Captained by experienced playmaker Luka Modric, Croatia also beat Nigeria and Iceland to top Group D and are now dreaming of going one better than their performance at the 1998 tournament where they reached the semi-finals. "I was nine-years-old. I remember my mum screaming in the house when we scored," said defender Dejan Lovren, recalling Croatia's 2-1 win over the Netherlands in 1998 that secured third place. Read More PREVIEW: Croatia go into Sunday's last 16 match against Denmark with a 100 percent record at this World Cup but the Danes are vowing to shake off their dull image and cause a surprise. At stake in the match at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, the same venue where the Croats thumped Argentina 3-0 in the group stage, is a quarter-final against tournament hosts Russia.Captained by experienced playmaker Luka Modric, Croatia also beat Nigeria and Iceland to top Group D and are now dreaming of going one better than their performance at the 1998 tournament where they reached the semi-finals. "I was nine-years-old. I remember my mum screaming in the house when we scored," said defender Dejan Lovren, recalling Croatia's 2-1 win over the Netherlands in 1998 that secured third place. Jul 02, 2018 02:20 (IST) Incredible. Simply incredible. Not sure we'll see a shoot-out like that again for a while! Five saves, but #CRO take it.#CRODEN pic.twitter.com/BDF10UDA0T — FIFA World Cup 🏆 (@FIFAWorldCup) July 1, 2018 Jul 02, 2018 02:17 (IST) Rakitic scores! It's all over and jubilation for Croatia here, they are through to the quarter-fianls after a dramatic penalty shootout, heart break for Denmark though Jul 02, 2018 02:15 (IST) Jorgensen's penalty is also saved by Subasic! His feet to the rescue there, Croatia score the next one and they are through..Rakitic will take it Jul 02, 2018 02:15 (IST) Unbelievable, Pivaric with a long run up but sees his shot saved by Schmeichel! Still 2-2 with 4 penalties each Jul 02, 2018 02:14 (IST) Subasic saves another one! Schone misses and advantage Croatia now! Jul 02, 2018 02:12 (IST) Modric for Croatia now and this time he scores, one straight down the middle. Relief for him. Back to 2-2 now! Jul 02, 2018 02:12 (IST) Krohn-delhi sends Subasic the wrong way and easily converts the penalty! 2-1 to Denmark now! Jul 02, 2018 02:11 (IST) Kramaric converts for Croatia. We are level at 1-1! Jul 02, 2018 02:10 (IST) Kjaer with a stunning penalty, right into the top corner. Denmark lead now 1-0 Jul 02, 2018 02:09 (IST) Badelj also misses from the spot for Croatia! Still 0-0 in penalty shootouts after one penalty each Jul 02, 2018 02:08 (IST) Christian Eriksen misses the first penalty for Denmark! Subasic gets a hand and it goes on to hit the post! What a start here Jul 02, 2018 02:03 (IST) Referee blows the final whistle and we are heading into penalties here! What drama, Schmeichel will certainly be confident now..also, will Modric take a penalty in the shootout now? Jul 02, 2018 01:57 (IST) SAVED! Would you believe it, Luka Modric has missed a penalty here as Schmiechel dives the right way and holds onto the ball. Peter Schmiechel in the crowd is ecstatic! Huge opportunity goes begging for Croatia Jul 02, 2018 01:56 (IST) We might have late drama here, Modric's ball finds Kadelj and he beats Schmiechel but is bought down by Jorgensen, penalty to Croatia here and its a yellow card for Jorgensen, could have been a red that! Jul 02, 2018 01:53 (IST) Another long throw from Denmark and its Jorgensen who gets on the end of it but his shot goes way wide of the target. Jul 02, 2018 01:49 (IST) Sisto with a shot which goes wide of the goal..Croatia meanwhile replace goalscorer Mandzukic with Badelj, a change up-front for Croatia there! Jul 02, 2018 01:46 (IST) The second half of extra time begins now.. Jul 02, 2018 01:43 (IST) That's the end of the first half of extra-time, it is still 1-1. Players get together for a small break before we start with second-half Jul 02, 2018 01:41 (IST) Modric with a lovely ball from the centre-circle, finds Mandzukic who gets a shot away but it goes for a corner.. Jul 02, 2018 01:37 (IST) Krohn-Dehli comes on for Denmark in place of Delaney..Schone attempts a shot from 25 yards out but it goes just wide of goal..5 minutes of the first half of extra time remaining Jul 02, 2018 01:34 (IST) Kramaric now coming on for Croatia, Denmark would be happy to take this one into penalties it seems! Jul 02, 2018 01:31 (IST) So, extra time begins then,,can any team get a winner or will we see penalties yet again? Jul 02, 2018 01:23 (IST) That's the full-time whistle there and we will head into extra time here! Nothing much to talk about after those two early goals! Jul 02, 2018 01:20 (IST) That was probably the last chance, Eriksen's corner and Subasic punches it away, Braithwaite's shot goes wide of the goal. Jul 02, 2018 01:19 (IST) Rakitic now with a shot from distance but again it goes wide of the goal, Schmiechel though had it covered even if it was on target. Just 1 minute of added time left now Jul 02, 2018 01:16 (IST) Rebic with great skills there to put in a decent cross, shot by Modric though is blocked from the Denmark defender. 