Croatia vs Brazil Betting Odds & Recap: Fight for the World Cup.
2018 World Cup Finalists vs. 2022 World Cup Favorites
âš½Croatia vs Brazil: Game Recapâš½
Results: Croatia 1-1 Brazil
It feels like we’ve been starting every article talking about another upset in the World Cup. Well, here is one that no one expected: Croatia’s takedown of tournament favorite Brazil in penalties to advance to the World Cup semifinal.
A tense 90 minutes, where clear-cut chances were few and far between, meant extra time was needed, which perhaps shouldn’t have been a surprise – eight of Croatia’s last nine tournament knockout games have gone to extra time.
The most significant moment of the first half came when Josko Gvardiol blocked a shot on the penalty spot to deny Vinicius Junior.Â
Dominic Livakovic was the star of the start of the second half, blocking a Richarlison shot just after the break. He then saved with his feet after Richarlison played through Neymar. However, the Croatia goalkeeper’s impressive performance did not end when he smothered a shot from Lucas Paqueta.
Livakovic, the Croatian wall, saved his countryman again from Neymar and Paqueta.
When the game went into extra time, though, Neymar and his Brazil teammates seemed to have concocted a wonder goal to send them through to the final four of the competition. But, the night’s hero, Bruno Petkovic, leveled the game to send it to penalties in the last minutes of the match.
And Croatia overcame Brazil in the shootout to go through to the semi-finals. Neymar, Brazil’s final penalty taker, did not even take a spot-kick as it did not get far enough for him to take one, with Croatia scoring all four of theirs, and with Rodrygo and Marquinhos missing.
Brazil fell to the first European nation it faced in the knockouts. It’s the fourth time they’ve lost in the quarter-final in five tournaments. But, of course, they’ll hardly want to hear about the one time they made a semi since that was their infamous loss to Germany. 7-1…
 Croatia | – |  Brazil |
|---|---|---|
| 50% | Possession | 50% |
| 9 | Total Shots | 20 |
| 1 | Shots on Target | 11 |
| 5 | Shots Wide | 4 |
| 3 | Shots Blocked | 5 |
| 11 | Saves | 0 |
| 3 | Corners | 7 |
| 2 | Yellow Cards | 3 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
| 22 | Fouls | 24 |
| 3 | Offsides | 3 |
| 89% | Pass Accuracy | 89% |
| 5 | Dribbles | 5 |
| 24 | Crosses | 24 |
| 28 | Tackles | 16 |
Did We Get It Right?
Below you will find all the predictions we made before the matchup, on December 06, 2022.
Brazil Look to Dance Another Day
Croatia and Brazil couldn’t have won their round of 16 matches in more different ways. It took all hands on deck for Croatia to get a PK shootout victory over Japan. Meanwhile, Brazil blew out South Korea 4-1 with four first half goals and cruised to an easy victory. After three days’ rest, Croatia and Brazil will clash in the World Cup quarterfinals on Friday. As we take a look at the Croatia vs Brazil betting odds, it’ll be the 2018 World Cup finalists vs. the current World Cup favorites.
Croatia vs Brazil
Date & Time & Streaming:
Location: Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar
Streaming: FOX, Telemundo, Peacock
Team Standings and Odds:
| Team | FIFA World Ranking | World Cup Qualifying Record | Group Stage Standings | Odds to Win World Cup |
| Croatia | 12 | 7-2-1, 1st UEFA Group H | 1-2-0, 2nd Group F | +3300 |
| Brazil | 1 | 14-3-0, 1st CONMEBOL | 2-1, 1st Group G | +180 |
| All Meetings: | Teams |
|---|---|
| Aug 2005: | Croatia 1-1 Brazil |
| Jun 2006: | Brazil 1-0 Croatia |
| Jun 2014: | Brazil 3-1 Croatia |
| Jun 2018: | Brazil 2-0 Croatia |
Croatia and Brazil have met on four separate occasions previously. Brazil are unbeaten vs. Croatia, with three wins and a draw. Currently, Brazil head into this match on a three game winning streak vs. Croatia.
Their last meeting was a pre-World Cup friendly in 2018, which Brazil won 2-0. Neymar and Roberto Firmino were the goal scorers on the day. This will be the third time to take the Croatia vs Brazil betting odds in the World Cup, but it’s the first knockout stage meeting.
