FIFA WORLD CUP - QATAR 2022 ⚽️🇶🇦

Live reporting by Joseph Kizza
(Scroll down the page for earlier updates)
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8:52 pm  |   CROATIA STORM SEMIS, BRAZIL OUT

🇭🇷 Croatia 1-1 Brazil 🇧🇷

After his heroics against Japan in the Round of 16 - also decided on penalties -  Dominik Livakovic is the hero again, as he saves one Brazilian penalty and sees another strike off the post.

Heartbreak for Neymar and co.

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8:49 pm  |   CROATIA STORM SEMIS, BRAZIL OUT

🇭🇷 Croatia 1-1 Brazil 🇧🇷

Croatia have beaten Brazil 4-2 on penalties to storm the semi-finals of the World Cup for a second successive edition.

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8:48 pm  |   PENALTIES: Brazil - Marquinhos misses

🇭🇷 Croatia 1-1 Brazil 🇧🇷

Marquinhos misses. Croatia win the penalty shootout!

(Croatia 4-2 Brazil)

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8:47 pm  |   PENALTIES: Croatia - Orsic scores

🇭🇷 Croatia 1-1 Brazil 🇧🇷

Mislav Orsic scores.

(Croatia 4-2 Brazil)
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8:47 pm  |   PENALTIES: Brazil - Pedro scores

🇭🇷 Croatia 1-1 Brazil 🇧🇷

Pedro scores.

(Croatia 3-2 Brazil)
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8:46 pm  |   PENALTIES: Croatia - Modric scores

🇭🇷 Croatia 1-1 Brazil 🇧🇷

Modric scores.

(Croatia 3-1 Brazil)
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8:45 pm  |   PENALTIES: Brazil - Casemiro scores

🇭🇷 Croatia 1-1 Brazil 🇧🇷

Casemiro scores.

(Croatia 2-1 Brazil)
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8:44 pm  |   PENALTIES: Croatia - Majer scores

🇭🇷 Croatia 1-1 Brazil 🇧🇷

Lovro Majer scores.

(Croatia 2-0 Brazil)
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8:43 pm  |   PENALTIES: Brazil - Rodrygo misses

🇭🇷 Croatia 1-1 Brazil 🇧🇷

Rodrygo has his penalty saved. Advantage Croatia.

(Croatia 1-0 Brazil)
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8:42 pm  |   PENALTIES: Croatia - Vlasic scores

🇭🇷 Croatia 1-1 Brazil 🇧🇷

Nikola Vlasic is the first to take. Alisson takes his position.

(Croatia 1-0 Brazil)
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8:38 pm  |   FULL TIME: PENALTIES NEXT

🇭🇷 Croatia 1-1 Brazil 🇧🇷

Jitters. Nerves. An exhausting quarterfinal duel comes down to this. A penalty shootout.
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8:36 pm  |   FULL TIME: PENALTIES NEXT

🇭🇷 Croatia 1-1 Brazil 🇧🇷

What an extra time of World Cup football!!!!
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120 (+1) mins 

🇭🇷 Croatia 1-1 Brazil 🇧🇷

GREAT SAVE BY LIVAKOVIC!

Penalties looming.
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117 mins  |   ⚽️  GOAL! - Petkovic (Croatia)

🇭🇷 Croatia 1-1 Brazil 🇧🇷

Croatia's first shot on target in this entire game is.......A GOAL! What scenes! What drama!

Mislav Orsic skedaddles on the left flank, and he is just in time to pick out Bruno Petkovic, whose connection takes a deflection off Marquinhos's thigh to float past an outstretched Alisson. Game on!

