Japan was once again stymied in the last 16 of the FIFA World Cup, losing 3-1 in a penalty shootout to Croatia after a back-and-forth 1-1 draw over 120 minutes at Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, Qatar, on Monday night.
A late first-half goal by Daizen Maeda gave the Samurai Blue a 1-0 advantage heading into the locker room at halftime, only for the 2018 finalists to equalize through Ivan Persic's 55th-minute header.
Neither side yielded in the remainder of regulation time, heralding the first shootout of the tournament in its fifth knockout game.