88 minutes gone here and it is 1-1 Jul 02, 2018 01:13 (IST) Croatia dominating possession now, they seem to be the only team interested in getting a goal here. 85 minutes gone here and it is still 101 Jul 02, 2018 01:07 (IST) We are entering the 80th minute here and this game looks destined for extra-time now Jul 02, 2018 01:02 (IST) Eriksen with another shot there as he looks to get one on his right foot but his attempt fizzles out, 15 minutes left here and it looks like we are heading to extra time Jul 02, 2018 00:59 (IST) Croatia introducing Kovacic now and he will replace Brozovic..the game though seems to be heading towards a draw here unless someone can change things around with a piece of magic Load More Mandzukic celebrates after scoring for Croatia. (FIFA) "We can beat that, definitely, but we need luck. We have a good opponent in the next round, it will be difficult." In addition to scoring a superb long-range strike against Argentina, Modric has been outstanding in Russia, as has fellow midfielder Ivan Rakitic. But the 'old guard' has been complemented by a younger generation – such as Ante Rebic, Mateo Kovacic and Marcelo Brozovic - who all play in Europe's top leagues. The Danes, meanwhile, are happy to continue flying under the radar despite being on a 17-match unbeaten run. Having scored just two goals in navigating their way out of Group C as runners-up, the Danes expect to open up on Sunday. They too are seeking to match their 1998 achievement when they reached the quarter-finals before being beaten by Brazil in what was their best World Cup showing. Denmark coach Age Hareide has promised a more entertaining, attacking style against Croatia after their own fans jeered them in a bore draw against France. For that creative energy, he will rely heavily on key player Christian Eriksen. "We know that we don't seem like the most fearsome bunch to go up against," said midfielder Thomas Delaney. "We're not going to lose 5-0 by trying to play tiki-taka football. But people shouldn't get used to seeing us play like we did against France. It's seldom that we play like this, and the game against Croatia will be a very different spectacle."<doc-sep>Nizhniy Novgorod: Goalkeeper Danijel Subasic was the hero as Croatia squeezed into the World Cup quarter-finals with a penalty shoot-out victory over Denmark here on Sunday. On a night of late, late drama Ivan Rakitic stroked home the decisive spotkick to ensure the Croats advanced to a last eight meeting with Russia after the two sides finished locked at 1-1 following extra-time. The Barcelona midfielder's winner came after Milan Badelj and Josip Pivaric saw their penalties saved by Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who also saved an extra time penalty from Luka Modric. But Danes Christian Eriksen, Lasse Schone and Nicolai Jorgensen were thwarted by Subasic in the shootout to ensure Croatia won 3-2 and advanced to their first quarter-finals since the 1998 World Cup in France. The dramatic ending followed early excitement -- but little in between. In an astonishing start to the match, both teams scored within four minutes via their first attacks. First, Mathias Jorgensen turned home in the second minute after Croatia failed to clear a long throw-in from Jonas Knudsen, the defender's shot creeping under Subasic to give Denmark the perfect start. But any hopes they could hold onto their lead vanished within 90 seconds. With the Nizhny Novgorod stadium still rocking from the frantic start, Croatia went upfield and promptly equalised. Again, the goal owed more than a little to bad defending when a Sime Vrsaljko cross was hammered by Henrik Dalsgaard into fellow Dane Andreas Christensen and the ball fell obligingly in the penalty area to Mario Mandzukic who scored. The explosive start -- both sides hit the back of the net within three minutes and thirty seven seconds -- was officially the quickest two teams have ever scored in a