MIKE KEEGAN: There’s no stopping the ‘Atletico Madrid of world football’

The Atlético de Madrid of world football is finished. Croatia, the bad machine of the World Cup, has beaten Brazil. Another playoff game, another penalty shootout victory for the eternal losers.

That is something good? The pure football brigade will say no. To hell with that. This is a tournament where it’s hard to separate fact from fiction. Stadiums, for example. From the outside, they all have their own shapes: traditional headdresses here, female anatomy there.

But inside they tend to be identical replicas of three levels of each other. Even the HMS Wag, disguised as the center of the party, is now an almost deserted floating shell, where the bands outnumber the guests they play for. Curmudgeon Croatia is a reassuring presence.

Croatia celebrate beating Brazil on penalties after drawing 1-1 in quarter-finals

Croatia sealed a 4-2 victory on penalties in their quarter-final clash with the favorites

They show up and, like some conversation grabbing guy, they try to squeeze the life out of the party. Japan were so bored that they barely managed to take their penalty kicks last time.

Here, when they equalized with their first shot on goal and roared out of the group before the shootout, you knew they would prevail. Achievement trumps method.

Croatia is a country of less than four million. Only the hosts Qatar and Wales have smaller populations. The man who designed the country’s flag was also responsible for its iconic checkerboard jerseys.

Luka Modric once again pulled the strings in midfield and continues to be an outstanding player

Josip Juranovic will be a wanted man after this World Cup after another impressive display

Maybe you want to glue a dog with a pair of red gloves on to the badge. There is beauty in the beast. Luka Modric, at 37, is the real Tom Brady of football. Sometimes here he outplayed opponents.

In fact, the only dance we saw was through their hopping feet, over and over again tiptoeing out of trouble. Modric joined a willing team.

Josip Juranovic delivered one of the best performances we’ve seen from a right-back in this tournament.

Juranovic (right) put in one of the best performances we’ve seen from a right-back in Qatar

You don’t know what you’re being fed in Glasgow’s East End, but the rest of Scotland and beyond could do with finding out. This was a complete display of attacking, defending, and defending some more.

A closing performance that saw Vinicius Junior thrown out after 64 minutes. Pep Guardiola will attest to how rare it is to see him after Manchester City’s Champions League exit. Juranovic, signed for 2.5 million pounds from Legia Warsaw.

He has admirers and Celtic’s move for Canadian Alistair Johnston looks sinister. One of those believed to be in the running? Atletico Madrid.

Croatia will now head to their second consecutive World Cup semi-final where they will play either Argentina or the Netherlands.