MANILA, Philippines – Ateneo's winning ways continued as the Blue Eagles blasted the San Beda Red Lions, 76-62, to complete a tournament sweep and claim the 12th Filoil Flying V Preseason Cup championship on Saturday, June 30, in San Juan.

Angelo Kouame took charge for the reigning UAAP champions, who pulled away early against a San Beda side that didn't play team star Robert Bolick in the second half. 

Kouame bagged the Most Valuable Player plum after an impressive game-high 15-point, 16-rebound, 3-block curtain call in the finals.

The Cote d’Ivorian giant also led the Mythical 5 that included Ateneo teammates Thirdy Ravena, Matt Nieto, San Beda's Javee Mocon and La Salle's Justine Baltazar. 

University of Perpetual Help's main anchor Prince Eze won the Best Defensive Player honor. 

Knowing his boys were playing 3 games in 3 days straight from Greece, Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin sent them a text message before their knockout match against the Red Lions: "The mind will tell the body what it should do."

"It's on the mind," assistant coach Sandy Arespacochaga echoed in the post-game presser. "You don't have to mind the jet lag, the fatigue. That was very valuable input for our players."

The Blue Eagles made their presence felt early in the second quarter after a back-and-forth first frame as they held the NCAA titleholders to a 24-9 period for a 19-point lead at the half, 45-26.

Kouame showed deft touch around San Beda’s Donald Tankoua while Mike Nieto and Jolo Mendoza each sniped 3-pointers from the top of the key to pile on the lead.

Ravena later emphatically swatted Bedan rookie Evan Nelle’s halftime buzzer-beater layup for good measure.

The Red Lions pulled within 11 points, 59-70, at the two-minute mark of the 4th off a fastbreak Nelle layup, but never really threatened the sky-high Eagles.

Veteran forward Raffy Verano shut the Lions' den for good with an open triple off the timeout, 73-59, and helped clinch the 12-0 tournament sweep.

The Scores:

ATENEO (76) – Kouame 15, Mendoza 9, Verano 9, Ravena 7, Belangel 7, Nieto Mi 6, Asistio 6, Go 6, Mamuyac 5, Navarro 3, Maagdenberg 3, Nieto Ma 0, Tio 0, Wong 0, Black 0, Andrade 0.

SAN BEDA (62) – Mocon 14, Tankoua 13, Abuda 9, Canlas 7, Doliguez 6, Nelle 5, Cabanag 4, Oftana 2, Carino 2, Tongco 0, Bolick 0, Eugene 0, Cuntapay 0, Burri 0.

Quarer scores: 19-15, 45-26, 56-42, 76-62.

– Rappler.com

MOSCOW, Russia –Teenage star Kylian Mbappe struck twice and earned another goal as France thrillingly found its attacking edge to beat Lionel Messi's Argentina, 4-3, and move into the quarterfinals of the World Cup on Saturday, June 30. 

Billed as Messi's chance to reignite stuttering Argentina's hopes, the pulsating last-16 clash in Kazan instead saw 19-year-old Paris Saint-Germain star Mbappe become the youngest player since Pele in 1958 to score two goals in a World Cup match.

France cast aside the cautious approach from its first 3 games and confirmed its status as one of the favorites.

And Mbappe, born in the same year that France won the World Cup in 1998 when current Bleus coach Didier Deschamps was captain, announced himself on the biggest stage.

"It's flattering to be the second teenager (to score twice in the World Cup) after Pele but let's put things in context: Pele is in another category. But it's good to be among these people," he said.

"We showed an excellent attitude, I'm very proud of the players and I'm very happy for them," said Deschamps. 

"We created a huge amount of chances. If we'd scored them all, the scoreline could have been far heavier."

Faster, younger 

Embattled Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli had promised an "aggressive, attacking" approach from his side after they scraped through the group phase. 

But his fears over the superior speed of France's strikers were quickly proven right when Mbappe sprinted from his own half and Marcos Rojo hauled him down.

Antoine Griezmann coolly converted the 13th minute penalty.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Pavard&#39;s goal belongs in the Louvre. <a href="https://t.co/PxejN2pKKx">pic.twitter.com/PxejN2pKKx</a></p>&mdash; Pro:Direct Soccer (@ProD_Soccer) <a href="https://twitter.com/ProD_Soccer/status/1013086209399287808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Mbappe's PSG teammate Angel Di Maria levelled with a 41st minute long-range stunner and the South Americans were back in what was proving a superb match.

Argentina took a 2-1 lead minutes after the restart when Gabriel Mercado clipped Messi's low curling shot past Hugo Lloris.

Defender Benjamin Pavard's stunning half-volley leveled for France on 57 minutes and as Argentina lost hope, Mbappe struck in the 64th and 68th minute to seal France's place in the last 8. 

When Blaise Matuidi's shot was blocked just after the hour, Mbappe was on hand to restore France's lead with a low shot past Argentinian 'keeper Franco Armani.

Then the teenager ran on to Olivier Giroud's perfect pass on a France counter-attack to arrow in another shot.

Despite a late consolation for Argentinan when Sergio Aguero headed Messi's superb long cross past Lloris in stoppage time, Mbappe had already well and truly stolen the show. 

With France's players boasting an average age of 25, Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli admitted their "fast" players, particularly Mbappe, had hit his aging squad hard.

"They have very fast players who are good at moving from defense to attack, and that's exactly what Mbappe did," said Sampaoli.

"I'm sorry for the result, and frustrated, that's normal. But I can't fault my players.

"We fought hard to get back into it and came close to leveling at the end."  – Rappler.com

SOCHI, Russia – Edinson Cavani scored twice as Uruguay shattered Cristiano Ronaldo's World Cup dream with a 2-1 victory over Portugal here Saturday, June 30.

Paris Saint-Germain striker Cavani curled home a superb 62nd-minute winner to settle a thrilling second-round duel which sends Uruguay into a quarterfinal against France next Friday. 

Cavani had already put Uruguay in front early on, only for Pepe to head Portugal level in the 55th minute in a thrilling contest that was not the battle of attrition many predicted.

Pepe's goal was the first time the South Americans' defense had been breached in this tournament, but they stood firm after that and are beginning to look like genuine contenders moving into the latter stages in Russia.

The only downside for Oscar Tabarez's side was the sight of Cavani limping off late on, raising a question mark over his fitness for next week's last 8 showdown with the French in Nizhny Novgorod. 

"We are so proud and happy. It is a special day," said Cavani after his match-winning display, before expressing optimism over his chances of recovering in time to face the French.