World Cup finals match. The following 116 minutes though largely failed to live up to the first four, fireworks giving way to a damp squib of an encounter as the game edged inexorably towards extra time and penalties. Billed as a clash between the opposing number 10s, Modric and Eriksen, it instead became increasingly attritional and tactical, with both playmakers unable to find any space. Instead the player who created most chances was Knudsen with his long throws. Few clear chances were created by either side until Modric's late penalty miss. That came after Ante Rebic was fouled in the 116th minute Mathias Jorgensen, with the goal at his mercy. Modric stepped up but side-footed weakly and Schmeichel made the first of his three penalty saves on the night, all in vain, as his legendary goalkeeping father Peter punched the air in delight as he watched on in the stands.<doc-sep>
Efrem Lukatsky/Associated Press Croatia booked their ticket for the next round of the 2018 FIFA World Cup on Sunday, beating Denmark on penalties in a round-of-16 clash. The 1998 third-placed finishers grabbed their first win in a knockout match in a major tournament since that historic run and will meet hosts Russia in the next round. Mathias Jorgensen and Mario Mandzukic got the match off to a fine start with two early goals, but things regressed rapidly after that. Luka Modric missed a penalty in extra time but did return to score his second attempt in the shootout. Danijel Subasic and Kasper Schmeichel both flashed their talent, as they saved the penalties of Christian Eriksen, Milan Badelj, Lasse Schone, Josip Pivaric and Nicolai Jorgensen. Here are the key takeaways from the match. Modric Can't Let Poor Outing Rattle His Confidence Video Play Button Videos you might like Real Madrid star Modric had arguably been the tournament's top performer in the group stages, but he ran into a phenomenal Thomas Delaney on Sunday and was unable to leave his mark on the contest. He sent in a handful of nice passes―including the one that led to the late penalty―but was visibly nervous in extra time, and things got worse after his penalty miss. By the time he stepped to the plate again in the shootout, the 32-year-old was almost shaking, and he had another poor effort that was nearly saved once more. None of this will matter for the Croats, who finally grabbed the knockout win they so desperately craved, but it's pivotal Modric doesn't let this one bad outing linger or shake his confidence. He is Croatia's most important man in midfield, and they'll need him at his best to unlock Russia's solid defence. Schmeichel's Heroics Undone by Teammates' Poor Penalties When FIFA announces its team of the tournament and award for the top goalkeeper, Schmeichel should at the very least get an honourable mention, even if his team didn't win a knockout match. He was phenomenal against Peru, a match the Danes easily could have lost, and continued his stellar play in the group stages. Against Croatia, he didn't have to make a ton of key saves, but by saving three penalties in total, he once again came through. Denmark's other top stars―most notably Christian Eriksen and Pione Sisto―were far from their best in Russia, and they let their star stopper down. On Sunday, the former set the tone in the shootout by missing their first attempt, and the latter didn't even get the chance to take a penalty after he was dropped from the starting XI. Croatia's Versatility a Lesson for Other Contenders While much of the focus has been on Croatia's sublime central midfield options, the side is one of the few top teams in the tournament that has shown success with their tactical versatility. Not everything has to go through Modric and Ivan Rakitic―speedy wingers Ivan Perisic and Ante Rebic are perfectly capable of creating danger on their own, and thanks to the team's physicality, they can score the ugly goals as well, as evidenced by Mandzukic's strike. Denmark did a great job locking up the Croatian midfield Sunday, and the team adapted and found other ways to deal with the threats and create danger. It didn't lead to any more goals, but at least they came close―something Spain never did after Russia's equaliser earlier in the day. La Roja―and defending champions Germany―came undone because they never figured out a Plan B, and that's a problem Croatia don't appear to have. It's a huge weapon moving forward, and it should lead to a better showing against the hosts. What's Next? The round of 16 continues Monday, as Brazil face off with Mexico and Belgium take on Japan.