Japan vs Croatia live: World Cup Round of 16 score, highlights as Perisic levels for Croatia

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Japan’s reward for coming top of Group E sees them take on 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia in the Round of 16.

The Samurai Blue will fancy their chances, though, and be full of confidence having already beaten both Germany and Spain at this World Cup with their only defeat coming against Costa Rica.

Croatia are yet to show their best football, drawing with Morocco and Belgium, but did prove they are capable of bagging plenty of goals with a 4-1 win over Canada. 

But with the memories of 2018 heartbreak still fresh in Croatia’s memory, they’ll be determined not to let another World Cup opportunity pass them by. 

The Sporting News is tracking live scoring updates and highlights for Japan vs Croatia at the 2022 World Cup. Follow below for complete results from the Round of 16 match in Qatar.

MORE: Japan World Cup squad 2022: All 26 players on Samurai Blue national football team roster

Japan vs Croatia latest score

  1H 2H Final
Japan 1 — —
Croatia 0 — —

Goals:

Maeda — JAP — 44th min

Perisic — CRO — 55th min

Confirmed lineups:

Japan confirmed lineup (3-4-3, right to left): 12. Gonda (GK) — 16. Tomiyasu, 22. Yoshida, 3. Taniguchi — 14. Ito, 6. Endo, 13. Morita, 5. Nagatomo — 8. Doan, 25. Maeda, 15. Kamada.

Croatia confirmed lineup (4-3-3, right to left): 1. Livakovic (GK) — 22. Juranovic, 6. Lovren, 20. Gvardiol, 3. Barisic — 10. Modric, 11. Brozovic, 8. Kovacic — 9. Kramaric, 16. Petkovic, 4. Perisic. 

MORE: Watch every World Cup match live with fuboTV (U.S.-only free trial)

Japan vs Croatia live updates, highlights from 2022 World Cup

86 mins: Perisic delivers a cross into the far post but Pasalic cannot get a clean header on it under pressure from two Japan defenders.

Takumi Minamino comes on for Doan.

85 mins: Scrappy from both sides as this tie looks to be heading towards extra time as Endo crunches into another tackle and Perisic fails to win a corner from Tomiyasu.

80 mins: Mitoma feeds a clever ball into Tomiyasu, but the Arsenal defender gets his feet in a mess, and his square ball is cleared.

75 mins: Croatia looked to ease up through the gears now as Perisic fires an effort narrowly wide of Gonda’s post. Another change for Japan as Hiroki Sakai comes on for Kamada.

69 mins: Almost a perfect impact from Budimir as Andrej Kramaric’s cross deflects to him in the box but he can only head wide!!

Kramaric is then replaced by Mario Pasalic.

63 mins: MODRICCCCCCCC

Croatia are starting to gather momentum now as their skipper lines one up from 25 metres but Gonda dives across to jeep him out.

*Video available in UK

62 mins: Changes for both teams as Ante Budimir comes on for Petkovic and Takuma Asano and Kaoru Mitoma replace Maeda and Nagatomo

61 mins: Pressure at both ends as Nagatomo gets back to snuff out Perisic’s threat and Ito’s weak effort is gathered in by Livakovic.

57 mins: Japan almost hit back immediately as Endo has a go from distance but Livakovic watches it all the way and tips over the bar.

*Video available in UK

55 mins: CROATIA ARE LEVEL!!!

From nowhere………..Croatia are LEVEL!!

Croatia play keep-ball in midfield, as Lovren launches a deep cross into the box, and Perisic steals across his man to head home a brilliant leveller!!

GAME ON!

*Video available in UK

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51 mins: Croatia are going for a direct approach to try and force themselves back into the game. Petkovic wants a penalty, as he battles for a high ball inside the Japan box, but the referee is not interested.

46 mins: WE ARE BACK!!

Japan are 45 minutes away from World Cup history…..but can the 2018 finalists react?

No changes at the break for either side as Kamada lashes long range effort well over the bar.

HALF TIME: JAPAN ARE IN THE LEAD IN AL WAKRAH

Japan head in at the break with a deserved 1-0 lead thanks to Daizen Maeda’s close range finish at the Al Janoub Stadium.

The Samurai Blue have edged the first 45 minutes and Maeda’s instinctive goal was just reward for Hajime Moriyasu’s side!!

44 mins: GOALLLLLLLLLLLL FOR JAPAN!!!!

Japan’s pressure FINALLY pays off!!!!!

Another short corner is worked by Japan as Doan delivers a superb ball into the box….Croatia are unable to clear……..and Maeda gets ahead of his marker to prod home!!

Japan take the lead for the first time in Qatar!!!

*Video available in UK

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42 mins: Almost a mix up at the back for Croatia as Juranovic heads away Ritsu Doan’s cross from in front of Livakovic.

38 mins: Luka Modric’s deep free kick is cleared and Ito breaks for Japan….Maeda battles to keep the ball alive and finds Kamada….but his unbalanced effort flies over!!

34 mins: Japan come again, as Kamada almost feeds in Maeda inside the box, but the ball ricochets away and Gvardiol clears.

31 mins: Daichi Kamada looks to break upfield, but Juranovic crunches in with a decisive challenge, and Croatia reset in midfield.

26 mins: A flurry of crosses into the box build on that Croatia momentum, as Perisic flicks on Borna Barisic’s ball, but Nagatomo gets back to deny Petkovic at the back post.

22 mins: Croatia are slowly beginning to edge into the game, as Gvardiol fires over from the edge of the box, and Bruno Petkovic is crowded out in the Japan box.

17 mins: Less clear cut for Japan this time, as Nagatomo’s cross finds Maeda in between Dejan Lovren and Josko Gvardiol, but the Celtic striker misjudges his header and Croatia recover.