"I hope so. I'll do everything to make sure I can take to the field with my teammates."

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/URU?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#URU</a> WIN! <br><br>Two goals from <a href="https://twitter.com/ECavaniOfficial?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ECavaniOfficial</a> means that it is <a href="https://twitter.com/Uruguay?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Uruguay</a> that will face <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FRA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FRA</a> in Friday&#39;s quarter-final in Nizhny Novgorod!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/URUPOR?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#URUPOR</a> <a href="https://t.co/JA1dcK4ghM">pic.twitter.com/JA1dcK4ghM</a></p>&mdash; FIFA World Cup  (@FIFAWorldCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/FIFAWorldCup/status/1013149013481271297?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Meanwhile, European champions Portugal go home, as Ronaldo and Lionel Messi bow out of the competition on the same day.

"We are very sad that we didn't make it. We played well in the second half and tried everything possible, but congratulations to Uruguay," said Portugal coach Fernando Santos, who hopes Ronaldo will continue his international career.

"I am sure he will. Cristiano still has a lot to give to the game," he said.

Ronaldo could not make the difference after Suarez and Cavani combined brilliantly for Uruguay's 7th-minute opener on Russia's Black Sea coast.

Cavani picked out Suarez on the left with a cross-field ball, before continuing his run into the penalty area and meeting the Barcelona striker's return delivery at the back post, the ball smacking off his face and flying in.

Pepe breaches Uruguay defense 

Suarez almost doubled the lead from a free-kick midway through the first half that forced a good save from Rui Patricio.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo did not touch the ball once in the opposition area in the first period. But with Uruguay sitting back, Portugal did equalize 10 minutes into the second half.

A corner was played short to Raphael Guerreiro, and his cross from the left was headed home from close range by Pepe, rising high above Diego Godin in the area. 

After nearly 5 and a half hours of football, it was the first goal Uruguay had let in at this World Cup – indeed it was the first they had conceded in 2018.

But their response to that was magnificent as they went quickly retook the lead, Rodrigo Bentancur teeing up Cavani for a magnificent first-time curling strike into the far corner on his right foot.

Portugal coach Fernando Santos threw up his hands in disgust, realizing that coming from behind a second time against this Uruguay defense was going to be a tall order.

Goalkeeper Fernando Muslera did almost gift them another equalizer, dropping a high ball at the feet of Bernardo Silva, but the Manchester City man could only volley over.

Cavani then had to be helped off by Ronaldo before watching the rest of the game from the dugout with ice on a calf injury.

His side held out, and if he recovers, Cavani can now look forward to coming up against his Paris Saint-Germain strike partner Kylian Mbappe, so impressive for France against Argentina. 

But Mbappe is unlikely to find the Uruguayan defense so accommodating. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Batang Gilas got a rude welcome to its FIBA Under-17 World Cup campaign, falling hard to powerhouse Croatia, 97-75, in Rosario, Argentina on Saturday, June 30 (Sunday, July 1, in Manila).

Although the Philippines fielded its tallest youth team yet, the 7-foot-1 Kai Sotto and 6-foot-7 newbie Carl Tamayo were not enough to stop the world’s 10th-ranked boys’ team.

Sotto led the way for the listless Batang Gilas squad with a double-double of 23 points and 12 rebounds on top of a steal and a block.

Croatia cruised to a 19-point lead, 37-18, midway through the second quarter off a triple by 6-foot-4 scoring machine Matej Rudan.

Rudan led the Croatian charge with 16 points while his namesake Matej Bosnjak followed him with 14 points of his own.

Halfway through the 3rd quarter, National University Bullpups sniper Terrence Fortea ripped the rock from point man Lovro Gnjidic and pulled up for the transition triple to manage the gap within single-digit, 47-55.

However, turnovers continued to hound the upstart Filipino squad as the Croatians promptly left them in the dust for good off a quarter-ending 16-2 run, 71-49.

They ran the lead as high as 32 points, 73-49, in the 4th quarter before taking their foot off the gas.

Fortea chipped in 14 points and a 4-of-6 (67%) clip from 3-point range. Tamayo finished with 12 points and 8 boards in his Batang Gilas debut.

Batang Gilas' 53-38 rebounding advantage didn’t even matter as they committed more than double the giveaways (28) to their assists (12), which Croatia translated to a huge 30-11 gap in points off turnovers.

Croatia burst out on an 8-0 run to start the contest before Fortea sank a triple for Gilas’ first points, a sign of things to come later on. Then both teams just went back and forth to end the quarter 25-15, as Gilas failed to make a single stop within the exchange.

The Scores: 

Croatia (97) – Rudan 16, Bosjnak 14, Gulin 13, Prkacin 10, Gnjidic 9, Gizdavcic 8, Saric 8, Skarica 7, Perasovic 5, Parlov 4, Paponja 3, Rasic 0.

Philippines (75) – Sotto 23, Fortea 14, Cortez 13, Tamayo 12, Abadiano 6, Padrigao 3, Andrada 2, Calimag 2, Chiu 0, Guadana 0, Lazaro 0.

Quarter scores: 25-15, 44-31, 71-49, 97-75

– Rappler.com

SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia – Four France goals ended Lionel Messi's 4th World Cup on Saturday, June 30, and may have brought down the curtain on an international career seemingly destined to end in disappointment.

Tens of thousands of Argentines poured into Kazan hoping to see Messi carry an ageing side over one more hurdle after his solitary goal in Russia helped avoid an embarrassing group-stage exit against Nigeria.

He played his part with two assists in a World Cup classic in the last-16 tie but it was not enough to save Argentina's fragile defense from France's firepower and, in particular, 19-year-old Kylian Mbappe in a 4-3 defeat.

"It will depend how we do, how it ends," Messi said before heading to Russia on whether he would continue on the international stage after the World Cup.

The last 16 is the earliest he has exited the competition.

Having turned 31 earlier in the tournament, it looks increasingly like defeat in the final 4 years ago is as close as he will come to matching Diego Maradona's feat of leading Argentina to glory in 1986.

For all his heroics at club level with Barcelona, Messi – who left his homeland for the Catalan capital aged just 13 – is still looked upon unfavourably when set against Maradona by many in Argentina, who compare their records at international level.

After the 2014 defeat to Germany in Brazil, there was more heartbreak on penalties in the final of the 2015 Copa America and the 2016 Copa America Centenario, both times at the hands of Chile.

Messi missed his spot-kick in the 2016 final, prompting an uncharacteristic spur-of-the-moment decision to retire from international football.

