World Cup semi-finalists Croatia found themselves in a penalty shootout showdown against Tunisia after a goalless draw in a friendly match on Saturday.
In a dramatic turn of events, goalkeeper Ivica Ivusic, who replaced Dominik Livakovic in the second half, emerged as Croatia’s hero with three crucial penalty saves, securing a 5-4 victory for his team as the match went to a shootout.
Tunisia’s Seifeddine Jaziri had a golden opportunity to clinch victory in sudden death, but Ivusic thwarted his attempt, ultimately sealing Croatia’s win by denying Oussama Haddadi’s decisive penalty.
Following their hard-fought victory, Croatia is set to square off against Egypt in the final of the four-team tournament on Tuesday. This tournament is part of FIFA’s initiative to introduce a new series of friendly games, facilitating matches between teams from different confederations.
Despite boasting a star-studded lineup including players like Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic, Croatia faced staunch resistance from Tunisia’s defense, which limited their scoring opportunities throughout the match.
Despite Croatia’s territorial dominance, it was Tunisia who carved out the most promising chances on the counterattack, adding intrigue to an otherwise lackluster affair.
Tunisia came close to breaking the deadlock in the first half, with Hamza Jelassi seeing a goal disallowed for a marginal offside, while Ali Abdi missed a good opportunity by firing over the crossbar.
In the 77th minute, Tunisia substitute Sayfallah Ltaief had a glorious chance to score, but he failed to capitalize, heading the ball over the bar with the goal at his mercy.