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114 mins  |   🔁  SUBSTITUTION (Croatia)

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-1 Brazil 🇧🇷

Another change for the Croats. Mislav Orsic darts into the fray, with Marcelo Brozovic coming off.
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112 mins 

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-1 Brazil 🇧🇷

Croatia have lost their previous two World Cup games against Brazil - (0-1 in 2006 and 1-3 in 2014) - in group-stage duels. Are they heading for a third? Time is running out for the Croats.
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110 mins  |   🔁  SUBSTITUTION (Croatia)

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-1 Brazil 🇧🇷

Croatia makes reforms. Ante Budimir replaces Borna Sosa.
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108 mins 

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-1 Brazil 🇧🇷

Croatia are now going all out. They have to. They will need a hero here to level the score and stretch this contest possibly into a penalty shootout.
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106 mins  |   🔁  SUBSTITUTION

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-1 Brazil 🇧🇷

Extra time half time changes for both sides. Half-time substitution. Eder Militao and Lucas Paqueta are replaced by Alex Sandro and Fred, respectively for Brazil. Lovro Majer is on and Mateo Kovacic is off for Croatia.
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8:15 pm  |   EXTRA TIME HALF TIME

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-1 Brazil 🇧🇷

Extra time half time. The stadium is in full celebration. The Brazilian party has - officially - started.
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105 (+1) mins  |   ⚽️  GOAL! - Neymar (Brazil)

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-1 Brazil 🇧🇷

THERE YOU GO! Neymar ploughs his way into the Croatian defense to round Dominik Livakovic and blast the ball into the roof of the net. What a goal! What a player!

That possibly match-winning goal takes Neymar level with legend Pele's all-time record tally of 77 for Brazil.
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105 mins

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

ONE MINUTE OF ADDED TIME.
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103 mins

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

CHANCE! Croatia can break the deadlock here! Danger at the Brazilian back. Bruno Petkovic manages to hold off two defenders to play in an unmarked Marcelo Brozovic, whose excited shot blasts into the Doha night sky!

Modric felt he was better-positioned to give that one a good go at. Wasted.
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97 mins

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

A characteristically quick-fire one-two between Lucas Paqueta and Neymar almost splits open Croatia, but a defender blocks their passage.
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96 mins

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

Great footwork by Antony on the right runway, as the Manchester United forward manages to leave his minder for dead to set in motion a Brazilian attack. But  Zlatko Dalic's men defend well.
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95 mins

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

The contest is getting physical. Neymar downs a man here, teammate Antony feels he is being nimbled on without getting much attention from the officials.
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93 mins

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

Lots of tired legs on that Education City Stadium turf, as the players lumber on into these exhausting minutes of extra time.
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91 mins

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

What now?

Brazil have an early corner. Antony gives way for Neymar, who darts over to the flag to whip the ball in. Pedro rises highest to connect but his header floats the wrong way, beyond the face of goal.
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7:54 pm  |   MATCH TO GO IN EXTRA TIME

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

The pep talks will happen on the pitch. And they will be very brief.
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7:52 pm  |   MATCH TO GO IN EXTRA TIME

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

Peeeep! And that is it! 90 minutes of football produce no semi-finalists. That means only one thing: Thirty minutes of extra time coming up next.
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90 (+4) mins 

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

Antony manages to turn and outrun defender Borna Sosa, but his effort is too weak to trouble Croatian glovesman Dominik Livakovic, who collects comfortably and steals a few seconds off the clock.
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90 (+1) mins 

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

Brazil have a corner after slamming - VERY HARD - on Croatia's door. The decibels in the stands rise with every Brazilian attack.

But Neymar's delivery into the mixer is headed out into the open field. Brazil reset for another attack.

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90 mins 

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

FOUR MINUTES OF ADDED TIME.
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88 mins 

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

Now it is the Croats asking the questions inside Brazil's half . . .
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86 mins 

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

Worried, hopeful looks in the stands as  Brazil knock Croatia's door. But every attack is smothered.
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83 mins   |   🔁  SUBSTITUTION (Brazil)

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

Richarlison, who has scored three goals at this tournament, will not add to his tally. The Tottenham forward is replaced by Pedro.
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80 mins

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

Brazil are looking to reach the World Cup semi-final for the ninth time. Only Germany has done so more often (12 times).