"The fact we've lost 3 finals led to some complicated moments with the Argentine press due to the differences in seeing what it means to reach a final," Messi told Barcelona-based newspaper Sport.

"It is not easy and has to be appreciated. It's true that winning them is important, but getting there is not easy."

Messi reverses retirement 

That became obvious as, even after Messi quickly reversed his retirement from international football, Argentina struggled to even make it to Russia.

Messi missed 8 qualifying matches through injury and suspension, of which Argentina won only one.

Trailing 1-0 to Ecuador in their final qualifier, the two-time world champions were on course to miss out on the World Cup for the first time since 1970 until Messi stepped up to score a hat-trick at altitude in Quito.

Messi's heroics that night could not cover over the cracks appearing on the field, nor his frustration with a chaotic federation off it.

Messi publicly described the Argentine federation as "a disaster" due to logistical problems suffered by the team during the 2016 Copa America.

Argentina's preparations for Russia were disrupted when their final warm-up friendly against Israel was cancelled over security fears after the venue of the game was switched to Jerusalem.

The fallout from the defeat to France has already begun, with Javier Mascherano the first of many players expected to retire from international football.

"From now on I am just another fan," said the 34-year-old.

Messi would be 35 by the time the Qatar World Cup kicks off in 2022.

"I think that this World Cup came just in time for us," said Sergio Aguero, who has played alongside Messi at international level since they were teenagers.

Now Messi must decide whether to prioritize the twilight of his career at club level with Barca by cutting down on regular transatlantic trips to serve his country.

Or if he can summon up the energy for one last shot at glory in Argentina's colors. – Rappler.com

SOCHI, Russia – Cristiano Ronaldo saw his World Cup dreams slip away once again on Saturday, June 30, but gave no hint as to whether he plans to continue playing for Portugal.

The reigning European champions were undone by two Edinson Cavani goals for Uruguay in their last 16 tie in Sochi, despite Pepe bringing them level at one point early in the second half.

It was not to be Ronaldo's night, as he exited the World Cup on the same day as Lionel Messi's Argentina were eliminated following a 4-3 defeat at the hands of France.

Ronaldo will be nearly 38 by the time the next World Cup comes around in Qatar in 2022.

"Now is not the time to talk about the future, either of the coach or the players," the Portugal skipper said after the game.

The 33-year-old did however say that the European champions could look to the future with confidence.

"I am sure that Portugal will continue to be one of the best teams in the world. We have a young and ambitious squad," he said.

Remarkably, neither Ronaldo nor Messi have managed to score a single goal in a knockout tie in 4 World Cups going back to 2006.

Ronaldo reached the semifinals with Portugal in his first World Cup in Germany, but has never made it past the last 16 since then.

This has been his best World Cup in terms of goals scored, as he leaves with 4 in total, including a hat-trick in a 3-3 draw with Spain in the group stage.

His tally is one behind the tournament's current leading scorer Harry Kane, with Ronaldo also missing a penalty in the 1-1 draw with Iran.

"He is an exceptional player," said Uruguay's veteran coach Oscar Tabarez.

"He is their leader, their captain. You need to really concentrate to make sure he is not successful against you, but that is very difficult."

Portugal coach Fernando Santos was hopeful that the Real Madrid man will continue to represent his country for some time yet, with Portugal's next challenge to defend the European Championship title they won in France two years ago.

"I am sure he will. Cristiano still has a lot to give to the game," Santos said when asked if he felt his captain would carry on representing his country.

Portugal will take part in the inaugural UEFA Nations League later this year, beginning against Italy in September.

By that time, Ronaldo's situation at club level will be clearer after he raised doubts about his future with Real Madrid in the wake of their Champions League final win against Liverpool in May.

"There is another tournament starting in September and of course we hope Cristiano will be with us to help the younger players grow," Santos said.

"We have many young players and it is important to have our captain there." – Rappler.com

SOCHI, Russia – Edinson Cavani is hopeful he will be fit in time to face France in the World Cup quarterfinals despite coming off hurt in Saturday's victory, June 30, over Portugal.

The Paris Saint-Germain striker scored both his side's goals in the 2-1 victory in Sochi in their last-16 tie, before hobbling off with a calf problem.

"I just felt something at one point and couldn't recover. I hope (to be fit), I'll do everything to make sure I can take to the field with my teammates," Cavani told journalists after the game.

"It hurts a little bit, but we will see how it looks tomorrow."

Uruguay is due to play France in the last 8 on Friday, July 6, in Nizhny Novgorod, and veteran coach Oscar Tabarez said he was "worried" for Cavani.

He had to be helped off the pitch by Portugal skipper Cristiano Ronaldo and was replaced by Cristhian Stuani in the 74th minute of the game at the Fisht Stadium.

"Our next game is in 5 days which is not a lot of time, but after today we will rest. Obviously we are worried but we don't know exactly what the problem is," Tabarez said.

Cavani headed in a Luis Suarez cross to open the scoring in the 7th minute and then curled in a brilliant 62nd-minute winner after Pepe had equalized for Portugal.

"It was a mistake from us that cost us the equalizer but luckily we found some space and the team stayed strong mentally," said Tabarez.

"I am very pleased, we prepared for this, the injury was an inconvenience and we will see how it evolves."

Uruguay's formidable defense will now hope to stand up to the threat of the French attack, after Kylian Mbappe inspired them to a thrilling 4-3 win over Argentina earlier on Saturday.

"Now we have a very strong opponent in France. I can't give a very in-depth analysis because I was getting dressed while their game was on and in the last 15 minutes I was giving my team-talk" 

"But I think France's strong point is their attack with (Antoine) Griezmann and Mbappe and their exceptional pace. If you give France space it becomes very difficult."

Tabarez added: "We didn't presuppose anything coming here. The players came to play 7 matches. We will see if we can do it." – Rappler.com

LONDON – We heard it was coming for a while now, but we never thought WWE would actually pull it off. The company's international takeover continues with the announcement of the launch of the NXT UK division.

Made in the middle of this year's United Kingdom Championship Tournament, NXT UK is – as the name pretty much sums it up – the regional offshoot of the NXT brand in the United Kingdom. Independent wrestlers will now be working loosely under a United Kingdom division, somewhere halfway between exclusive to the WWE and free to work in affiliate promotions, if we're going by how some of the wrestlers in the cruiserweight division and the first batch of UK talents are being booked now. 

