Croatia's 12-yard penalty shootout win over Japan in the last 16 of the World Cup made this the first extra-time match of the tournament, and according to OPTA, the European powerhouse has had to go to extra time in seven of the last eight knockout rounds of the tournament. Next up, they'll face off with Brazil in the round of 8 on Dec. 9 at 11 p.m. Hong Kong time, and fans may want to be prepared to stay up late to watch the game.
Looking back at history, Croatia in the 2008 Euro 8 against Turkey, after extra time to 1-1 draw, and finally lost in the penalty shootout, since the opening of the "King of Overtime" legend. 2016 Euro 16, they lost to Portugal 0-1 in extra time.
What's more, in the last World Cup, from the round of 16 to the quarterfinals, Croatia played three consecutive extra time matches, two of which were also decided through penalty shootouts. In last year's Euro 16, they were defeated by Spain in overtime.
It is worth mentioning that in this World Cup, Croatia eliminated Japan in the penalty shootout, the last eight major knockout matches, only the last World Cup final to 2-4 against France, did not experience extra time. Such players' physical ability is admirable.
