The Croatian national team in its group was considered one of the main contenders for the playoffs, eventually justifying this status. Despite a timid game in the first round against Morocco (0:0), Zlatko Dalic’s team did not leave Canada any chances in the second round. A 4:1 victory almost guaranteed access to the playoffs. However, in the duel with Belgium at least three times the “checkers” hung by a thread, but kept the desired goalless draw. In the 1/8 finals Croatia met with Japan. In the confrontation with which it was considered a clear favorite. However, we were the first to concede the checkers and lost the first half to the Japanese both in terms of the score and the game. In the second half, thanks to the efforts of Ivan Perisic, they managed to level the score, but after that the Croats were again too cautious, bringing the matter to a penalty shootout, where Japan turned out to be weaker.
The Brazilian national team was considered the clear favorite of their group and of the tournament as a whole. In the company of Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon, Tite’s team clearly stood out and immediately proved it by beating Serbia 2:0 in a bright duel. Less exciting was the match with Switzerland, where the victory was snatched out, but only at the end of the meeting thanks to a stunning strike from the middle distance by Casemiro. The 0:1 loss to Cameroon in the third round had no effect on Selesao’s ability to win the group. The first line provided them with South Korea as rivals. In this match, Brazil was merciless and showed football of very high quality, having already scored four goals against the opponent by the break. In the second half the Selesao slowed down and conceded, but a 4:1 victory secured them a ticket to the quarterfinals. More todays football predictions can be obtained from the link provided.