The bigger implication for this move is that NXT UK – which I'm going to assume is a hub for more than just the UK, despite its name, including most of continental Europe – means there are other regions bound to get the same treatment. The fact that Adam Cole is but the NXT North American Champion, not an Intercontinental Champion, and Pete Dunne is the United Kingdom Champion, implies that they're planning to set up shop all around the world, as much as they can.

Off the top of my head, we're likely going to get NXT Asia, which covers Japan, China, India, and Southeast Asia; NXT Middle East, which has its own young but burgeoning scene; NXT Central and South America, which is the greater sphere beyond Mexico and Puerto Rico. The world of pro wrestling is being remodeled back into the old territory days, but with a new WWE twist – at least they're finally justifying the first W in their name.

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Back to the UK division. It's been a grueling UK Championship tournament this year, certainly much better than the original offering, but despite the better offerings among the pool WWE's made it very clear who they want to rely on to build NXT UK. This year's tournament winner – the dynamic and rough-hewn Zack Gibson from Liverpool – brought his best against champion Pete Dunne, but came up short.

Granted, you could say that Gibson had the disadvantage of having to come into this match wrestling 3 more matches than Dunne did the day before. But all this successful defense tells me are two things: 1) fans shouldn't expect the tournament winner to automatically be the favorite to win, and 2) Triple H picked Dunne and Tyler Bate, both from British Strong Style, to headline the first tournament for a reason. 

Dunne and Bate make up a solid young core of talent for the people in charge to build a UK division around – and when you add in guys who have shown up at the Royal Albert Hall over the past week, such as tournament winner Gibson, runner-up (and favorite) Travis Banks, the returning Noam Dar, other names like British Strong Style stablemate Trent Seven, Wolfgang Young, Flash Morgan Webster, the Coffey Brothers, NXT Women's Championship contender Toni Storm, you've got something special worth watching out for.

Of course, that's the UK, and they've got a rich tradition of professional wrestling. I personally can't wait until the WWE does the same for regions like ours and inject the kind of talent and guidance young scenes need in order to blossom. Protective and territorial fans may call Triple H's recent business decisions shrewd and a bit greedy (with the way these developments tend to swallow up relatively smaller operations) but beneath it all it's just a different way to do business.

*****

Do you listen to podcasts? Would you want to listen to a local podcast about pro wrestling? If the answers to those questions – especially that last one – are yes, then you should check out the cleverly-named Smark Gilas-Pilipinas Podcast, featuring PWR General Manager Stan Sy, wrestling writer and Wrestling God Romeo Moran, and all-around multimedia person and former voice of PWR Raf Camus! On this week's episode, writer and stand-up comedian Kel Fabie joins the boys to review PWR Live: Re5peto! Listen to it here! – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Gilas Pilipinas shook things up a little bit in its lineup for its looming clash against Australia in the 3rd window of the Asian Qualifiers for the 2019 FIBA World Cup.

In a report by ESPN5's JC Ancis, Baser Amer and Carl Bryan Cruz, who did not play in the Filipinos' 93-71 demolition of Chinese Taipei on Friday, June 29, will suit up for the national team against the Aussies on Monday, July 2. 

The two young cogs replace Jio Jalalon and Allein Maliksi, who were part of the 12-man squad against the Taiwanese but barely played. 

Completing Gilas' roster against the Boomers are Jayson Castro, Terrence Romeo, Andray Blatche, June Mar Fajardo, Calvin Abueva, Japeth Aguilar, Gabe Norwood, Matthew Wright, RR Pogoy, and Troy Rosario. 

The Philippines and Australia, which are tied at the top of Group B with identical 4-1 cards, will be vying for solo first place heading into the second round of the Qualifiers when they meet at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Gilas Pilipinas is gunning for solo top spot in Group B when it faces Australia to cap off the first round of the Asian Qualifiers for the 2019 FIBA World Cup.

The Filipinos aim to capitalize on their homecourt edge in front of their countrymen in the 55,000-seater Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan, against the Aussies on Monday, July 2. 

Australia dispatched the Philippines, 84-68, the last time the two nations met in the second window in February. 

The two teams are currently tied at number one in Group B with identical 4-1 records. (READ: Gilas Pilipinas tweaks lineup vs Australia in World Cup Qualifiers)

Gilas seeks to ride on the momentum it gained from its 93-71 rout of Chinese Taipei on Friday, June 29, while Australia wants to bounce back from a shock 78-79 loss from Japan on the same day. 

Game time is at 7:30 p.m.

Follow Rappler's live coverage of the game below:

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– Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines –  Maybelline Masuda was the lone woman practicing jiu-jitsu on the mats of Deftac Philippines 10 years ago, but now she adds her black belt status to her list of feats for Filipina jiu-jitsu practitioners.  

Masuda was officially the first Filipina to be promoted to black belt on Saturday evening, June 30, as she swept her events in the recently concluded ASJJF Asia Pacific Jiu-jitsu Dumau Championship in Cebu.

"It's a milestone because it took 10 years to get here," said Masuda, who was also the first Filipino world champion in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. 

After Masuda nabbed the light featherweight title at the 2009 World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championships, more women started practicing jiu-jitsu until she was able to form the first Philippine women's team in 2012. 

"I guess you can say that jiu-jitsu is the best sport for self defense, so it's really good to see that a lot more women are coming in doing the sport and excelling in it," said Masuda. 

The Filipino-Japanese was also the first woman to bag a gold medal in the 2014 Asian Beach Games after she bested Le Thu Trang Dao of Vietnam in the -50 kg category gold medal match. 

Deftac members not included

Despite her numerous accolades locally and internationally, Masuda has never officially represented the Philippines due to the non-inclusion of Deftac members in the national team. 

"No offense to the girls in the other team, but I've beaten all the girls in their [Jiu-jitsu Federation of the Philippines (JJFP) ] roster," said Masuda. 

"I love my country and I want to make sure I bring golds to the country so I know I'm among the best, so why am I not there representing the country?" 

Masuda and Aguilar challenged the leadership of golfer Ramon "Choy" Cojuangco in JJFP, which led to the suspension of the national sports association (NSA).

However, the Philippine Olympic Committee recognized the JJFP last May, following the visit of Jaffer Al Muthafer, secretary general of Jiu-Jitsu Asian Union, who showed his support for Cojuangco's leadership.

The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC)  will follow suit in recognizing JJFP to fund the national team in the upcoming Asian Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2018 in Kazakhstan – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Pocari-Air Force stunned top seed Creamline, 25-23, 25-12, 25-23, to zero in on the finals berth of the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference at the Arena in San Juan on Sunday, July 1. 

