Richarlison scores his third goal of the tournament to put Brazil comfortably ahead just 29 minutes into the match.

7:13 PM
The New Arab Staff

Brazil 2-0 South Korea

Neymar puts away a penalty to draw within one of Pele's goalscoring record for Brazil.

7:07 PM
The New Arab Staff

Brazil 1-0 South Korea

Vini Jr.'s controlled strike gives Brazil the lead just seven minutes in.

6:34 PM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

Neymar starts for Brazil in World Cup last-16 tie against South Korea

Neymar makes his return to Brazil's starting line-up for Monday's World Cup last-16 tie against South Korea.

The world's most expensive footballer is back for the game at Doha's Stadium 974 after missing Brazil's last two matches with an ankle sprain he suffered in their opening 2-0 win over Serbia.

Neymar needs just two more goals to equal Pele's all-time record tally of 77 for Brazil.

The winners of tonight's match will progress to a quarter-final on Friday against Croatia, who defeated Japan on penalties.

Neymar needs just two more goals to equal Pele's all-time record tally [FIFA via Getty]
5:56 PM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

974: the Qatar World Cup stadium set to disappear after the tournament

Of the seven stadiums Qatar built for the World Cup, one will disappear after the tournament.

That's what the games' organisers have said about Stadium 974 in Doha – a port-side structure with more than 40,000 seats partially built from recycled shipping containers and steel.

Qatar says the stadium will be fully dismantled after the World Cup and could be shipped to countries that need the infrastructure.

Outside experts have praised the design, but say more needs to be known about what happens to the stadium after the event.

"Designing for disassembly is one of the main principles of sustainable building," said Karim Elgendy, an associate fellow at the London-based Chatham House think tank who previously worked as a climate consultant for the World Cup.

"It allows for the natural restoration of a building site or its reuse for another function," he said, adding that a number of factors need to considered "before we call a building sustainable".

Stadium 974, named after Qatar’s international dialing code and the number of containers used to build the stadium, is the only venue that Qatar constructed for the World Cup that isn't air-conditioned.

Fenwick Iribarren Architects, which designed Stadium 974 and two other World Cup stadiums, says the idea was to avoid building a "white elephant", a stadium that is left unused or underused after the tournament ends, as happened following previous World Cups in South Africa, Brazil and Russia.

Stadium 974 is named after Qatar's international dialing code [Francois Nel/Getty]
5:45 PM
The New Arab Staff

Crotia wins on penalties

Croatia are victorious after they made three penalties from four when their World Cup clash with Japan went beyond extra time.

The Samurai Blue could only score one penalty.

5:42 PM
The New Arab Staff

PENALTIES: Japan 1–3 Croatia

After two misses, Japan score their first penalty of this shootout thanks to Takuma Asano.

But the Samurai Blue missed their fourth attempt while Croatia managed to make three from four penalties.

5:39 PM
The New Arab Staff

PENALTIES: Japan miss two, Croatia score two

Japan missed their first two penalties, while Croatia managed to score both.

5:35 PM
The New Arab Staff

Extra time, end of second half: Japan 1–1 Croatia

Another 15 minutes was not enough for either Japan or Croatia to see a breakthrough.

With the sides in deadlock, they will now face off in a penalty shootout.

5:15 PM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

Extra time, end of first half: Japan 1–1 Croatia

Neither Japan nor Croatia could break the deadlock in the first half of extra time.

After a further 15 minutes of play, if neither side is able to claim victory, they will be separated by a penalty shootout.

Japan, trying to reach the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in their history, are aiming to claim another big European scalp after beating Germany and Spain in the group stage in Qatar.

Croatia, beaten finalists against France in 2018, are led by midfield icon Luka Modric in his fourth and likely last World Cup.

4:56 PM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

Full time: Japan 1–1 Croatia

Japan and Croatia went to extra time with the scores level at 1–1 at the end of 90 minutes, after Ivan Perišić's brilliant goal cancelled out Daizen Maeda's opener for Japan.

