Mario Mandzukic was on target and Luka Modric saw a penalty saved in extra time, but Croatia scraped past Denmark after a dramatic shoot-out.
With Germany, Argentina, Spain and Portugal going out, the Croatians packed with Serie A players felt increasingly confident of going all the way and after a huge scare, they will meet hosts Russia in the quarter-final.
Mario Mandzukic was on target and Luka Modric saw a penalty saved in extra time, but Croatia scraped past Denmark after a dramatic shoot-out.
With Germany, Argentina, Spain and Portugal going out, the Croatians packed with Serie A players felt increasingly confident of going all the way and after a huge scare, they will meet hosts Russia in the quarter-final.
It was the most improbable of starts, as after 57 seconds, a long throw was not dealt with and Mathias Jorgensen’s finish from six yards squirmed under badly placed Danijel Subasic for a shock Denmark opener, the first goal Croatia conceded from open play in this tournament.
Croatia fought back immediately with another chaotic strike. Sime Vrsaljko’s cross was cleared on to Andreas Christensen’s face and ricocheted into the path of Mario Mandzukic, so the Juventus forward didn’t let that opportunity pass him by.
Never before had both teams scored in the opening three minutes and 37 seconds of a World Cup match.
Subasic was more alert as Martin Braithwaite slid on to a through ball, but Kasper Schmeichel’s gloves were stung in the same move by both Ivan Rakitic and ex-Fiorentina midfielder Ante Rebic.
Dejan Lovren’s glancing header flashed wide and Eriksen’s dipping cross clipped the crossbar, but the game petered out into a stalemate.
In the final five minutes, Perisic’s header was flicked over and Rakitic drilled wide, but the two teams will go to extra time.
Croatia looked the more tired in extra time, even with both sides making their new fourth substitution available from this tournament after 90 minutes.
Pione Sisto fired just wide of the far post for the Danes, but Croatia thought they had scored when Modric’s through ball released Rebic, he went round the goalkeeper and was going to walk it into an empty net when tripped from behind by Jorgensen. Under the new rules, double jeopardy is gone and this becomes only a bookable offence rather than a straight red. Modric stepped up, but his poor penalty was smothered by Kasper Schmeichel, with his Euro-winning father Peter watching on proudly.
It shot Croatia’s confidence as they went into their first ever World Cup penalty shoot-out. However, Christian Eriksen saw his first attempt fingertipped on to the upright and Fiorentina midfielder Milan Badelj’s was also saved by Schmeichel.
Modric had another attempt down the middle, and this time it went in, but Lasse Schone’s was saved by Subasic and immediately Pivaric was also denied to keep them level.
Nicolai Jorgensen saw his scuffed and central effort saved by Subasic’s legs, giving Rakitic the chance to fire Croatia into the quarter-final and he did not fail.
Croatia 1-1 Denmark (aet, 3-2 on pens)
M Jorgensen 1 (D), Mandzukic 4 (C)
Penalties: Eriksen (D, saved), Badelj (C, saved), Kjaer (D, goal), Kramaric (C, goal), Krohn-Dehli (D, goal), Modric (C, goal), Schone (D, saved), Pivaric (C, saved), N Jorgensen (D, saved), Rakitic (C, goal)
Croatia: Subasic; Vrsaljko, Lovren, Vida, Strinic (Pivaric 81); Rakitic, Brozovic (Kovacic 71); Rebic, Modric, Perisic (Kramaric 97); Mandzukic (Badelj 108)
Denmark: Schmeichel; Knudsen, Kjaer, M Jorgensen, Dalsgaard; Christensen (Schone 46), Delaney (Krohn-Dehli 98), Eriksen; Yurary Poulsen, Cornelius (N Jorgensen 67), Braithwaite (Sisto 105)
Ref: Pitana (ARG)
Penalty saved: Modric 116 (C)