Denmark goalkeeper gets one-upped in World Cup shootout Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel misses a penalty shoot by Croatia's Ivan Rakitic after extra time during the round of 16 match between Croatia and Denmark at the 2018 soccer World Cup in the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, in Nizhny Novgorod , Russia, Sunday, July 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) NIZHNY NOVGOROD, Russia (AP) -- Despite saving three penalties, Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel got one-upped in the shootout. Schmeichel first saved a penalty from Croatia playmaker Luka Modric late in extra time to force Sunday's match to a shootout. He then saved two more spot kicks, but it was Croatia that advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals. ''It's a strange feeling,'' Schmeichel said. ''Huge disappointment but also enormous pride about our team. I think today we had the opportunity.'' The match ended in a 1-1 draw. Croatia keeper Danijel Subasic then set a tournament record by saving three penalties in the shootout, which Croatia won 3-2. Schmeichel and Subasic stopped five spot kicks combined, a record in a World Cup shootout and one of the greatest goalkeeping displays in tournament history. ''He saved three penalties in a shootout,'' Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic said of his goalkeeper. '''You don't see that every day.'' Schmeichel's first penalty save came in the 116th minute when he dived to his left to smother the attempt from Modric. He later saved spot kicks from Milan Badelj and Josip Pivaric. ''I'm sorry for Kasper and the whole team,'' Denmark coach Age Hareide said. ''That's just the brutality of football.'' Schmeichel was playing with his famous father in the stadium, the pain and joy on Peter Schmeichel's face flashing on the giant TV screen as he watched his son play. He jumped up and down after each penalty save. The elder Schmeichel, who played for Manchester United, was in goal when Denmark beat the Netherlands in a penalty shootout in the semifinals of the 1992 European Championship. Denmark went on to win that title. The current Denmark goalkeeper, who does not like to be compared to his famous father, said it was difficult to accept the result. ''There are many emotions right now,'' said Schmeichel, who won the Premier League title with Leicester in 2016. Story continues Schmeichel said he seldom practices penalties because it's impossible to replicate the pressure and adrenalin in practice. ''Pressure does something to players and people and it's natural,'' Schmeichel said. ''I've played a lot of games and today with the penalties I went with my intuition, what I felt in the moment. That was unfortunately not enough in the end.'' --- More AP World Cup coverage: www.apnews.com/tag/WorldCup<doc-sep>Kasper Schmeichel saved three penalties against Croatia throughout the course of the match vs Croatia (AP Photo) Kasper Schmeichel did everything he could have to deny Croatia a victory but he will feel hard done by his teammates, who missed three penalties during the penalty shootout. Schmeichel not only saved Luka Mordic's kick from the spot in the 116th minute but also denied Milan Badlej and Josip Pivaric during the shootout but missed penalties from Christian Eriksen, Lasse Schone and Nicolai Jorgensen meant that Croatia beat Denmark 3-2 via penalty shootout and reach the quarters. The Croats will face Russia next in the quarters on Saturday in Sochi. Speaking about the match, a disappointed Schmeichel said: "It is a strange feeling. There is enormous disappointment but also huge pride in our performance. We had the opportunity and I think we were the better team in the second half. It is hard to put all the emotions into words at the moment." 2018 FIFA WORLD CUP: FULL COVERAGE Denmark coach Age Hareide also rued the missed penalties and said that it is football and it can happen. "Our three best players for penalties all missed their penalties today. I feel sorry for Kasper and the whole team. But that is what can happen in penalties, and is the brutality of football. "Croatia are the best team in Europe for counter-attacks. Having control was important and I thought we had that in the second half," said the 64-year-old. However, despite what the Leicester City goalie believes, his counterpart in the other end did everything he could have to take his team to the next round. Subasic saved three penalties during the shootout in Nizhny Novgorod vs Croatia (Reuters Photo) Danijel Subasic starred for the Croats after regulation time which ended with the scores tied on 1-1. Ivan Rakitic scored the decisive penalty after Subasic had used his feet to stop an attempt