After each matchday of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Sportsnet.ca’s World Cup Daily blog will recap the day’s events and look ahead to the next day’s slate of games.
Here’s what happened on Friday in Qatar, in case you missed it…
THE RESULTS
• Croatia 1, Brazil 1 (Croatia wins 4-2 in shootout) in Al Rayyan: Match report || Match stats
• Netherlands 2, Argentina 2 (Argentina wins 4-3 in shootout) in Lusail: Match report || Match stats
Semifinals matchup: Argentina vs. Croatia in Lusail (Dec. 13 at 2:00 p.m. ET)
MAIN TALKING POINTS
Argentina throws it all away, and the recaptures it
“I once held her in my arms, she said she would always stay. But I was cruel, I treated her like a fool, I threw it all away.” – Bob Dylan
Argentina is still alive at the World Cup, but just barely, after managing to hold and avoid suffering one of the greatest collapses in the history of the tournament. As a result, the South Americans are through to the semifinals in Qatar, and Lionel Messi remains on course to finally hoist the World Cup trophy in his last appearance in the competition.
A 4-3 penalty shootout victory saw the Argentines dispatch the Netherlands in dramatic fashion. But it really didn’t have to be that difficult for La Albiceleste, who looked to have had the game wrapped up when Messi converted from the penalty spot in the 73rd minute. Before that, he set up Argentina’s opening goal in the first half with an out-of-this-world pass that took out four Dutch players. Within minutes, “WHAT A PASS” was trending on Twitter, and when Messi gave his country a 2-0 lead, the Netherlands looked to be dead and buried.
But the Argentines let the game slip away from them, like someone who takes his lover for granted and doesn’t realize what a good thing they have going. Argentina began to ease up, and the Netherlands took full advantage after subbing on forward Wout Weghorst late in the second half. He responded with two goals, one scored off a well-worked, sucker-punch of a free kick deep into injury time, to seemingly break Argentina’s heart.
Thirty minutes of extra time settled nothing, and when Argentina took a 3-1 lead in the penalty shootout, its prior indiscretions were almost forgotten. But then Enzo Fernández missed his penalty, and Luuk de Jong converted for the Netherlands.
Surely, the South Americans weren’t going to throw away a two-goal lead for the second time? Lautaro Martínez stopped the Dutch comeback dead in his tracks with a cool-as-you-like penalty that allowed Argentina to once again feel the warm and loving embrace of victory.
Croatia sends Brazil packing from World Cup
Brazil sambaed into the World Cup quarter-finals in Qatar, only to slump its way out of the competition when it found an unwilling dance partner in Croatia on Friday. A goal by Neymar in the 105th minute appeared to send the Seleção to the semifinals for the first time since 2014 when it hosted the tournament. But a resolute and defiant Croatia, led by the incomparable Luka Modrić, did not go gentle into that good night and equalized 12 minutes later before winning out in a dramatic penalty shootout.
Much has been made about the Brazilians at this World Cup, and how they’ve dazzled and entertained fans with their joga bonito. Technical skill and quality are certainly admirable qualities to have. Being able to draw water from a deep reservoir of resolve also matters, though. On that score, there’s no question that Croatia had the edge over Brazil. The Croatians have been involved in six of the last eight World Cup matches to go to extra time – they’ve progressed the last five times.
As spiritual caretakers of the sport, Brazil sees winning the World Cup as its birthright. Croatia reminded the South American nation that nothing comes easy at the World Cup, and that you must fight and scrap for everything you earn. Buoyed by the heroic goalkeeping of Dominik Livaković, the defensive stoutness of centre back Joško Gvardiol, and graft and guile of fullback Josip Juranović, and the midfield industriousness of Modrić Mateo Kovačić, Croatia justifiably find itself in the final four of a World Cup for the second consecutive tournament.
GOAL OF THE DAY
After being thwarted by Croatia for 105 minutes, Brazil finally broke the deadlock with a marvelous goal. Neymar started the attacking sequence by running straight down the middle, before receiving a return pass inside the box from Lucas Paquetá. The PSG star patiently rounded goalkeeper Dominik Livaković and fired a shot into the roof of the net to give his side the lead.
MOMENT OF THE DAY
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“We are raised as fighters, giving our best. And that’s the recipe for success.” – Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livaković
SIX PACK OF STATS
• Neymar has now scored 77 goals for Brazil, tying Pele as the joint all-time top scorer for the Brazilian men’s team.
• Brazil has appeared in 15 World Cup quarterfinals, the most of any nation in the history of the men’s tournament.
• Brazil was the 13th side to go up 1-0 in extra time of a men’s World Cup knockout stage match, but the first to eventually be eliminated.
• Lionel Messi has seven career assists at the World Cup. All the goal passes went to different players: Hernan Crespo (2006), Carlos Tevez (2010), Angel Di María (2014), Sergio Agüero, Gabriel Mercado (2018), Enzo Fernández and Molina (2022).
• Wout Weghorst is the first-ever substitute to score twice in a World Cup match for the Dutch men’s team.
• Wout Weghorst scored for the Dutch with his first-ever shot at the World Cup.
Stats courtesy of Opta
THREE STARS OF THE DAY
1) Lionel Messi (Argentina): He scored one goal and set up another in regulation time, and then converted during the penalty shootout to keep alive his hopes of winning a World Cup in his final tournament appearance.
2) Dominik Livaković (Croatia): The lanky goalkeeper made 11 saves in regulation and extra time, and then registered another crucial stop in the penalty shootout to send Croatia through to the semifinals at Brazil’s expense.
3) Wout Weghorst (Netherlands): He came off the bench in the 78th minute and proceeded to score two goals to pull the Dutch level and force extra time.
LOOKING AHEAD TO SATURDAY
The quarterfinal round wraps up with two more games on Saturday, starting with Morocco vs. Portugal (10 a.m. ET). The Portuguese barely missed a beat with Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench in the Round of 16, as his replacement Gonçalo Ramos erupted for three goals and an assist in a 6-1 win over Switzerland. Will manager Fernando Santos keep the faith with Ramos, or turn to Ronaldo to find goals against a Moroccan side that has only conceded once in Qatar?
The late game sees England take on France (2 p.m. ET). England’s three wins at this World Cup have come against lower-ranked nations, so a showdown with the reigning world champions will easily be its stiffest test and will determine whether or not the Three Lions are for real.
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 20 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer. TFC Republic can be found here.