The No. 4 Lady Warriors rallied from a pair of 6-point deficits in the early going then fought back from down 18-21 in the 3rd set by winning 7 of the last 9 points behind Arielle Love en route to the sweep. 

Pocari-Air Force made quick work of the demoralized Cool Smashers in the second set before taking control in the 3rd set to gain a 24-21 advantage off a Love off-the-block hit.

Creamline saved two match points on Pocari's errors – a Cesca Racraquin service error and Myla Pablo's offspeed hit that failed to clear the net – only to witness Love and Jeanette Panaga block Alyssa Valdez to seal the deal. 

"I think our advantage is that we had played continuously in the quarters while they came off a long break," said Pocari head coach Jasper Jimenez.

"We had to go through the eye of a needle to get here. And that was our motivation."

Love fired 15 kills and came up with 4 kill blocks for a 20-point output while fellow American import Maddie Palmer added 12 hits in the win. 

Pablo hammered in 9 points and added 12 excellent receptions for the Lady Warriors, who produced an impressive 13-kill block effort to highlight their superb net defense.

Pocari also delivered 10 aces.

The victory puts the Lady Warriors on track of another crack at the championship they won over BaliPure in sudden death last year.

It was a sorry setback for Creamline, which beat Pocari in 4 sets in the elims and looked headed to reasserting its mastery after a strong start.

But the Cool Smashers crumbled at the finish of the opening set and never recovered in the second frame.

Valdez finished with 16 points on a 14-of-48 attack clip while Thai import Kuttika Kaewpin struggled with 6 hits and Nina Asceric replacement Laura Schaudt groped for a single hit.

Meanwhile, BanKo-Perlas sustained its hot streak with a 25-19, 26-28, 25-23, 25-23 victory over PayMaya in the second game. 

Thai import Jutarat Montripila unleashed a 30-point game, powering the Perlas Spikers to their 8th straight win and closer to the championship round. 

Like Pocari, BanKo-Perlas goes for the clincher on Wednesday, July 4. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Gilas Pilipinas is the heavy underdog entering its clash against powerhouse Australia but the Boomers' shocking loss to Japan proves they are not invulnerable as people deemed them to be. 

The Filipinos look to hand the Aussies their second defeat when they meet for their final game in the first round of the Asian Qualifiers for the 2019 FIBA World Cup on Monday, July 9. 

After sweeping the first two windows in Group B, Australia seemed unstoppable as it posted a winning margin of 24.5 points to head into the 3rd window of the Qualifiers with a mighty 4-0 record. 

However, a stunning 78-79 loss to Japan on Friday, June 29, did not only tarnish the Aussies' record, it also changed the notion that the giants can, after all, be slain. 

Gilas, which is coming off a rousing 93-71 rout of Chinese Taipei last Friday, holds on to that hope. (Gilas Pilipinas tweaks lineup vs Australia in World Cup Qualifiers)

"I can't really tell what the level of optimism is except to say that in our team, there is no quit. In this team, we keep fighting and you know, we'll see what happens," said head coach Chot Reyes after Gilas annihilated the Taiwanese. 

Although already assured of a spot in the second round, Gilas is expected to pull out all the stops in order to defeat Australia, especially since thousands of Filipinos will be watching at the 55,000-seater Philippine Arena.  

The Nationals will also be banking on the return of key cogs Jayson Castro, Terrence Romeo, and Troy Rosario – all of whom were sidelined in the team's 16-point loss to the Boomers in the second window in February. 

The 3 were pivotal against Chinese Taipei, with Castro and Romeo conjoining for 29 points and 10 assists and Rosario chipping in 6 points and 3 rebounds. 

Australia, meanwhile, will be parading NBA players and Milwaukee Bucks teammates Matthew Dellavedova and Thon Maker – adding extra firepower to its already formidable squad. 

Although Dellavedova finished with just 4 points and 8 assists against the Japanese, he will still be a quite a handful for Gilas. Maker, on the other hand, provides a problem for the Philippines just with his 7-foot-1 frame. 

According to Reyes, Gilas cannot afford surrendering 50-50 possessions to the Aussies just like they did against Chinese Taipei and that they should display pinpoint 3-point sniping. 

"With Australia's size and power inside, we got to be able to loosen up their interior defense with some great outside shooting," Reyes added. 

The game will determine who will finish Group B at the top with both teams carrying identical 4-1 records. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) rolled along without a hitch in its second week, and here are the things you may have missed in the 8-game roll.

Player of the Week: Christopher "Oping" Sumalinog

Week Performance: 22 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal

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After helping out Alab Pilipinas clinch the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) championship, Oping Sumalinog landed with the Bacoor Strikers and immediately made an impact.

He dropped a team-high 22 points with 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, and a steal, including a game-sealing two-pointer in a narrow 76-71 win against the scrappy Cebu City Sharks on June 21.

Not to be outdone, his fellow Alab teammate Bobby Ray Parks Jr put on a show two days later.

Parks drops league-record 15 assists

After a messy opening day loss against the Rajah Cup runner-up Muntinlupa Cagers, two-time reigning ABL local MVP Bobby Ray Parks Jr unleashed his inner point guard in Mandaluyong El Tigre's maiden win, 71-61, against the Zamboanga Valientes.

The 6-foot-4 star recorded an MPBL league record 15 assists to go along with 13 points for the emphatic double-double.

Former De La Salle University (DLSU) rotation man Prince Rivero was the primary beneficiary of Parks' giving mood, netting a game-high 18 points, including 4 straight unanswered buckets in the 3rd quarter.

After sounding off on the league after the opener, Parks was more reserved this time around, both on and off the court.

Compared to 4 offensive fouls and 6 turnovers in the Munti loss, Parks only had a single turnover and no fouls to boot.

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Cardona returns to basketball for San Juan

In other news, "Captain Hook" Mac Cardona made his return to the hardwood after a year of absence due to a number of personal issues.

In just 14 minutes, the former DLSU standout chipped in 9 points and 3 boards with one triple in the San Juan Knights' 93-70 win over the hometown Pampanga Lanterns on June 20.

"As long as I can play, I'm gonna continue to play," said the 37-year-old in a post-game interview. "Outside basketball, I cannot control [those things]. What I can control is the MPBL, so I'm happy that I'm here and playing again."

