Danijel Subasic saves blushes for conservative Croatia and other talking points from Denmark win

The shootout witnessed a pair of penalty misses apiece, before Nicolai Jorgensen’s third errant effort for the Danes was decisively punished by Rakitic.

Croatia’s reward is a last-eight tie against hosts Russia.

GLOVES OFF IN THE BIG FIGHT

This round-of-16 contest on the Volga River had been billed as a showcase for two of Europe’s premier playmakers, in Croatia’s Modric and Denmark’s Christian Eriksen.

Instead, the goalkeepers would define a match in which gripping entertainment sandwiched a dire filling.

Leicester City’s Schmeichel moved onto a respectable 20 penalty saves throughout his career, outside of shootouts, when he brilliantly repelled Modric’s extra-time punt. The 31-year-old had tweeted about tiresome comparisons being made to his lionized father in the build-up, but the apple doesn’t appear to have fallen far from the tree.

Monaco’s Danijel Subasic has won close to a half-century of caps without ever coming to the fore. Headlines are usually dominated by the likes of Modric, Rakitic and Mandzukic.

This script was flipped on Sunday. The mood was set when his fingertips pushed Eriksen’s opener in the shootout onto the post.

Lasse Schone and – decisively – Nicolai Jorgensen would then face similar rejection.

DANES GO FOR IT… THEN STOP

Denmark boss Age Hareide promised a greater attacking edge, but even he would have been amazed at how soon his prediction came true.

Just 57 seconds were on the clock when the ball fell to Huddersfield Town centre-back Mathias Jorgensen inside a packed penalty box. An instinctive low effort then squirmed past two lunging defenders and under unsighted goalkeeper Danijel Subasic for this World Cup’s quickest goal.

The fuse had been lit for ‘Danish Dynamite’ in record time. It would be a slow burner from that point, with Eriksen’s deployment providing bafflement.

To a degree, Hareide was good as his word. Only five attempts on goal were made by them in the dour Group C-stalemate against France – they reached this mark before 65 minutes on Sunday.

But the second half was, otherwise, a distinct disappointment.

Denmark favoured direct football over refined craftsmanship, the formation being tweaked to a 4-4-1-1. Attrition reigned over inspiration.

The ball was repeatedly pumped downed the channels. Confusingly, this meant Christian Eriksen – a playmaker involved in 18 goals during his last 16 caps – was a periphery figure.

By the end of normal time, the 26-year-old’s 48 touches was his nation’s joint-sixth best with Ipswich Town defender Jonas Knudsen.

No-one else could conjure an assist to rival his from Peru, or the stupendous volley that followed against Australia.

Hareide’s vision to gain a second-ever quarter-final berth came with a serious flaw.

DALIC ENGINEERS A DULL DISPLAY

Croatia flew through Group D in record fashion, winning all three matches for the first time in their history.

The final 2-1 victory against Iceland came despite nine changes being made. This appeared a cunning move at the time.

Dreams grew that a rested XI would stand greater chance in the knockouts of repeating 1998’s memorable march to the semi-finals.

Yet with the big guns back in their ranks, only penalties could break the stalemate after 116 stultifying minutes that followed Mandzukic’s fortunate opening goal of the 2018 edition.

The obvious argument is that 10 days of inaction for the likes of Real Madrid superstar Modric and Barcelona’s Rakitic took the edge off highly calibrated players.

Another interpretation is that Dalic was content with stasis. His substitutions appeared to play into this image.

The swap of Madrid’s Mateo Kovacic for Internazionale holder Marcelo Brozovic appeared positive on the surface. But this simply meant that Rakitic dropped deep.

Centre midfielder Milan Badelj rocketed in against Iceland, but his introduction during extra time for Mandzukic was not an adventurous move.

Modric’s through ball to Rebic to force the late, late penalty was incongruous to the negative play that surrounded it.

With Croatia in a bottom half of the draw that becomes more open by the day, greater adventure should gain grand reward.