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03:10 PM
9 mins: Japan 0 Croatia 0
Tomiyasu has made a horrid blunder. Long hoof by the Croatia keeper, Perisic tries to get it, Tomiyasu gets in a terrible muddle and Perisic is through! He is one on one with the keeper, albeit from a narrow angle. Almost has too much time, ends up taking the wrong option by trying to chip it into the far corner and Japan just about survive.
Each side has had a big let-off.
03:08 PM
5 mins: Japan 0 Croatia 0
Japan are at it. Really bright and busy start from them. Dominik Livakovic, the Croatia keeper, dallies on the ball and is nearly closed down/mugged.
03:05 PM
3 mins: Japan 0 Croatia 0
Junya Ito takes the corner short to Wataru Endo, he crosses early. Shogo Taniguchi! Oooh no, he has headed wide from barely six yards out. Massive chance.
03:02 PM
2 mins: Japan 0 Croatia 0
It’s a dangerous ball in. Croatia seem to be playing a very high line and there is a faint touch behind for a corner. Decent ball in from Doan.
03:02 PM
1 mins: Japan 0 Croatia 0
It’s the European side who kick us off. There is an early foul by Croatia though and Japan have a chance to stick in it in the mixer.
03:00 PM
Three Old Firm
players on the pitch! Not bad for the Glasgow giants.
Daizen Maeda of Celtic up front for Japan. And Croatia have both fullbacks resident in Glasgow: Barisic plays for Rangers and Juranovic for Celtic.
02:58 PM
Here we go then
Japan: Shuichi Gonda, Shogo Taniguchi, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Maya Yoshida, Yuto Nagatomo, Wataru Endo, Ritsu Doan, Hidemasa Morita, Junya Ito, Daichi Kamada, Daizen Maeda
Croatia: Dominik Livakovic, Borna Barisic, Ivan Perisic, Dejan Lovren, Mateo Kovacic, Andrej Kramaric, Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic, Bruno Petkovic, Josko Gvardiol, Josip Juranovic
02:57 PM
Now Croatia
Stirring and heartfelt too, considerably more cutlery in this one. The person playing the crash cymbals is getting a good work out.
Impossible to separate these two and we’ve awarded both anthems six thousand points.
02:56 PM
Anthems!
The splendid, soulful, stately Japanese one first. Coach is giving it plenty.
02:55 PM
Atmos
02:52 PM
Our man at the ground
Sam Dean: “Japan have been the great disruptors of this tournament, beating both Spain and Germany but also losing, somehow, to a dreadful Costa Rica side. They are a cracking smash-and-grab team, defeating Spain with just 18 per cent of possession and Germany with only 26 per cent. Watch out for their supersubs, too… especially Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma. He’s a lot of fun.”
02:46 PM
Rate the players
Let us know who’s having a stormer and who is having a shocker.
02:44 PM
There are
about 15 minutes until kick off.
02:44 PM
What is your match prediction?
Who do you fancy in Japan vs Croatia?
02:42 PM
Three changes for Japan
Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu brought Takehiro Tomiyasu into his defence in place of the suspended Ko Itakura as one of three changes to his side for the World Cup last-16 game against Croatia on Monday.
Itakura received a second yellow card of the tournament in Japan’s stunning upset of Spain in their final group match, so Tomiyasu, who has made two appearances off the bench as he struggles to shake off an injury, starts.
Moriyasu also brought Wataru Endo and Ritsu Doan back into his midfield at the expense of Takefusa Kubo and Ao Tanaka, who scored against Spain.
Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic made two changes to his largely settled starting line-up, bringing in Borna Barisic for Borna Sosa at left back and Bruno Petkovic for Marko Livaja in midfield.