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Week 2 Results: June 19-25

June 19 at Baliwag Star Arena, Bulacan

• Makati Skyscrapers def. Basilan Steel, 77-65
• Bulacan Kuyas def. Rizal Crusaders, 80-61 

June 20 at Angeles University Foundation Gymnasium, Pampanga

• Parañaque Patriots def. Valenzuela Classic, 76-73
• San Juan Knights def. Pampanga Lanterns, 93-70 

June 21 at Muntinlupa Sports Complex

• Bacoor Strikers def. Cebu City Sharks, 76-71
• Muntinlupa Cagers def. Marikina Shoemasters, 85-76

June 23 at Imus City Sports Complex, Cavite

• Mandaluyong El Tigre def. Zamboanga Valientes, 71-61
• General Santos Warriors def. Imus Bandera, 79-73

Standings

1. Muntinlupa Cagers 2-0
2. Davao Occidental Tigers 2-0
3. Navotas Clutch 2-0
4. Bacoor Strikers 1-0
5. Bulacan Kuyas 1-0
6. Makati Skyscrapers 1-0
7. Manila Stars 1-0
8. Parañaque Patriots 1-0
9. San Juan Knights 1-0
10. Bataan Risers 1-1
11. Batangas City Athletics 1-1
12. Caloocan Supremos 1-1
13. General Santos Warriors 1-1
14. Laguna Heroes 1-1
15. Mandaluyong El Tigre 1-1
16. Marikina Shoemasters 1-1
17. Zamboanga Valientes 1-1
18. Basilan Steel 0-1
19. Cebu City Sharks 0-1
20. Pampanga Lanterns 0-1
21. Pasay Voyagers 0-1
22. Rizal Crusaders 0-1
23. Valenzuela Classic 0-1
24. Imus Bandera 0-2
25. Pasig Pirates 0-2
26. Quezon City Capitals 0-2

– Rappler.com 

RUSSIA – France players and the world's press hailed Kylian Mbappe as an emerging superstar after the 19-year-old eclipsed Lionel Messi in a match that felt like the passing of a torch to a new generation.

Mbappe's speed and power ruthlessly exposed Argentina's defense in Kazan in a thrilling 4-3 victory on Saturday, June 30, that re-established France among the World Cup favorites.

As one number 10 trudged off  – the player wearing an Argentina shirt with Messi's name on – another in the blue of France took the plaudits.

"Move over, Messi, a new global superstar is born at the World Cup," was the headline in the Sunday Times in Britain.

"In this game, the Messi was him," French sports daily L'Equipe said above a photograph of Mbappe celebrating. "He showed his talent to the world and overshadowed Lionel Messi."

The double strike made the boy from the Paris suburbs the first teenager since a 17-year-old Pele to score twice in a World Cup game.

The Brazilian legend tweeted: "Congratulations, @KMbappe. 2 goals in a World Cup so young puts you in great company!"

"He's got a lot more talent than me," France midfielder Paul Pogba said of Mbappe. 

"And he's not going to stop there. He's got so much talent."

Baby Bleus 

Argentina were simply swept aside by a new generation, and not just Mbappe –another of France's scorers, Benjamin Pavard, is only 22 himself.

"When you have players having a day like Mbappe had today, it's very difficult to stop them," said Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli.

With an average age of 25, a France side lacking major tournament experience were feeling the flak after 3 underwhelming group-stage matches reaped one penalty, an own goal and only one scored from open play.

But coach Didier Deschamps' "baby Bleus" silenced the detractors with the scintillating win over the 2014 finalists that put France back on course for a tilt at emulating France's 1998 Cup-winning exploits, when Deschamps was captain.

Mbappe was not even born when France won their only World Cup, on home soil.

"I can't really take it in," said Pavard, a defender so unaccustomed to scoring he did not know how to celebrate his superb strike.

"I was running around everywhere, I didn't know what to do."

Mbappe will be unleashed next on Uruguay, whose steely defense should provide a far sterner test than the shambolic Argentine rearguard.

It may be too early to talk of lifting the trophy in Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium on July 15, but Deschamps was bubbling with excitement.

"I experienced a lot of great joy and happiness as a France player, and the reason I took this job was to feel the same again," said Deschamps.

"The lads are young, they have character. As the man in charge, especially when things go wrong, I'm very proud of this team and very happy for them." – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Gilas Pilipinas patrons Manny Pangilinan and Ronald Mascariñas were left in frustration with Australia after it removed FIBA-approved stickers at the Philippine Arena without permission. 

On the eve of the Nationals' clash against Australia on Monday, July 2, the Aussies ripped the stickers of Gilas sponsors Chooks-to-Go, PLDT, and Smart at the 55,000-seater venue, saying they were slippery.

Pangilinan posted a video of the incident on his Twitter account, saying that they "will not back down" from what Australia did.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Aussie team ripping our/Fiba logos on the court of Phil Arena w/o asking permission. We will not back down. Those stickers go in. Regardless. <a href="https://t.co/LMwyiBNtG4">pic.twitter.com/LMwyiBNtG4</a></p>&mdash; Manny V. Pangilinan (@iamMVP) <a href="https://twitter.com/iamMVP/status/1013395913903988737?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The stickers were approved by FIBA prior to the start of the Asian Qualifiers for the 2019 World Cup and were used during Gilas' home games against Chinese Taipei and Japan in the past few months. 

Mascariñas, president of Chooks-to-Go, echoed Pangilinan's sentiments. (LIVE UPDATES: Philippines vs Australia - FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers 2018)

"Nakakalungkot (It is saddening)," said Mascariñas. "They not only disrespected the world organizing basketball body but also our home soil." 

Even Gilas head coach Chot Reyes could not hide his disappointment, noting that Australia could have talked to the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) and FIBA officials who were there inside the venue. 

"Madulas daw (They said it was slippery).... That's FIBA-approved. Besides, we've played in other venues with similar decals. Secondly, if, and that's a big if, it did indeed make the floor slippery, they had no right to just rip the decals and deface our floor. There were SBP/FIBA officials in [the] venue," Reyes wrote on Twitter.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Madulas daw, e that’s FIBA approved. Besides,we’ve played in other venues w similar decals. Secondly, IF, &amp; that’s a big IF, it did indeed make the floor slippery, they had no right to just rip the decals and deface OUR floor. There were SBP/FIBA officials in venue <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/basicdecency?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#basicdecency</a> <a href="https://t.co/ddsJV3AJuD">https://t.co/ddsJV3AJuD</a></p>&mdash; Chot Reyes (@coachot) <a href="https://twitter.com/coachot/status/1013401912291385346?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Gilas, which is tied with Australia at the top of Group B with identical 4-1 records, will go for the solo top spot heading into the second round of the Qualifiers at 7:30 pm on Monday. – Rappler.com

MOSCOW, Russia – Russia captain Igor Akinfeev saved two penalties in a dramatic shootout as the World Cup hosts dumped title contenders Spain out in the last 16 following a 1-1 draw.

