Japan and Croatia headed to extra time after they remained knotted, 1-1, in Wakrah, Qatar. Japan, attempting to become the first Asian team in the quarterfinals in 20 years, had a 1-0 lead at halftime before Croatia equalized early in the second half. There was no scoring in the first 15 minutes of extra time. The Associated Press has the story:
Tied 1-1, Japan and Croatia head to Extra Time
Newslooks- AL WAKRAH, Qatar (AP)
The World Cup match between Japan and Croatia in the round of 16 has gone to extra time with the teams tied at 1-1.
Japan has reached the knockout stage of the World Cup for the fourth time, but it has never gotten any further than the round of 16. To advance to its first quarterfinal, it will need to earn its third win of the tournament against a European opponent after its group-stage upsets of Spain and Germany. Croatia is into the knockout round for the third time, and its previous two trips did not end quickly. The Croatians finished in third place in their first World Cup appearance in 1998 and placed second in the 2018 event. The winner of this match will play again Friday against the winner of the match between Brazil and South Korea scheduled for 2 p.m. today.
Ninety minutes, plus another four minutes of second-half stoppage time, wasn’t enough to decide a winner between Croatia and Japan in their round-of-16 matchup, so they’ll head to extra time tied, 1-1.
Extra time will feature two 15-minute periods and there is no golden goal. If the teams remain tied after 30 minutes, penalty kicks will determine which side advances to the quarterfinals. It’s the first World Cup match to go to extra time since Croatia defeated England in the 2018 semifinals.
Daizen Maeda gave Japan a 1-0 lead off a corner kick in the 43rd minute. Ivan Perisic scored the equalizer for Croatia in the 55th minute on an assist from Dejan Lovren.
