Neymar penalty plot backfires as Croatia punish Brazil in World Cup thriller

Neymar was left red-faced on the biggest stage of all after his decision to take Brazil's fifth penalty backfired as the Selecao were dumped out of the World Cup by Croatia on spot-kicks. 

Following a goalless draw after 90 minutes, the Paris Saint-Germain superstar took the game by the scruff of the neck in extra-time when he broke the deadlock in stunning style.

After picking the ball up inside the Croatia half, Neymar drove at their sturdy defence and played two bounce passes before rounding heroic goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic and slotting into the net.

Yet Croatia refused to be beaten and remained in the game right up until the final stages of extra-time when substitute Bruno Petkovic fired Zlatko Dalić's side level.

Their unbreakable resilience was once again showcased during the penalty shootout when they converted all four of their spot-kicks.

Brazil failed to deliver the goods as Rodrygo and Marquinhos fluffed their lines as Livakovic added two more crucial saves to his highlight reel.

Neymar opted to take the fifth kick but unfortunately the shootout did not make it that far for Brazil, who were dumped out of the World Cup and sent home following a stunning climax at the Education City Stadium.

The former Barcelona forward broke down in tears after the match while Manchester United winger Antony was also in distress at what had just happened.

Casemiro and Pedro were on target for Brazil but there will now be question marks as to why Neymar did not take a penalty sooner.

It was something that was pointed out by Jurgen Klinsmann in the BBC studio post-match, as he said: "Yeah there are totally different approaches obviously for managers. You always say let the best penalty taker take the first one.

"You can set the tone. Don't keep them for the fifth one basically because you might not get the chance to take it.

"For me Neymar would be the No 1 penalty taker, set the tone.

"It calms everybody down. The momentum shifted after the Croatia equaliser before the end of the extra-time.

"What goes through your mind then because you suddenly get scared, you know the whole nation is waiting and you start to panic in your mind.

"You're then far more nervous, you don't have any time to relax and balance yourself out."

Croatia had looked dead and buried when Neymar gave Brazil the lead but just as they did against Japan, they came roaring back to level things up before winning the match on penalties.

They have now tied Germany's record of winning four penalty shootouts at World Cup finals having also beaten Japan on spot-kicks in this tournament.

The 2018 World Cup finalists will now face the winner of Netherlands vs Argentina in the semi-final next week.

Brazil boss Tite will now be stepping down after watching his side crash and burn in Qatar.