Croatia beating Brazil in the quarterfinals of the FIFA World Cup 2022 came in as a huge shocker for the watching world. Brazil, who entered the tournament as favorites, failed to score against Croatia in the regulation 90 minutes and the game extended into extra time. 

Although it seemed like Neymar’s beautifully constructed winner sealed the deal for The Selecao, a late twist emerged with Petkovic scoring an equalizer. Unfortunately for the five-time world champions, Croatian keeper Dominik Livakovic made a save off the first penalty taken in the shootout off Rodrygo, and after that, there was no looking back.

Croatian players converted all their shots and it all ended with Marquinhos striking the crossbar with his kick off the ball. While the runners-up from 2018 frenzied into celebrations, those in yellow were left heartbroken. 

Neymar’s goal was a historic one for the PSG forward, who equaled Pele’s all-time goal tally of 77 goals for Brazil. Unfortunately for him, that did not lead to anything as big as he would’ve wanted. A clearly heartbroken Neymar took to social media and penned a very emotional note for all the supporters of Brazil and said that the defeat psychologically paralyzed him for 10 minutes. 

“Psychologically, this was certainly the defeat that hurt the most, which made me paralyzed for 10 minutes and then I burst into tears nonstop,” he wrote. “It’s going to hurt for a long time, unfortunately. We fought until the end, and I’m proud of my teammates because there was no lack of commitment or dedication.

“This group deserved it; we deserved it; BRAZIL deserved it. But that was not God’s will. It was worth every sacrifice to feel the affection of each one on the field. Thank you all for your support with our selection. Unfortunately, it didn’t work. it’s going to hurt for a long, long time. Thank you for everything my GOD, you gave me everything and I can’t complain about anything. Just thank you for taking care of me. All honor and all glory are always for you, regardless of the circumstances,” he said. 

This was Neymar’s third appearance at the FIFA World Cup and the best they could manage was a fourth-placed finish in 2014 when Brazil hosted the event. In 2018, they failed to get the better of Belgium in the quarterfinals as an own goal from Fernandinho and a stunning strike from Kevin de Bruyne ended Brazil’s dream.

With Friday’s defeat to Croatia, Brazil’s wait now extends to 24 years without a World Cup title. Their last triumph at this tournament came in 2002 when Luis Felipe Scolari guided them to a title by defeating Germany in the final.