Croatia beat Denmark on penalties to make World Cup quarter-finals

Croatia are through to the World Cup quarter-finals, beating Denmark 3-2 on penalties on Sunday after the pair's last-16 clash ended 1-1 after extra-time. Mathias Jorgensen put Denmark 1-0 up inside a minute at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium. But Milan Mandzukic equalized on 4 minutes to put Croatia back in the match, which was still level after 90 minutes.
Real Madrid star Luka Modric missed a penalty for Croatia with four minutes of extra-time remaining. But he scored one in the ensuing shoot-out, with Croatia triumphing after Barcelona's Ivan Rakitic netted the decisive kick. Croatia will now play Russia in the quarter-finals in Sochi on July 7 after the hosts' shock win - also on penalties - against Spain earlier on Sunday.
Croatian coach Zlatko Dalic put the win down to team spirit. "I'm overjoyed," he said. "When Luka missed his penalty, his team-mates believed they could do it." Germany, Argentina, Portugal, Spain - with every big name that has crashed out in Russia, so the expectation has increased among the Croatian fans that their side could emulate the greats who came third at France '98, and they outnumbered the Danes in Nizhny Novgorod Stadium.
Denmark were also looking to take their cues from 1998, when their best-ever World Cup performance saw them reach the quarter-finals. The Danes made two changes from their 0-0 draw with France, while Croatia reverted to the same team that overwhelmed Argentina 3-0 after Dalic had fielded a second-string against Iceland in Rostov.
With Croatia rattling in seven goals to Denmark's two in the group phase, this had been billed as a battle of attack versus defence. Yet after just 58 seconds, supposedly shot-shy Denmark were ahead. From a Jonas Knudsen throw-in the ball eventually came to the feet of Mathias Jorgensen, around eight yards out. He forced it tamely goalwards - but Croatia goalkeeper Daniel Subasic contrived to help the ball over, rather than away from, the line.
Yet this World Cup just keeps getting crazier. Three minutes later, another absurd goal put Croatia level. After Sime Vrsaljko smashed a cross into the box, the ball pinballed off the face of Denmark centre-back Andreas Christensen - who, Hareide said, was replaced at half-time after feeling "queasy" - and dropped to the feet of Mandzukic, whose mis-hit shot trundled past Kasper Schmeichel.
The game then settled into the attack-versus-defence pattern that many had predicted, with Croatia's midfield class beginning to tell. They had the best chances of the remainder of the first half, with Rakitic and Ante Rebic denied by Schmeichel before Ivan Perisic should have buried the loose ball. Dejan Lovren then glanced wide from a Modric free-kick.
Denmark's best chance after their goal came on 27 minutes but Subasic redeemed himself, saving well from Martin Braithwaite after the Bordeaux attacker had been released in the box, and the teams went in level at half-time. Christian Eriksen had been quiet as Modric and Rakitic dominated midfield.
The introduction at the break of Schoene was forced but brought Denmark into the game. He sat in front of the back four and made short, simple passes as the Danes finally got their midfield ticking. "I think we were the better team in the second half," Schmeichel said. But there was no real flow to the game. Braithwaite missed another good chance for Denmark on 56 minutes while Rebic and Perisic had chances for Croatia.
Both sides could have won it in injury-time, when Rakitic and then Braithwaite shot narrowly wide. But extra-time it would be. The Danes had the better of the chances, with Schoene and substitute Pione Sisto shooting narrowly wide. Then Modric put through substitute Andre Kramaric.The Hoffenheim man rounded Schmeichel but was floored in front of an open goal by Mathias Jorgensen, who escaped with only a yellow card.
The stage seemed set for Modric, but Schmeichel read his tame penalty, diving to his left to save. "Kasper did all he could to make sure we won the match," Hareide said. The shoot-out beckoned. Modric's opposite number Eriksen promptly missed Denmark's first penalty, with Milan Badelj repeating the trick with Croatia's first.
The next two penalties were good - then up stepped Modric, who showed tremendous guts to find the net. Both sides then missed again before Nicolai Jorgensen's kick was saved by Subasic. Modric's Barcelona adversary Rakitic took it - and Croatia were in the quarter-finals.
Schmeichel was left cursing fate after his three penalty saves - one in extra-time and two in the shoot-out - came to nought. "We had no luck," Schmeichel said. "I don't think the referee liked us very much today," he added. With Russia's defeat of Spain having given Croatia what is, on paper, an easier quarter-final, Dalic felt that Dame Fortune might be smiling on his side. "Without luck, you can't do anything in life," Dalic said.