Croatia: Livakovic Comes up Big
Previous Match: 1-1 D vs. Japan (PK win)
Injuries and Suspensions: D Borna Sosa (Day-to-Day)
Croatia faced off vs. Japan in the round of 16 and it was a hard fought match. In a draining match, Croatia outlasted Japan in penalties through keeper Dominik Livakovic’s heroics. A back and forth match finished 1-1, as Japan were much more bold then they had been in other first halves during the tournament.
Among a handful of chances, the Samurai Blue got the first goal of the match on a Daizen Maeda finish just before halftime.
Ivan Perisic equalized on a powerful header ten minutes after the break and the 1-1 score stood. Neither team could find a breakthrough in extra time as Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic exhausted all of his six subs.
The match went into penalties, where Croatia won twice in the 2018 knockout stage. Once again, Croatia kept their nerve and goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic made three excellent saves. The Vatreni went through with a 3-1 PK shootout victory.
It’s certainly an achievement for Dalic and Croatia to reach the quarterfinals once again. This is the first time in team history they’ve even made successive World Cup knockout stages. Luka Modric and the midfield are still dominating games but it’s the defense that’ll be key on Friday.
Croatia, who finished second in the Group F FIFA standings, will be tasked with stopping a potent Brazilian attack. Left back Borna Sosa missed the match vs. Japan and expect Borna Barisic to fill in again if Sosa can’t suit up.
Brazil: Had Round of 16 Dance Party
Previous Match: 4-1 W vs. South Korea
Injuries and Suspensions: D Alex Sandro (Day-to-Day), D Alex Telles (Out), F Gabriel Jesus (Out)
Neymar made his return to the starting lineup in the round of 16 vs. South Korea after a two-match absence due to an ankle injury. Brazil put on a clinic in the first half and Neymar certainly played a role in that. Vinicius Jr. slotted home a finish full of finesse just seven minutes in and Neymar added a second from the penalty spot soon after.
Brazil went up by three goals within 30 minutes on a brilliant goal. Richarlison juggled the ball with his head, flicked it over a South Korean defender with his foot, passed it away, got it back and finished it first time.
The Seleção celebrated all of their goals with coordinated dance moves and coach Tite even joined in after the third. Lucas Paqueta put the game beyond reach for South Korea with a fourth goal before halftime. It was the first time they scored four first half World Cup goals since 1954.
Brazil’s Alisson made some excellent saves in the match but it was impossible for him to keep out a thumping 76th minute volley. Brazil cruised to a 4-1 win and bounced back from a 1-0 group stage loss to Cameroon with a bang.
Brazil are the soccer World Cup favorites and currently show +180 odds to win after coming in at +350 pre-tournament odds. They have advanced to the quarterfinals for an eighth straight tournament and are looking incredibly dangerous.
Neymar played 80 minutes on Monday and should be good to go once again on Friday. Backup forward Gabriel Jesus is out for the tournament but the front four of Neymar, Richarlison, Raphinha and Vinicius Jr. is intact.
Match Analysis and Odds:
After Brazil’s excellent round of 16 performance, the Croatia vs Brazil Betting Odds price them as 1½-goal favorites. The Seleção are -265 moneyline favorites but sit at just +115 odds to cover the spread. Croatia are unlikely to just roll over here and punters seem to be in agreement.
They come in at -135 ATS odds and are expected to keep things close here. Croatia have already kept shutouts vs. Morocco and Belgium and conceded just twice through four matches.
Plus, Croatia have never lost an extra time match in their World Cup history. They’ve advanced on four of four previous attempts. So, if the match finishes in a draw, which comes in at +380 odds, Croatia could be an interesting live betting option. Some may also fancy their moneyline, which sits at +775 odds for the match.
Brazil’s quality is going to be very difficult for Croatia to deal with and the Vatreni were lucky at times not to concede to Belgium in their group stage finale. With Neymar in the lineup, Brazil can beat teams in a plethora of ways. There is certainly no shortage of flair and inventiveness in the attacking third and Richarlison has also been incredible to watch. The Tottenham Hotspur forward has three goals at Qatar 20222 and two of the best goals of the tournament so far.
Brazil’s defense. Over 2½ goals sits at -125 odds for the match and the bulk of the scoring is expected to be done by Brazil. According to the match odds, Brazil over 1½ goals is priced at -185.
On the other hand, Croatia have only scored once outside of a four-goal outburst vs. Canada. Their forwards have struggled to produce vs. higher quality opposition and they could run into problems trying to break down Brazil’s defense. Over 2½ goals sits at -125 odds for the match and the bulk of the scoring is expected to be done by Brazil. According to the match odds, Brazil over 1½ goals is priced at -185. That’s unsurprising, given they looked unstoppable in the first half vs. South Korea.
