One for all , All for one

                             

       Drama!Drama!!Drama!!! FIFA World Cup 

                      2022 at it's peak!!!! 

Croatia score late extra-time equalizer then win penalty shootout to upset the five time   world champion Brazil, on the other match,Argentina beat Netherlands through a nerve wracking    penalty shootout.

 

 

 

         

What a night it was! world cup favourite Brazil,five times world champion, were eliminated from quarter final bye Croatia, runner up of the previous world cup,2018, and went to the semi final. And on the 2nd match of the day, Another high voltage match, ARG vs NED, also were heated up till the last minute of the game, until Lautaro Martinez scored the last penalty,stopped the 19 matches unbeaten streak of Netherlands and ended the world cup dream of the dutches.

 

In an evening filled with tension and drama, Brazil superstar Neymar Jr. thought he had won the game when he scored in an extra-time wonder goal beating the 5 defenders,for the five-time world champions.

 But instead of protecting their lead they went in search of a second ,leaving the keeper and defence open, and were punished when Croatia substitute Bruno Petkovic drilled in a left-footed equaliser three minutes before the watch stops ticking, breaking Brazilian hearts of mission HEXA.

From the very beginning of the match, brazil was focused on attacking,keeping busy the croate goalkeeper having 6 on target shoot on the first half, where croatia focused on defence,only one on target shoot and applied bus parking technique as if they wanted to elaborate the match till penalty shootout. 

After a scoreless 90 minutes, Brazil took a 1-0 lead with a bit of extra time solo magic from Neymar.He launched an attack outside the box, played two consecutive one-twos to bamboozle the tired Croatian defence and then rounded the keeper to equal Brazil great Pele’s record of 77 international goals as Brazil’s all-time leading scorer.

But this is football, anything can happen until referee play the final flute. Gritty Croatia refused to quit, and equalised when Bruno Petkovic scored in the 117th.They then came out on top in the shootout with Livakovic saving Rodrygo’s spot kick and Marquinos hitting the post(penalty 4-2), leaving Neymar and his teammates in tears. Dream of mission hexa prolonged till 2026, new world cup, again new hopes.

 

 

Croatia's tactics were effective. What a game. What a result. Tournament football is brutal, and Brazil have encountered that fact with all its might. Neymar's tears were out out control, wrecking millions of brasil fans, the team left the field.

 

The contrast

 

On the second match of the day, Argentina beat Netherlands on penalty shootout, leading the score 2-2(4-3),On the same day Brazil went out of the tournament, Argentina advanced to the semifinals

 

 

 

Argentina dominated the match from the beginning, from attack to defence, everything was well packed. Messi was the regular magical Messi. Arg the lead the score by 1-0 in the first half, from the career first goal of Nuhuel Molina. Assist? magical defence wrecking pass from the little magician. On the 73th minute of the game, acuna was foul inside the box, and Messi double the lead though a penalty.

 

 

 

 everyone thought that was going to be that end of the journey of Netherlands, the the football god wanted to add more drama to the game. Wout Weghorst’s header 10 minutes later of the 2nd score of Argentina sparked his side into life and he then forced an additional thirty minutes when he scrambled the ball home with only seconds left.

 

 

 

As the game proceed, the situation become more heated up. The match will be remembered for another reason, for the referee , Antonio Mateu Lahoz, displaying 17 yellow cards in the game, highest in one match in the history of FIFA world cup.

However, goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez pulled off more penalty saves of heroism to advance Argentina into the semifinals and simply postponed the Netherlands' doom.

 

 

The excitement lasted till the penalty of Lautaro Martinez, who last lost the place in the starting eleven because of the off form. Lautaro drilled the ball into the net,thw whole stadium shouted and busted into tears, as they proceed to the semi final of the world cup since 2014 final lost against Germany.

 

 

 

End of the madness of  150 minutes

They will now face Croatia there rather than old rivals Brazil,on December 14. Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni spoke after his team's victory: "This team has the spirit to be able to face every moment of the situation. From my point of view, we didn't deserve to go to penalties, but even so, the team continued to show its face.

 

 

what a great night to be alive! what a showdown!! Two of the greatest matches of football history placed at the same night. drama till the end, nerve wrecking, full of excitement! everyone cried, many cried because of joy, many cried due to the broken heart of the lose. That's it, that's football,anything can happen anytime till time stops ticking. Messi is dreaming about winning the cup in his last world cup, where neymar burst into tears for the another broken dream.