Croatia send Denmark out of World Cup after penalty shootout win in last 16

Croatia booked their place in the World Cup quarter-finals with a 3-2 shootout victory against Denmark after the sides were locked at 1-1 following extra time at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium.

After a tense shootout victory Croatia will now face the World Cup hosts Russia in Sochi on Saturday.

Mathias Jorgensen gave Denmark the lead after 57 seconds but Mario Mandzukic equalised three minutes later. Croatia were handed a chance to seal victory with a penalty in extra time but Luka Modric failed with his spot-kick and the teams were forced into a shootout.

Croatia made nine changes as they recalled their leading names for the World Cup last-16 clash with Denmark in Nizhny Novgorod.

Zlatko Dalic made wholesale alterations to his side for their final Group D game with Iceland, with qualification already secured.

Modric and Ivan Perisic were the only players to keep their places, with the likes of Ivan Rakitic, Mandzukic and the goalkeeper Danijel Subasic coming back in.

Denmark, meanwhile, made just the two changes to the side that held France to a goalless draw in their last match, with the defender Jonas Knudsen and the forward Yussuf Poulsen coming in for Jens Larsen and Pione Sisto.

It took the Danes less than a minute to rock Croatia when they went into the lead from a long throw.

The Croatian defence failed to deal with Knudsen’s ball into the penalty area and after Thomas Delaney had got a touch, the defender Mathias Jorgensen pounced to score his first senior international goal from close range.

However, the lead lasted just three minutes when Mandzukic was first to react as the ball ricocheted across the Danish penalty area to fire past the goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.

Schmeichel had to save from Rakitic and Ante Rebic in quick succession while the Denmark playmaker Christian Eriksen clipped the angle of bar and post with a looping effort three minutes before the break but the sides went to half-time at 1-1.

They remained deadlocked after a second half in which Denmark enjoyed the better of the game, meaning extra-time was required to separate them.

Modric had the chance to send his team into a quarter-final with a penalty four minutes from the end of extra time but Schmeichel dived to his left to save the spot‑kick.