from N. Jorgensen. Croatia captain Modric, who also scored in the shootout, had a chance to put his team ahead late in injury time but his penalty was saved by Denmark's Schmeichel. Croatia in quarter-finals after second penalty shootout drama Denmark took the lead in the first minute when defender Mathias Jorgensen scrambled in a shot that went in off Subasic's left hand and then the left post. It was Denmark's fastest ever World Cup goal. Croatia equalized in the fourth minute with another untidy goal at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium. Henrik Dalsgaard's clearance hit a teammate and fell for Croatia forward Mario Mandzukic to hook the ball in. The teams stayed even for the next 116 minutes, including the 30 minutes of extra time. (With inputs from AP)<doc-sep>In the space of two days Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Andres Iniesta have all taken their leave of the World Cup but Luka Modric is still in the tournament. It was, however, a very close-run thing. After Modric had seen Kasper Schmeichel save his penalty four minutes from the end of extra time came a shootout every bit as dire as the game that had gone before it. Christian Eriksen, taking the first penalty in front of the Danish banners, raised his foot and struck the post. Two more Danes and two more Croats missed and then it came down to Ivan Ratikic against Schmeichel. The man from Barcelona took his time and put Croatia into the quarter-finals to face Russia. Four minutes from the penalty shootout came the night’s moment of truth. A gorgeous pass from Modric saw Ante Rebic clear on goal. He took the ball past Kasper Schmeichel and was just about to settle the match when Mathias Jorgensen brought him down. Schmeichel appealed frantically that the Huddersfield defender had in fact made a perfect tackle, although the fact he was genuinely trying to play the ball saved him from dismissal. Denmark celebrate opening the scoring (AFP/Getty Images) Modric stepped up to take a penalty that was as dreadful as much of the rest of the match. Schmeichel saved easily, the cameras panned to his father punching the warm night air. Very soon, there would be more penalties to save. Having begun with two goals in the opening four minutes, the levels of excitement drained away until extra time and then penalties were accepted with a shrug of the shoulders. You could hardly blame Denmark. They really only had Christian Eriksen and their chief weapon was the long throw which suggests Tony Pulis might have a cult following in Copenhagen. They played the only game they could; to wear down and frustrate the dark horses of this tournament. If anything summed up the night, it was the sight of Modric on the byline. He skipped left, he skipped right, like Sugar Ray Leonard on the canvas at Madison Square Gardens. Martin Braithwaite simply stood in front of him. Modric got nowhere. The referee blew to end the first period of extra time. Luka Modric misses his spot-kick in extra time (AFP/Getty Images) With Spain gone, the road to the final in Moscow was open for the brilliant thirty-somethings of Croatia, who knew this was their last World Cup. By the hour mark they found themselves not on a dual-carriageway but a dirt-track. After two hours they were lost completely. It had begun so promisingly. Within two minutes, before the sun had properly set into the Volga, Denmark were ahead. It was a scruffy goal but it scarcely mattered. Croatia were fielding footballers from Monaco, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus. Denmark had players from Ipswich and Brentford and they went ahead through Huddersfield’s centre-half, Mathias Jorgensen. Croatia made a hash of dealing with a long throw from Simon Kjaer, allowing Jorgensen to shoot. In a crowded area Danijel Subasic in Croatia’s goal saw it late. The ball struck the inside of his glove and rolled over the line via the inside of the post. Before they flew to Nizhny Novgorod from their training base on Russia’s Black Sea coast, the Danish striker, Martin Braithwaite, wondered what might happen if Croatia conceded first. Everything in this World Cup had gone for them, they had never been behind but, “if they conceded first, even they don’t know how they will react”. Danijel Subasic saves a penalty from Lasse Schone (Reuters) Croatia reacted by equalising within two minutes. It was almost as untidy as Denmark’s goal. It began conventionally enough with Ante Rebic and Sime Vrsaljko combining down the Croatian right. This time Brentford’s Henrik Dalsgaard made a hash of a clearance which managed to strike Andreas Christiansen square in the face and ricocheted to the prowling boots of Mario Mandzukic. Two goals scored, four minutes