Japan: Shuichi Gonda, Shogo Taniguchi, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Maya Yoshida, Yuto Nagatomo, Wataru Endo, Ritsu Doan, Hidemasa Morita, Junya Ito, Daichi Kamada, Daizen Maeda
Croatia: Dominik Livakovic, Borna Barisic, Ivan Perisic, Dejan Lovren, Mateo Kovacic, Andrej Kramaric, Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic, Bruno Petkovic, Josko Gvardiol, Josip Juranovic
02:40 PM
Quite an outfit
02:37 PM
Fans
02:35 PM
Fans
02:34 PM
Al-Janoub Stadium at Al Wakrah
This is the last game that will be hosted at the stadium before they reduce its capacity by half.
02:30 PM
BBC coverage incoming
Wonder who will be in the chair?
It’s Gary! Begins with a nice intro in Japanese, I cannot tell you how gramatically correct or well-pronounced it was, but then I didn’t play for Nagoya Grampus Eight, did I??
02:26 PM
Japanese guys saluting their fans
02:24 PM
A low-scoring draw
in 90 minutes at 9/4 seems like a possible to me. Fancy the Croatians to edge it with their superior nous as the Japanese lads run out of puff with their all action pressing game.
But nobody really knows anything, do they? Probably be 8-2 or something.
02:13 PM
Japan vs Croatia
then. Where is your money? On pedigree you’d obviously have to go for the men in the red and white checks, but haven’t Japan been splendid so far? That press they did against Spain to harass and dispossess them for one of the goals was as good as anything you’ll ever see.
Croatia are even money to win in 90 minutes, which seems a bit slim to me, for a side who have had two nil-nils in the tournament so far.
02:01 PM
Changes for both sides
Japan have brought Takehiro Tomiyasu into their defence in place of the suspended Ko Itakura as one of three changes.
Itakura received a second yellow card of the tournament in Japan’s stunning upset of Spain in their final group match, so Tomiyasu, who has made two appearances off the bench as he struggles to shake off an injury, starts.
Japan manager Moriyasu has also brought Wataru Endo and Ritsu Doan back into his midfield at the expense of Takefusa Kubo and Ao Tanaka, who scored against Spain.
Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic has made two changes to his largely settled starting line-up, bringing in Borna Barisic for Borna Sosa at left back and Bruno Petkovic for Marko Livaja in midfield.
01:49 PM
The team news
Japan: Gonda; Taniguchi, Tomiyasu, Yoshida, Nagatomo; Morita, Endo; J. Ito, Kamada, Dōan; Maeda
Croatia: Livaković; Juranović, Lovren, Gvardiola, Sosa; Brozović, Modrić, Kovačić; Kramarić, Peršić, Petković
01:46 PM
Japan want to rally ‘Samurai spirit’
Will we see the sharp and direct Japan who ripped through Spain and Germany with storming second halves or the team who underwhelmed massively against Costa Rica?
The face Croatia this afternoon with a place in the World Cup quarter-finals at stake, with Japan having never previously reached the last eight of the competition. Four years ago in Russia, Japan led Belgium 2-0 in a last-16 tie, but were eliminated 3-2 on a goal scored late in second-half stoppage time.
“I have never forgotten,” said defender Yuto Nagatomo, before switching to the subject of Japanese samurai warriors as a metaphor for Japan’s World Cup campaign.
“They try to improve their techniques,” he said. “But if they are scared during the battle they will not be able to use their weapons and techniques fully.”
Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu said the loss to Belgium was a valuable lesson for his team.
“That experience was very precious and we can reflect on what we learned in that match with Belgium,” he said.
Croatia have grown into the tournament after a slow start, although they perhaps have Romelu Lukaku’s exhibition of poor finishing to thank for reaching this stage.
Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric, the world player of the year in 2018, remains the heartbeat of a team whose experienced midfield is typically a match for any opponent but which still lacks a prolific scorer up front. Each game the 37-year-old Modric plays from now on could be his last at a World Cup.
“The population of Croatia is 4 million and the results we have achieved on the world stage are miraculous,” said Zlatko Dalic, whose nation were runners-up at the last World Cup and are unbeaten in three games in Qatar.
“We are continually present in tournaments and World Cups, and that itself is a great success. We have become a world football force.”
The winner faces either five-time champion Brazil or South Korea in the next round, with that game taking place tonight.
Full team news on the way shortly.
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