Veteran Russia centerback Sergei Ignashevich gifted Spain the opening goal on 12 minutes in Moscow when he unwittingly turned into his own net after grappling with Sergio Ramos.

Russia hit back just before the interval as Artem Dzyuba nervelessly converted a penalty awarded for a handball by Gerard Pique.

Spain controlled the game as expected but struggled to create genuine chances, with Akinfeev sharp on the few occasions they did before saving from Koke and Iago Aspas to seal a 4-3 win on penalties. 

"We are having a fantastic World Cup," said Akinfeev. 

"Not just our fans, but the fans of other countries got a sense of this atmosphere and understood that Russians really know how to play football and want to play football."

Russia will meet either Croatia or Denmark for a place in the semifinals, as Spain's rotten run against hosts nation at major tournaments continued. 

Fernando Hierro made the bold decision to drop Andres Iniesta for Koke in central midfield, with Marco Asensio handed his first start of the competition.

Russia boss Stanislav Cherchesov left out leading scorer Denis Cheryshev, opting for 3 central defenders in a conservative 5-3-2 formation.

It was Nacho, in for Dani Carvajal at right-back, who won the free-kick that led to Spain taking the lead as he was caught by Yury Zhirkov to the right of the penalty area. 

Asensio, who made two brief substitute appearances in the group stage, whipped in dangerously to the far post where the ball looped in off an unsighted Ignashevich as he tussled with Ramos.

Spain dominated the first 30 minutes, pressing Russia heavily as the hosts struggled to advance beyond the halfway line in humid conditions.

Aleksandr Golovin carved out their first chance of note, starting a move with a jinking run before bending just wide of David de Gea's left-hand post.

Isco produced a series of regal touches with Spain's King Felipe VI among those in the crowd at the Luzhniki Stadium, but Russia equalized shortly before halftime.

Pique penalized

A deep corner was met by Dzyuba, whose header struck the outstretched arm of Pique, with referee Bjorn Kuipers contemplating his decision before pointing to the spot.

Dzyuba calmly sent De Gea to the wrong spot with his penalty to join Cheryshev on a team-leading 3 goals.

Akinfeev snuffed out an opening for Diego Costa on the stroke of halftime as the Spain striker tried to latch onto a through ball.

The Russia goalkeeper was again involved early in the second half, flying to his left to pluck a spinning Jordi Alba effort from the air.

Cherchesov introduced Cheryshev for Alexander Samedov on the hour, a move greeted by a deafening roar from the home support.

Iniesta replaced David Silva, while Costa was withdrawn for Aspas, and the two substitutes went close to winning it late in regulation time.

A low 20-yard drive heading towards was palmed away by at Akinfeev at full stretch, with the angled follow-up from Aspas also pushed to safety.

Aspas nearly picked out Carvajal with a cut-back seconds into the start of extra time, which saw Aleksandr Erokhin come on as Russia's 4th sub – the first time the rule has been applied at the World Cup.

Spain followed suit as Rodrigo replaced Asensio, and the former went closest to ending the impasse, sprinting towards goal after a clever dummy only for Akinfeev to claw his shot away before the rebound from Koke was blocked.  

Russia endured a tense wait when Kuipers was in communication with the video assistant referee following a late tug on Pique in the box, before Akinfeev's shootout heroics clinched an unforgettable triumph. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Although Batang Gilas gave a good fight early, the Philippine basketball youth team again bowed down to a much superior France squad, 95-54, at the 2018 FIBA Under-17 World Cup in Rosario, Argentina on Monday morning, July 2 (Manila time).

Carl Tamayo drew an and-one to start the second quarter and gave Gilas its first lead of the World Cup, 20-17, before 7-foot-1 star Kai Sotto split his two free throws in the next possession to make it 21-17.

However, turnovers again hounded the Filipino side which translated to a 15-3 French run, 32-23, that ended with dunk from 6-foot-6 shooting guard Malcolm Cazalon as France held on all the way.

Tamayo turned up to be the bright spot for the floundering Batang Gilas squad, finishing with a team-high double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds.

His National University (NU) Bullpups teammate Gerry Abadiano woke up in this game and chipped in 17 points of his own.

Sotto – who dropped 23 points and 12 rebounds in the Philippines' 97-75 opening loss to Croatia a day earlier – was limited to 7 points and 6 boards before fouling out with 6:31 minutes left in the 3rd quarter.

France grabbed the Group D lead with a 2-0 record as the Philippines absorbed its second straight loss.

While Batang Gilas managed to compose themselves and end the first half just down 6, 32-38, they never again threatened the world’s 7th-ranked boys’ team as Cazalon led the second-half charge along with 6-foot-4 point guard and former U16 European MVP Killian Hayes.

Cazalon led France with a team-high 18 points. Matthieu Gauzin added 16 points, while Hayes and Theo Maledon scored 14 each.

The supersized French backcourt left their fingerprints all over their team’s 20-6 run to open the 3rd quarter and erect a 20-point lead, 58-38, which put Gilas away for good.

France led in almost all statistical departments, most notably in points off turnovers (24-9), fastbreak points (28-5), points in the paint (58-36) and bench points (40-10).

Gilas again registered more turnovers (21) than assists (8) and steals (4) combined, which contributed to their early demise after a promising start.

The Scores: 

France (95) – Cazalon 18, Gauzin 16, Hayes 14, Maledon 14, Crusol 11, Carene 6, Eyango-Dingo 6, Thirouard-Samson 5, Miyem 3, Ebonkoli 2, Billon 0, Diallo 0.

Philippines (54) – Tamayo 19, Abadiano 17, Sotto 7, Calimag 4, Andrada 3, Guadana 3, Lazaro 1, Chiu 0, Padrigao 0, Pascual 0, Cortez 0, Fortea 0. 

Quarter scores: 17-17, 38-32, 73-45, 95-54.

– Rappler.com

SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia – Penalties dominated the second day of last 16 action at the World Cup as hosts Russia shocked Spain to set up a quarter-final meeting with Croatia, who advanced on spot-kicks over Denmark.

Here, AFP Sports looks at 3 things we learned today at the World Cup.