As we get into the final 10 minutes, they still need to score here against a combative Croatian side to be on course for this.
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77 mins  |    🟨  YELLOW CARD - Marquinhos (Brazil)

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

Another booking goes to Brazil, with Marquinhos the offender after he does well to stop a Croatian counterattack. Took that one for the team, the PSG man.
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76 mins

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

Dominik Livakovic flies out of his goal to grow BIG and block an advancing Neymar for a Brazilian corner. The PSG forward trots to the corner flag to sweep the ball into the box, but it is dealt with very well by the Croats.
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75 mins

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

The closer full time approaches, the more you get a feeling that this is playing nicely into Croatia's hands. This is very much familiar territory, as both sides look to find the opener in these remaining 15 minutes.
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72 mins  |   🔁  SUBSTITUTION (Croatia)

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

A double change for Croatia. Bruno Petkovic and Nikola Vlasic are both on now.
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70 mins

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

In case you need any reminding . . .

Seven of Croatia's last eight knockout stage games at major tournaments (World Cup and Euro) have gone to extra time - a streak that stretches back to Euro 2008. And they have advanced from four of such contests at the World Cup, with three being decided by penalties.

Twenty minutes to go.
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68 mins  |    🟨  YELLOW CARD - Casemiro (Brazil)

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

Casemiro thinks showing him yellow for a tackle on a Croat is harsh. But his remonstrations won't change referee Oliver's mind.
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66 mins 

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

GREAT SAVE! Dominik Livakovic storms out of his line to make a timely block from what appeared to be a certain goal by Lucas Paqueta. Neymar delivers the resulting corner kick, but the Croats do what they do best: defend - and in numbers.
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63 mins  |   🔁  SUBSTITUTION (Brazil)

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

Another change for Brazil. It is the end of the evening for Vinicius Junior, who is replaced by Rodrygo. Not his day, the Real Madrid man.
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61 mins

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

A defence-splitting pass is threaded to Perisic on the left flank, but he releases the ball sooner than he should have to send a feeble effort Alisson's way. The Liverpool glovesman won't be troubled by that - at all.
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59 mins

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

Somehow, Croatia appear the maestros of close quarters ball possession - and indeed they are, by any stretch of imagination. Brazil are on the receiving end of this reality. They are doing the chasing here.
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57 mins

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

Anthony is right away involved, as he races to the byline, before squaring a pass into the goal area, only for the ball to be blocked.
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55 mins  |   🔁  SUBSTITUTION (Brazil)

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

Tite is the first coach to make changes here. Antony replaces Raphinha.
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53 mins 

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

CHANCE! Croatia want to draw first blood. A beautifully weighted ball finds Ivan Perisic, who opens his body to lob a ball targetted for Mario Pasalic, but the Atalanta man is late and only sees the ball float out for  a Brazil goal kick.
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50 mins 

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

It is two-way traffic here. Now it's the men in checkered white and red on the attack, but their movement is brought to a screeching halt, as their effort is blocked out for a corner.

Alisson's box is definitely crowded for that corner delivery. It is a deep ball dropped into the mixer and although it is well cleared, the offside flag was already up.
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48 mins 

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

Hold up. There is a VAR check for a possible handball inside Croatia's box in a second successive Brazilian attack. But the check is done and there won't be any more discussion on that. Play continues as the Croats breathe a sigh of relief.
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46 mins 

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

CLOSE! Brazil have started on the front foot here but are denied by a goalline clearance.
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7:03 pm  |    KICKOFF! - Second half under way

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

Croatia have managed to keep the Brazilians quiet in the opening 45. That means we have not seen any dancing yet. So what tactics has Tite discussed with his team during the break? Second half is under way, as the men in yellow and blue get the action under way.

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6:47 pm  |    HALF TIME: Even at the break

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

Peeep! And there goes the half-time whistle. An even contest, this.