gone. For a game in a World Cup, this was apparently a record. There were to be no more, although Dejan Lovren surely should have converted a free header. Modric was playing deeper than you might expect, looking for the killer pass, the perfect cross and when they didn’t come off, he would thrust his hand through his long, blond hair. As the only man in the Denmark squad, with the possible exception of Schmeichel, who would command a place in Croatia’s team, much, perhaps too much, rested on Eriksen. If the pressure was acute, there were moments when he shone. There was a lovely ball to Braithwaite but his shooting had seen him lose his place at Middlesbrough and the shot was scuffed. Then came another lovely moment from Eriksen, a chip on to the top of the post. It was a reminder, just as the fate of Germany, Spain and Argentina had been a reminder, that nothing in this World Cup is going to form or plan. Croatia: (4-2-3-1) Subasic; Vrsaljko, Lovren, Vida, Strinic, (Pivaric 81); Rakitic, Brozovic (Kovacic 72); Rebic, Modric, Perisic (Kramaric 97); Mandzukic (Badelj 108). Denmark: (4-3-3) Schmeichel; Knudsen, Kjaer, M.Jorgensen, Dalsgaard; Christiansen (Schone ht), Delaney (Krohn-Deli 99), Eriksen; Poulsen, Cornelius (N.Jorgensen 67), Braithwaite (Sisto 105). Referee: Nestor Pitana (Argentina) Attendance: 40,851.<doc-sep>
Danijel Subasic and Kasper Schmeichel made five saves during the penalty shootout. (Source: Reuters) Danijel Subasic and Kasper Schmeichel made five saves during the penalty shootout. (Source: Reuters) Croatia came back after conceding in the opening minute to earn a World Cup quarter-final berth after edging Denmark 3-2 in a penalty shootout after the two sides drew 1-1 in the round of 16 match on Sunday. They could have wrapped up the result five minutes from the end of extra time but Luka Modric had his penalty saved by Kasper Schmeichel as a largely pedestrian match produced a pulsating finish. However, the Croatia captain returned to bravely take one of the post-match kicks as goalkeeper Danijel Subasic saved three of Denmark’s efforts to set up a quarter-final meeting with hosts Russia, who also won in a penalty shootout earlier on Sunday against Spain after a 1-1 draw. It was Modric’s sublime pass that put Ante Rebic through on goal, before being brought down by Mathias Jorgensen, and offered Croatia a chance to win just before the shootout. But with only five minutes left, Schmeichel made a smart save to keep the 1-1 stalemate intact. “It was a very difficult game. We conceded in the first minute, then we equalised. We missed a sitter. We miss penalties. We had chances but we stayed strong, mentally composed, and we won eventually,” said Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic. Two chaotic goals in the opening four minutes made for a rollicking start at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium. However, it proved a false dawn as the spectacle faded with both sides choosing caution as their priority given the rare chance to reach the last eight. Jorgensen took all of 57 seconds to breach the Croatia defence at the end of a long throw-in by Jonas Knudsen, stabbing at the ball with his left foot as he took it off team mate Thomas Delaney. Subasic got a hand to Jorgensen’s toe-poke but effectively deflected the ball across his own line. There was an element of comedy to the fourth-minute equaliser for Mario Mandzukic as Denmark’s early advantage quickly disappeared. PINBALL A kick across the Danish defence was firmly hit away by Henrik Dalsgaard but straight into the face of team mate Andreas Christensen, creating a pinball effect that saw the ball fall for Mandzukic, who then expertly turned it into the net from close range. The anticipated influence of Christian Eriksen for the Danes and Croatia’s Modric held out hopes of more mouth-watering action but their craft was only evident in patches. Eriksen did shave the top of the woodwork just before halftime with a speculative effort while, at the other end, Ivan Rakitic forced a smart save from Schmeichel. After the interval, the chances were even more sparse although Croatia did up the tempo towards the end of regulation time only to run into a resolute Denmark defence. In extra time, Knudsen’s long throws proved the most dangerous attacking weapon but eventually it was penalties that delivered a winner. “It’s a strange feeling. Huge disappointment. But also enormous pride about our team,” said Schmeichel. “I think today we had the opportunity. I think we were the better team in the second half and the extra time. “I don’t think we had any luck. I don’t think the referee liked us today. It is difficult to accept and put into words. There are many emotions right now.”