Matchday 18 Live Blog: Argentina and Croatia advance to semis

105+1' - Neymar breaks the deadlock!

FINALLY! A neat one-two through Croatia's defence sees Neymar round Dominik Livakovic and guide the ball home to give Brazil a deserved lead.

91' - Brazil begin first period

The five-time champions are looking to break the deadlock against a side accustomed to 120 minutes of knockout football.

FT - We're heading to extra-time!

Brazil and Croatia cannot be separated after 90 minutes, meaning extra-time and potentially penalties will decide the victor.

The Selecao knocked on the door but could not find a way through this one!

49' - VAR denies Brazil

A quick check from the Video Assistant Referee determines there was no handball in the box against Croatia.

46' - Brazil begin second half

The South American giants restart proceedings looking to improve on their first-half display.

HT - The referee calls an end to the first half

The players head for the tunnel after a tight 45 minutes that Croatia will feel much better about. They've pressed Brazil into mistakes and found space in behind in transition as a result.

1' - Kick-off

We are underway with the start of the first half at Education City Stadium.

· Brazil can become the first team ranked number one in the FIFA world rankings to progress to the World Cup semi-finals since Brazil themselves in 1998.

· Brazil have reached the World Cup quarter-finals for a joint-record 14th time (also 14 by (West) Germany). The Seleção are the only team to reach this stage at each of the last eight tournaments (1994-2022).

· Brazil lost three of their last four World Cup quarter-finals, after they were eliminated from only two of their first nine World Cup quarter-finals. Only England (6) have been eliminated from more World Cup quarter-finals than the Seleção (5).

· Brazil have not won a World Cup quarter-final on foreign soil since a 2-1 victory against England in Shizuoka in 2002. Their only triumph at this stage since was when they hosted the tournament in 2014 (2-1 versus Colombia in Fortaleza).

· Brazil were beaten 2-1 by Belgium in Kazan in the quarter-finals of the 2018 World Cup. Only three of the Brazilians to play that day are in contention for this match: Alisson, Thiago Silva and Neymar (Gabriel Jesus also featured in that game but misses the rest of this tournament because of injury).

· Each of Brazil's last seven World Cup quarter-finals were decided by a single-goal margin (four wins, three defeats).

· Brazil scored more goals in the round of last 16 versus Korea Republic (4) than they did in the entire group stage of this tournament (3)

· Brazil won three of their four World Cup penalty shootouts. Their only defeat was against France in the 1986 quarter-finals.

· Neymar (76) is one short of moving level alongside Pelé (77) as Brazil's all-time leading goalscorer. Neymar has made 123 international appearances (Pelé played 92 games for the national team).

· Neymar (7, level alongside Careca) is one short of moving joint-fifth alongside Leônidas, Ademir and Rivaldo (all 8) in Brazil's leading World Cup goalscorers.

· Each of Neymar's last six goals for Brazil were penalties. His most recent non-penalty international goal was against Uruguay in October 2021.

· Richarlison has scored 10 goals in his last nine Brazil appearances. The Seleção have won all 16 games he has netted in.

· All 26 members of Brazil's squad have had playing time at the 2022 World Cup. They were the first team to use more than 24 players at a single World Cup.

· Marquinhos, Raphinha and Rodrygo are the only players to have played in all four of Brazil's games at the 2022 World Cup.

· Bruno Guimarães, Éder Militão and Fred are one yellow card away from a suspension.

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· This is Croatia's 50th major tournament (World Cup/EUROs) match. Their major tournament debut was a 1-0 win versus Türkiye in Nottingham in the EURO 1996 group stage (goal by Goran Vlaovic).

· Croatia and France are both in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup. Not since 1990 have both finalists from the previous tournament progressed to the semi-finals, when Argentina and West Germany competed in successive finals in 1986 and 1990.

· Croatia progressed from both of their two World Cup quarter-finals: a 3-0 win against Germany in Lyon in 1998 and a penalty shootout victory versus Russia in Sochi in 2018. The only other teams to compete in multiple World Cup quarter-finals without ever being eliminated at that stage are Austria (1934, 1954) and Portugal (1966, 2006).

· Of Croatia's last eight major tournament (World Cup/EUROs) knockout phase matches, seven went to extra time. The only exception in that run was a 4-2 defeat versus France in Moscow in the 2018 World Cup final.

· Croatia have won all three of their World Cup penalty shootouts. Only (West) Germany (4) have been involved in as many World Cup penalty shootouts and still have a 100% winning record.

· Croatia did not score the opening goal in any of their last eight World Cup games (conceded the opening goal six times and drew 0-0 twice).

· Croatia failed to net in only one of their 13 major tournament (World Cup/EUROs) knockout phase matches, a 1-0 defeat after extra time versus Portugal in Lens in the EURO 2016 round of last 16.

· Croatia lost only one of their last 20 matches (W12-D7-L1, game decided by a penalty shootout classed as a draw), a 3-0 Nations League defeat versus Austria in Osijek on 3 June.

· Ivan Perišic is joint-second alongside Mario Mandzukic (both 33) in Croatia's all-time leading goalscorers, behind only Davor Šuker (45).

· In the round of last 16 against Japan, Perišic (10) surpassed Davor Šuker (9) as Croatia's leading major tournament (World Cup/EUROs) goalscorer. Perišic and Šuker (both 6) are Croatia's joint-leading World Cup goalscorers.

· Perišic can become the eighth player to score in as many as four consecutive World Cup knockout phase appearances, after Brazil's Leônidas (5, 1934-1938), Hungary's György Sárosi (5, 1934-1938), Brazil's Vavá (5, 1958-1962), Italy's Totò Schillaci (4, 1990), Italy's Roberto Baggio (4, 1990-1994), Netherlands' Dennis Bergkamp (4, 1994-1998) and Croatia's Davor Šuker (4, 1998).

· Borna Barišic, Dejan Lovren, Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic are one yellow card away from a suspension.

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· Brazil are unbeaten in all four matches against Croatia (W3-D1-L0). Two of those four games were at the World Cup.

· The opening game of the 2014 World Cup was between Croatia and Brazil in São Paulo. The hosts won 3-1 courtesy of goals by Neymar (29', 71' penalty) and Oscar (90+1') after Marcelo (11' own goal) had given the Croatians the lead.

· Brazil defeated Croatia 1-0 in Berlin in the group stage of the 2006 World Cup. Kaká (44') scored the only goal to beat a Croatian team that had Luka Modric as an unused substitute.

· The most recent game between these nations was a friendly at Anfield in Liverpool on 3 June 2018. Brazil won 2-0 through goals by Neymar (69') and Roberto Firmino (90+3').

· Croatia and Brazil drew 1-1 in a friendly in Split on 17 August 2005. Ricardinho (42') equalised for the visitors after Niko Kranjcar (32') had put the hosts ahead.

· Croatia lost four of their five World Cup matches versus CONMEBOL opposition (W1-D0-L4, all group stage). The only exception was a 3-0 victory against Argentina in Nizhny Novgorod in 2018 (goals by Ante Rebic, Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic).

· Brazil lost each of their last five World Cup knockout phase matches against UEFA opposition (by an aggregate score of 15-3), since a 2-0 victory against Germany in Yokohama in the 2002 final.

· Club teammates who could be in opposition in this game are Mateo Kovacic and Thiago Silva (Chelsea), Luka Modric and Éder Militão/Vinícius Júnior/Rodrygo (Real Madrid), and Ivan Perišic and Richarlison (Tottenham Hotspur).

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