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45 (+1) mins

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

Can Brazil make a final opening-half statement? No, they don't, as their attack is snuffed out in the midfield.
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45 mins

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

ONE MINUTE OF ADDED TIME.
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44 mins

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

Brazil captain Thiago Silva has work to do at the back, as Croatia burst into the box. The Chelsea defender manages to muscle an attacker off the ball, but the offside flag was already up anyways.
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41 mins

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

. . . And that wicked deflection from Neymar's freekick could have caused more trouble than it does, as Livakovic has clear sight of the effort and nestles the ball.

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40 mins

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

A freekick for Brazil after Marcelo Brozovic downs Vinicius Junior just near the edge. Looks like the Number 10 will deliver.
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37 mins

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

The defensive, ball-hoarding discipline of the Croats has presented another challenge that the Brazilians have not been subjected to yet at this edition. Nothing like any of those blistering attacks we have been seeing.
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34 mins

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

We have not seen much attacking from Tite's side, but they launch forward now. Inside the box, defender Josip Juranovic does not take chances and balloons the ball out of harm's way when he senses an interested Junior lurking.
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32 mins   |    🟨  YELLOW CARD - Brozovic (Croatia)

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

Marcelo Brozovic does not give the referee any choice.
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31 mins

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

Croatia have lost four of their last five World Cup matches against South American sides. They have only beaten Argentina in those games - a 3-0 victory in 2018.

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29 mins

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

When Croatia burst into an attack, it is blistering. And they do again down the right flank, before a cross-field ball is plucked out of the air by Ivan Perisic, but his long-distance shot is ambitious and flies way off-target.
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27 mins

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

As you would have expected, the Croats have done well to keep Brazil at bay. Neymar and co are starved of service in this opening half.
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25 mins  |    🟨  YELLOW CARD - Danilo (Brazil)

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

Danilo is the first man in Michael Oliver's book for a high boot on Celtic defender Josip Juranovic. That looked dangerous and the Brazilian is lucky to escape with only a booking.

Modric sweeps in the freekick just near the edge of the box. It is a deep one, but cleared well.
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22 mins

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

Brazil have their first corner of the game after Casemiro's long-range shot is deflected. The resulting corner produces no fruit.
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20 mins

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

Croatia's conundrum now is how to stop Vinicius Junior on the left flank. The Real Madrid forward has three minders on him as his quick feet carry him into the box, then playing a one-two with an equally heavily marked Neymar, but the resulting effort won't beat Dominik Livakovic.
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18 mins

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

Tite's side are doing more defending than attacking in this opening period. The Croats are solid at the back and daring at the front. This time, a shot is blocked well.

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16 mins

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

Brazil have lost their last three quarter-final ties against European nations - against France in 2006, Netherlands in 2010 and Belgium in 2018.
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14 mins

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

Brazil are living dangerously here. It has been all Croatia in the last couple of minutes. Luka Modric masterminds some teasing play into the Brazilian box by dropping a ball into the path of a teammate - didn't quite get who it is - but the Croat is under pressure and cannot get his head on the ball.
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12 mins

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

CHANCE! Croatia are on a counterattack, and the channel is the right flank.

Josip Juranovic makes a good run, before producing width to the attack with a pass to Mario Pasalic, who squares a pass into the box, but under-pressure Ivan Perisic only manages to brush the ball with his thigh and the sphere floats out of play. That was close.
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9 mins

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

Brazil launch an attack, causing pandemonium inside the Croatian box. A blistering pass ends on Raphinha's feet on the byline, but the Barcelona man runs of field while slotting the ball back into play. The linesup saw that and raises his flag. Goal kick to Croatia.
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6 mins

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

The Croats - 2018 runners-up - look comfortable on the ball and look like they are settling nicely into this contest, tapping the ball around, feeding each other. Suddenly, a ball is dropped into the Brazilian box, but Ivan Perisic is adjudged to have gone heavy on Eder Militao during an aerial challenge and the ball will head the opposite way.
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4 mins

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

Early bells for Croatia, as the industrious Vinicius Junior works his way in and curls an effort towards Dominik Livakovic, but the Dinamo Zagreb glovesman saves comfortably.
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2 mins

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

Mateo Kovacic tries to slalom his way into the Brazilian final third, but the Chelsea man is stopped by Casemiro and Richarlison for an early freekick for Croatia.
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6:00 pm  |   KICKOFF! - Game on!

