Just earlier than the penalties, the sport may have been finished and dusted by Brazil. Casemiro had the ball on the left nook, with simply the Croatian goalkeeper Dominic Livakovic.
In the second half, Livakovic had already made at the very least 7 saves already, dashing out to disclaim time and area to Neymar, or making lunging stops. But this one felt totally different. The remaining second within the extra-time, only a whistle away from the shootouts, however all of a sudden Casemiro’s foot swings in the direction of him from an in depth vary. It wasn’t a robust kick nevertheless it didn’t a lot venom from that distance.
The ball swerved to his left, however Livakovic fends it away. Whistle blows. Shootouts start. On the day earlier than the quarterfinal in opposition to Brazil, Livakovic would inform HRT Sport about how he prepares for his penalties. He had already saved Crotia within the sport in opposition to Japan.
“The most important thing for me is to remain calm at the beginning, according to some feeling and analysis I get from the analyst Marko, that’s what I look at the most. He shows me their penalties a couple of years ago, and I look at body tilt and some little things based on that, but in the end you mostly rely on feeling,” says Livaković.
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He then provides, in reference to the Brazil sport, “But I hope that we will solve it before the penalty.”
They couldn’t. But he would remedy it through the penalties. Again.
Last yr, Dominic Livakovic was feeling the stress. Or so his captain Luka Modric sensed. Before an important qualifying sport for the world cup, in opposition to Russia, he would pull apart Livakovic.
“I wouldn’t be telling you that if I didn’t care, I love you boy,” Luka Modric began. “That’s why I’m telling you. But I don’t see your progress in the national team. Maybe the pressure bothers you? What does it matter if you make a mistake, because everyone makes mistakes, why shouldn’t you? But my feeling is that you are afraid to make a mistake,” Livakovic would later inform Sata 24 about what his captain informed him then.
Livakovic would reply, “I wouldn’t have come here if I was afraid of making a mistake.” That’s when Modric stated, “You are the goalkeeper, do you know that?” As if he had been making him conscious, and Modric would hug him.
“Luka is a real captain. Everyone has ups and downs in their career, it was a bit difficult for me at that moment, but when you talk like that with the captain, when he gives you support, then it’s certainly easier,” Livakovic would look again at that second within the Russia sport.
When the sport in opposition to Japan went to shootouts, did Modric felt this may very well be the tip – his remaining world cup sport for Croatia?
“I never thought about it possibly being my last game for Croatia, because when it went to penalties I told everyone that Livakovic would save them,” Modric had stated.
At the tip of the Japan sport, Livakovic would name his mom. ““He only called me ‘mom’ and started crying and laughing,” his mom informed Sata 24. She have to be readying for one more such name now, quickly.
