Scoring three goals in the penalty shootouts, Croatia qualified for the quarter-finals while Japan got knocked out of the World Cup.
Croatia's Marcelo Brozovic and Nikola Vlasic successfully converted the penalties while Japan's Takuma Asano became the lone scorer for the team during the shootout.
The match went to extra time with the scores level at 1-1 at the end of 90 minutes, after Ivan Perisic's brilliant goal cancelled out Daizen Maeda's opener for Japan, Reuters reported. Perisic met Dejan Lovren's cross with a powerful header to put Croatia level 10 minutes after the interval. Maeda had given Japan the lead in the 43rd minute, firing home from close range after Ritsu Doan delivered an inswinging cross into the penalty area, the publication reported.
Croatia's record in World Cup penalty shootouts is 3/3. They beat both Denmark and Russia in 2018 in the last 16 and quarter-finals, BBC One reported. Japan's is 0/2. They also lost to Paraguay in 2010, the publication reported.
Croatia will next play against Brazil or South Korea.