🇭🇷 Croatia 0-0 Brazil 🇧🇷

Peeeep! There goes the first whistle, and the Croats get the ball rolling. English referee Michael Oliver is the man in charge of this quarterfinal duel.
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5:54 pm 

🇭🇷 Croatia v Brazil 🇧🇷 (6pm)

A reader here summarises the contest very well: "Most defending versus most attacking."

Very well then. Let's see how this one will go. It is time for the anthems. Croatia's first.
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5:50 pm 

🇭🇷 Croatia v Brazil 🇧🇷 (6pm)

And the fireworks and all that kind of fancy stuff light up a dimly-lit Education City Stadium. That means only one thing: the show is about to start. Popcorn ready?
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5:33 pm  |   Neymar on cusp of equalling Pele goals

🇭🇷 Croatia v Brazil 🇧🇷 (6pm)

If this man you see here - Neymar - scores this evening, his first goal will take him level with legend Pele's all-time record tally of 77 for Brazil. Well, his team love to dance - and they sure know where the back of an opponent's net is located.

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5:30 pm  |   30 minutes to kickoff . . .

🇭🇷 Croatia v Brazil 🇧🇷 (6pm)

The fans are more than ready.

The yellow and green of Brazil is unmistakeable.

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5:26 pm |   The starting lineups

🇭🇷 Croatia v Brazil 🇧🇷 (6pm)

It is no surprise that Brazil are unchanged from the side that danced their way past South Korea in the Round of 16.

CROATIA: Dominik Livakovic (GK), Josip Juranovic, Dejan Lovren, Josko Gvardiol, Borna Sosa, Luka Modric (C), Marcelo Brozovic, Mateo Kovacic, Mario Pasalic, Andrej Kramaric, Ivan Perisic

BRAZIL: Alisson Becker (GK), Eder Militao, Thiago Silva (C), Marquinhos, Danilo, Lucas Paqueta, Casemiro, Neymar, Raphinha, Richarlison, Vinicius Junior
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5:20 pm |   The history you need

🇭🇷 Croatia v Brazil 🇧🇷 (6pm)

Brazil have never lost to Croatia in four previous meetings in all competitions - they have won three and drawn one. These two sides are meeting for the time since a friendly in June 2018 that Brazil won 2-0.

Croatia have lost four of their last five World Cup matches against South American sides. They have only beaten Argentina in those games - a 3-0 victory in 2018. 

Croatia have lost their previous two World Cup games against Brazil - (0-1 in 2006 and 1-3 in 2014) - in group-stage duels.

Brazil have lost each of their last five World Cup knockout stage games against European opposition since defeating Germany 2-0 in the 2002 final.

Brazil have lost their last three quarter-final ties against European nations - France in 2006, Netherlands in 2010 and Belgium in 2018.

Seven of Croatia's last eight knockout stage games at major tournaments (World Cup and Euro) have gone to extra time - a streak that stretches back to Euro 2008. And they have advanced from four of such contests at the World Cup, with three being decided by penalties.

Brazil are looking to reach the World Cup seme-final for the ninth time. Only Germany has done so more often (12 times).

Croatia have reached at least the semi-final of the World Cup on both previous occassions they have made it out of the group stages (1998 and 2018).
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5:15 pm |   The Croats take on the Brazilians 

🇭🇷 Croatia v Brazil 🇧🇷 (6pm)

Good evening everyone. A place in the semi-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup is the prize here, as 2018 runners-up Croatia take on five-time champions Brazil at Education City Stadium in Qatar's capital Doha. We shall do live text coverage of that contest, which kicks of at 6pm local time.