Luka Modric celebrates with Danijel Subasic

Croatia beat Denmark on penalties: Subasic sends his side into quarter-finals

23:05 · SUN July 01, 2018

Danijel Subasic saved three penalties in the shootout to send Croatia through to a quarter-final with Russia after a dramatic win over Denmark.

A crazy openng saw Mathias Jorgensen give Denmark a first-minute lead only for Mario Mandzukic to level for Croatia inside five minutes of play in Nizhny Novgorod.

The Croatian defence failed to deal with Knudsen's ball into the penalty area and after Thomas Delaney had got a touch, defender Mathias Jorgensen pounced to score his first senior international goal from close range.

However, the lead lasted just three minutes when Mandzukic was first to react as the ball ricocheted across the Danish penalty area to fire past keeper Kasper Schmeichel and level the score.

Croatia dominated the first half but Denmark nulified them in the second half as the game went into extra time where, five minutes from the end, Luke Modric had a penalty saved by Kasper Schmeichel.

World Cup betting update

Russia have been cut to 22/1 to win the World Cup after beating Spain and throwing that half of the draw wide open. Croatia are in to 11/2 third favourites for the trophy and England are now 6/1 joint fourth favourites for the tournament.

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That took the game to penalties where both Schmeichel and Subasic excelled saving five penalties between them - Schmeichel denied Milan Badelj and Josip Pivaric while Subasic saved from Christian Eriksen, Lasse Schone and Nicolai Jorgensen.

That led to Ivan Rakitic stepping up to clinch a 3-2 shootout win to send Croatia through to the quarter-finals where they will face hosts Russia, who also came through on penalties to stun Spain.

Although they only managed to get through by the skin of their teeth, Croatia are the favourites from their half of the draw, and are now third favourites to win the World Cup at 11/2.

SCORES! Rakitic holds his nerve and slides his spot kick home to send Croatia through to the World Cup quarter-final pic.twitter.com/W1bezcEJXV
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) July 1, 2018

Opta Stats

Croatia have qualified for their first World Cup quarter-final since 1998.
Denmark have lost two of their three penalty shootouts at major tournaments, also losing against Spain in the Euro 1984 semi-final (won the other at Euro 1992 against Netherlands).
This match was only the second in World Cup history to see both teams score inside four minutes, after Argentina v Nigeria in June 2014.
Mathias Jorgensen scored for Denmark after 57 seconds, the fastest goal scored in a World Cup match since Clint Dempsey scored after 29 seconds for USA against Ghana in 2014.
Mario Mandzukic’s equaliser for Croatia after 3 minutes and 40 seconds was Croatia’s second fastest World Cup goal, behind only Darijo Srna’s goal against Australia in June 2006 (1:56).
Since 1966, only one penalty has been taken later in a World Cup match than Luka Modric’s penalty for Croatia (115:46) – Asamoah Gyan for Ghana against Uruguay in 2010 (121:27), whose penalty hit the crossbar.
Mario Mandzukic scored his third World Cup goal for Croatia (also two goals in 2014), with only Davor Suker (6) scoring more for the Croatians.
Both Croatia and Denmark played their 20th World Cup games in this match, with this the first time for each nation that any of those 20 games has gone to extra-time.
Denmark have conceded three penalties at the 2018 World Cup, the most by a team in a World Cup since Greece in 1994 (also three conceded).
Today is only the second day in which two World Cup games (Spain v Russia, Croatia v Denmark) both went to a penalty shootout – the other was June 21, 1986 (France v Brazil, Mexico v Germany).