Perisic met Dejan Lovren's cross with a powerful header to put Croatia level 10 minutes after the interval.

Maeda had given Japan the lead in the 43rd minute, firing home from close range after Ritsu Doan delivered an inswinging cross into the penalty area.

(Reuters)

Japan and Croatia went to extra time [Alex Grimm/Getty]
4:14 PM
The New Arab Staff

GOAL: Japan 1–1 Croatia

Croatian striker Ivan Perišić scores in the 55th minute to bring the two sides level.

It now really is all to play for Japan and Croatia as they both vie for a spot in the quarters.

3:49 PM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

Half-time: Japan 1–0 Croatia

Japan go into the break ahead but it's all still to play for as the Samurai Blue are only in the lead by one goal.

Daizen Maeda scored from a well-worked short corner just before half-time.

Maeda connected with Ritsu Doan's cross to break the deadlock in the 43rd minute as the sides battled it out for the right to meet Brazil or South Korea, who play later on Monday, in the quarter-finals.

(ReutersThe New Arab)

3:45 PM
The New Arab Staff

GOAL: Japan 1–0 Croatia

After what looked set to be a goalless first half, Japan put themselves ahead in the 43rd minute of play, thanks to striker Daizen Maeda.

The Samurai Blue lead Croatia by one goal to nil.

2:56 PM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

Japan's Doan to start after scoring two goals as sub in group stage

Forward Ritsu Doan is named in Japan's starting line-up for their World Cup last-16 match against Croatia on Monday, after scoring two goals as a substitute in the group stage.

Doan, who would become the first Japanese player to score three goals at one World Cup if he nets against the Croatians, replaces Takefusa Kubo in one of three changes from the team that beat Spain 2-1 to top Group E.

Takehiro Tomiyasu replaces the suspended Kou Itakura in defence, while midfielder Wataru Endo returns to the line-up in place of Ao Tanaka after coming on as a late substitute against Spain.

Croatia, the beaten 2018 finalists, make two changes from the team that drew 0–0 with Belgium to qualify from Group F in second place.

Borna Barisic comes in to replace the injured Borna Sosa at left-back, while Bruno Petkovic starts ahead of Marko Livaja in attack.

Japan's Ritsu Doan (pictured) replaces Takefusa Kubo [Maja Hitij - FIFA/FIFA/Getty]
1:53 PM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

Japan and Croatia's starting line-ups

Starting line-ups for the World Cup last-16 match between Japan and Croatia at the Al Janoub Stadium in Qatar (kick-off 1500 GMT today):

Japan (3-4-3)

Shuichi Gonda; Takehiro Tomiyasu, Maya Yoshida (capt), Shogo Taniguchi; Junya Ito, Wataru Endo, Hidemasa Morita, Yuto Nagatomo; Ritsu Doan, Daichi Kamada, Daizen Maeda

Coach: Hajime Moriyasu (JPN)

Croatia (4-3-3)

Dominik Livakovic; Josip Juranovic, Dejan Lovren, Josko Gvardiol, Borna Barisic; Mateo Kovacic, Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic; Ivan Perisic, Andrej Kramaric, Bruno Petkovic

Coach: Zlatko Dalic (CRO)

Referee: Ismail Elfath (USA)

11:18 AM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

Morocco's Hakimi up against country of his birth tomorrow

Achraf Hakimi was born in Madrid but will have little hesitation plotting the downfall of Spain when he and his Moroccan teammates take on the 2010 World Cup winners tomorrow.

The flying wingback is one of the key players in the north African outfit whose last-16 match in the Qatar World Cup against Spain, at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, gives them a chance to reach the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time.

Hakimi could even have been on the opposite side, as he was called up when still a teenager for Spain's junior team.

"I felt it was not the right place for me, I did not feel at home. It was not for anything in particular, but it was not how I lived at home, which is the Arab culture, being Moroccan," he told Spain’s Marca newspaper in the build-up to Tuesday's clash.

Achraf Hakimi is a key player for Morocco [KARIM JAAFAR/AFP/Getty-archive]