12 mins: Another chance for Japan as Junya Ito flashes a brilliant cross across the Croatia box, but Maeda and Yuto Nagatomo cannot stretch enough to reach it, and Josip Juranovic gets back to clear.

8 mins: Croatia……….so close to 1-0!!

Takehiro Tomiyasu slips in trying to play the ball back to Shuichi Gonda and Ivan Perisic pounces inside the box. But, the Tottenham star takes too long to make up his mind, and it’s a straightforward save for Japan keeper Gonda.

5 mins: A really positive start from Japan, as Daizen Maeda blocks Dominik Livakovic’s clearance, and Endo wins a superb tackle against Luka Modric in midfield.

3 mins: A HUGE early chance for Japan!!!

A short corner is played to Wataru Endo on the edge of the box and his cross is headed JUST wide by Shogo Taniguchi!

KICK OFF: WE ARE UNDERWAY IN AL WAKRAH

30 mins from kickoff: Can be Gvardiol be Croatia’s masked hero again?

1 hr from kickoff: TEAM NEWS IS IN AT THE AL JANOUB STADIUM!!!

Three changes for Japan as Arsenal star Takehiro Tomiyasu comes into defence in place of Ko Itakura. Wataru Endo and the in form Ritsu Doan both start ahead of Ao Tanaka and Takefusa Kubo.

Two changes for Croatia from their final group game as Borna Barisic starts at left back, instead of Borna Sosa, and Bruno Petkovic leads the attack in place of Marko Livaja.

1 hr 30 mins from kickoff: Two HUGE group stage wins from Japan in the group stages…….can they do it again?

2 hrs 30 mins from kickoff: “Today we go again with all our strength,” the 2018 finalists have said on their Instagram account in the build-up to kickoff. “For Croatia!”

3 hrs from kickoff: Japan have reached the last 16 of the World Cup for a fourth time, including both of the last two editions.

They have, however, never progressed from this stage, going out to Turkey in 2002, Paraguay (on penalties) in 2010, nd Belgium in 2018. The only Asian nations to reach the World Cup quarterfinals have been DPR Korea in 1966 and South Korea in 2002.

3 hrs 30 mins from kickoff: Any doubt over that goal for Japan against Germany? Not according to Kaoru Mitoma, the man who kept the ball in play. “The ball was definitely in,” he’s said.

4 hrs from kickoff: The chances of this being another tight game appear to be backed up by the form of each team. Japan had kept five clean sheets before their final warm-up game against Canada, although they’ve now conceded in each of their last four matches.

Croatia failed to score in two of their three group games but have not conceded more than once in any of their last nine games – and those included double-headers with France and Denmark.

4 hrs 30 mins from kickoff: This will be the third World Cup meeting between Japan and Croatia, with Japan winless and goalless in the previous two – a 1-0 defeat in 1998 and a goalless draw in 2006, both in the group stage. Those two matches are also Croatia’s only previous World Cup games against an Asian nation.

5 hrs from kickoff: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News’ live coverage of Japan vs Croatia as the Round of 16 matches continue to come thick and fast. Let’s hope Japan have calmed themselves down after a truly incredible night last week that saw them top the group and dump out Germany!

Watch in UK:

Japan vs Croatia confirmed lineups

After finding a winning formula against Spain, Japan are forced into a change in defence, with Ko Itakura suspended after picking up a second yellow card last time out, as Takehiro Tomiyasu starts.

Ritsu Doan scored against Spain after replacing Takefusa Kubo and starts ahead of him in this game with Wataru Endo back in midfield.

Japan confirmed lineup (3-4-3, right to left): 12. Gonda (GK) — 16. Tomiyasu, 22. Yoshida, 3. Taniguchi — 14. Ito, 6. Endo, 13. Morita, 5. Nagatomo — 8. Doan, 25. Maeda, 15. Kamada.

Zlatko Dalic has used the same starting XI for the past two games but he makes two changes for this tie with Borna Barisic and Bruno Petkovic starting.

Croatia confirmed lineup (4-3-3, right to left): 1. Livakovic (GK) — 22. Juranovic, 6. Lovren, 20. Gvardiol, 3. Barisic — 10. Modric, 11. Brozovic, 8. Kovacic — 9. Kramaric, 16. Petkovic, 4. Perisic. 

Japan vs Croatia live stream, TV channel

This Round of 16 match will be played at the Al Janoub Stadium on Monday, December 5.

Here’s how you can watch all the action in some of the major global territories.

  Date Time TV Channel Streaming
USA Mon, Dec. 5 10:00 ET Fox,
Telemundo		 fuboTV,
Fox Sports site/app,
Telemundo Deportes site/app,
Peacock
Canada Mon, Dec. 5 10:00 ET TSN 1, RDS (French) TSN site/app,
RDS app
UK Mon, Dec. 5 15:00 GMT BBC One BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website
Australia Tues, Dec. 6 02:00 AEDT SBS SBS On Demand
India Mon, Dec. 5 20:30 IST Sports18 Voot, JioTV
Hong Kong Mon, Dec. 5 23:00 HKT Now TV (Ch. 616, 618) Now TV
Malaysia Mon, Dec. 5 23:00 MYT Astro FIFA World Cup 1 Astro GO
Singapore Mon, Dec. 5 23:00 SGT StarHub FIFA World Cup,
Singtel FIFA World Cup 141		 Singtel TV GO, CAST,
StarHub TV+, MeWatch
New Zealand Tues, Dec. 6 04:00 NZDT Sky Sport 7 beIN Sports Sky Go, Sky Sport NOW
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