AL WAKRAH, Qatar - Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livaković saved penalties from Takumi Minamino, Kaoru Mitoma and Maya Yoshida before Mario Pašalić netted the winning spot-kick in their 3-1 shootout win over Japan on Monday to reach the World Cup quarterfinals.
BLOCKED! The first penalty from Japan is saved!
Japan: ❌
Croatia: pic.twitter.com/NBvPsYulJo
Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey and Alexi Lalas told us this would happen — it's one generation inspiring the next after watching Christian Pulisic deliver and Tyler Adams dominate.
"If Shaq Moore can get 20 minutes in a World Cup, why not me?" is what these kids are asking themselves around the country, and they're heeding Donovan's advice to stop counting the days and to start making the days count.
England was clinical in dispatching Senegal 3-0 on Sunday to advance to the quarterfinals of the World Cup with defending champion France awaiting on Saturday, Dec. 10.
Senegal was playing with confidence after back-to-back wins over Qatar and Ecuador to reach the Round of 16, and the Lions of Teranga were the better side in the opening 35 minutes by forcing England into mistakes at the back. But the African champions couldn't make the Three Lions pay with Jordan Pickford keeping it level at 0-0.
DOHA - Thirteen years separate France strikers Kylian Mbappé and Olivier Giroud but their devastating double act in the 3-1 last-16 defeat of Poland at the World Cup on Sunday showed the age gap is no barrier to a flourishing relationship.
Giroud, at 36, brings experience and guile to France's attack, while Mbappé, 23, is blessed with pace so explosive that the screens at the Al Thumama Stadium showed him hitting a top of speed of 22 mph as he tormented Poland's defense.
Atop a mountain of French icons, Olivier Giroud stands alone. The AC Milan forward officially beat Thierry Henry’s France goal-scoring record with a great finish against Poland in the World Cup Round of 16 for his 52nd goal for Les Bleus.
GIROUD DOES IT
With this goal Olivier Giroud becomes the France men's national team all-time leading scorer pic.twitter.com/YFm8503bKq
Lionel Messi desbloqueó un nuevo obstáculo en su sueño de ganar la Copa del Mundo con Argentina. Pese a complicarse más de la cuenta, La Albiceleste se las arregló para vencer a Australia por 2-1 y avanzó a los cuartos de final del Mundial de Catar 2022 con el 10 como figura angular.
Uno de los goles del triunfo lo anotó precisamente Messi y en honor a las circunstancias no fue cualquier gol.
Lionel Messi moved above compatriot Diego Maradona on all-time World Cup goals for Argentina with his ninth on Saturday during a Round of 16 clash against Australia, and he accomplished what Cristiano Ronaldo has not in five different World Cups — Messi scored in the knockout rounds.
Australia was a massive underdog heading into this one, but the Socceroos' defensive approach had largely nullified Argentina for half an hour.
And just like that, it's over. The United States is sent packing after a 3-1 loss to the Netherlands in the first game of the knockout stage. The first World Cup since 2014 for the Americans gave fans much reason for hope, but it exposed the team's weaknesses as well.
The USA’s 2022 World Cup run ended in the Round of 16 on Saturday with a 3-1 loss to the Netherlands. It’s a game that could have ended differently for the Stars and Stripes who simply weren’t at their best.
This youthful American team will be disappointed in the loss but should be proud of their performances in the tournament. This team went undefeated in the group stage, outplayed mighty England and was the only Concacaf team to advance to the Round of 16.
For one last time let’s look at the three takeaways from the USA’s final game.
For those who count Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Soccer among their favorite books, the 2010 duo of Wesley Sneijder-Mark van Bommel among their favorite midfield pairings and videos of of Johan Cruyff and Johan Neeskens among their most visited on YouTube, watching the United States take nearly 65 percent possession off the Netherlands while completing almost twice as many passes in the first-half of a World Cup knockout match was a dream state.