Losing keeper so very proud

– Kasper Schmeichel (above) could hardly have done more for his team in their World Cup clash with Croatia on Sunday but the Danish goalkeeper ended up in the unusual position of being both Man-of-theMatch and a loser.

Watched from the stands by his father Peter, Schmeichel saved a Luca Modric penalty late in extra time and another two spot-kicks in the shootout only for Croatia to progress to the quarterfinals.

“It’s a strange feeling – huge disappointment, but also enormous pride in our team,” the 31-year-old told a news conference.

“I’m talking not only about the 11 on the pitch, but everyone involved with the team, those who work for the team.”

After the match finished deadlocked at 1-1 after 120 minutes in large part due to Schmeichel’s save from Modric, Christian Eriksen, Lasse Schone and Nicolai Jorgensen all missed from the spot as Denmark went down 3-2 in the shootout.

The goalkeeper was not about to start apportioning blame, however.

“No, anyone who is brave enough to stand up and take penalty is a hero,” he said.

“Anyone who has the balls to take a penalty has my respect. This is a fantastic team. We will be back. It is important that we remember this feeling now and that we use it in the future.” – Reuters

Nizhny Novgorod