Russia rejoices

The hosts started their tournament with trepidation over how a side that had failed to win a game in 8 months would cope on the biggest stage.

Those fears have proved unfounded as for the first time since 1970 when the Soviet Union reached the last eight, Russia has a World Cup quarter-final to look forward to.

Russia's awareness of their own limitations helped thwart and frustrate Spain for 120 minutes as despite enjoying just 26 percent possession they held out for penalties after a 1-1 draw.

And from the spot, Fyodor Smolov, Sergei Ignashevich, Aleksandr Golovin and Denis Cheryshev held their nerve, while goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev provoked jubilant scenes of celebration stretching from 80,000 at the Luzhniki around the country with his two saves.

Iniesta's sad farewell

He will forever be remembered for the most important goal in Spain's history to win the World Cup eight years ago, but Andres Iniesta's international career ended in sad fashion among delirium for the hosts in Moscow.

Dropped to bench for a tournament game for the first time in 12 years, Iniesta still nearly won the game with Spain's best effort to break down the mass ranks of Russia resistence.

His low strike from the edge of the box produced one of precious few good saves from Akinfeev before penalties.

His final touch after 131 caps was to put Spain in front in the shootout with the calm assuredness that has personified a stunning international career.

But it wasn't enough as Koke and Iago Aspas were denied by Akinfeev from the spot.

"Sometimes the endings aren't the ones you dreamed of," said Iniesta.

Modric's relief

Croatia captain Luka Modric has had a difficult year in his homeland.

Charged with giving false testimony for his role in a corruption case that saw former Dinamo Zagreb chief Zdravko Mamic sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison last month, Modric's popularity has dipped despite continued brilliance on the field for his club Real Madrid and country.

His despair was therefore understandable when he missed a penalty 3 minutes from the end of extra-time that could have cost Croatia a place in the last eight.

Modric didn't hide in the penalty shootout. His second effort was one of just 3 of Croatia's 6 spot-kicks on the night to beat Kasper Schmeichel as the Dane's heroics couldn't prevent a 3-2 shootout defeat thanks to three stunning saves from Danijel Subasic.

Croatia now have a golden chance to match their previous golden generation's run to the semi-finals in 1998 when they meet Russia in Sochi on Saturday. – Rappler.com

NIZHNIY NOVGOROD, Russia – Goalkeeper Danijel Subasic emerged as the hero as Croatia squeezed into the World Cup quarterfinals with a penalty shootout victory over Denmark here Sunday, July 1.

On a night of late drama, Ivan Rakitic stroked home the decisive spotkick to ensure the Croats advanced to a last 8 meeting with Russia after the two sides finished locked at 1-1 following extra-time. (READ: Akinfeev stars as Russia knocks out Spain on penalties)

The Barcelona midfielder's winner came after Milan Badelj and Josip Pivaric saw their penalties saved by Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who also saved an extra time penalty from Luka Modric.

But Danes Christian Eriksen, Lasse Schone and Nicolai Jorgensen were thwarted by Subasic in the shootout to ensure Croatia won 3-2 and advanced to their first quarterfinals since the 1998 World Cup in France.

{source}

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Half way there...<br><br>Two quarter-finals decided, two to go, with this confirmed tonight <br><br>Sat 7 July, 21:00<br>Russia vs Croatia <br>Sochi<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RUSCRO?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RUSCRO</a> <a href="https://t.co/EQz4X33hu2">pic.twitter.com/EQz4X33hu2</a></p>&mdash; FIFA World Cup  (@FIFAWorldCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/FIFAWorldCup/status/1013528178990682112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Coach Zlatko Dalic said he wanted Croatia's World Cup adventure to continue past the quarterfinals.  

"We have come so far but we don't intend to stop here," Dalic said of his team that has been tipped for World Cup glory.

Sunday's win over Denmark was secured in the same stadium, Nizhny Novgorod, where the Croats thumped Argentina 3-0 in the group stage.

But this was a far more difficult game for Croatia, who came from behind after conceding a goal in the second minute and being on the backfoot for most of the second half.

 Dalic said his team "played for the result," and he was unconcerned about the performance.

 {source}

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Only one keeper has saved 3 penalties in a shoot-out before Danijel Subasic<br><br>It happened exactly on this day in 2006 - approximately 12 years &amp; 3 hours ago, when Ricardo helped <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/POR?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#POR</a> knock out <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENG?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENG</a><br><br>With Schmeichel also saving 3 today, 1 July is clearly a day for keepers!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CRODEN?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CRODEN</a> <a href="https://t.co/sAVJewO2yP">pic.twitter.com/sAVJewO2yP</a></p>&mdash; FIFA World Cup  (@FIFAWorldCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/FIFAWorldCup/status/1013525988553252864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Victory came after 3 penalty saves from keeper Subasic in the shootout, the first keeper to do that since Portugal's Ricardo against England in 2006.

"You have to earn your luck and the lads earned theirs," he added. "Without luck you cannot do anything in life."

Dalic said Subasic won them the game but he was also full of praise for Luka Modric after the Croatian skipper missed a 116th minute extra time penalty but volunteered to take another penalty in the shootout. 

"He said it himself, 'I am going to take a penalty in the shootout,'

"Can you imagine what would have happened if he had not scored, but he's a great player."

 Unlucky 

 Denmark coach Age Hareide said he thought his team was unlucky not to win.

"I think we had a good chance against Croatia, I think we played a good match," he said.

Hareide added that he had set up his team to deny Modric and his midfield partner Ivan Rakitic – who struck the winning penalty in the shootout – space as he described the Croats as the best counter-attacking team in Europe.

Danish keeper Kasper Schmeichel won the man of the match award for his penalty saves, two more followed in the shootout, but said the result was a "huge disappointment." 

"I don't think we had much luck, I don't think the referee liked us today, it's very difficult to accept, it's difficult to put into words," he said.

Frantic start    

The dramatic ending followed early excitement – but little in between. 

In an astonishing start to the match, both teams scored within 4 minutes via their first attacks. 

First, Mathias Jorgensen turned home in the second minute after Croatia failed to clear a long throw-in from Jonas Knudsen, the defender's shot creeping under Subasic to give Denmark the perfect start.

But any hopes they could hold onto their lead vanished within 90 seconds.

With the Nizhny Novgorod stadium still rocking from the frantic start, Croatia went upfield and promptly equalized.

Again, the goal owed more than a little to bad defending when a Sime Vrsaljko cross was hammered by Henrik Dalsgaard into fellow Dane Andreas Christensen and the ball fell obligingly in the penalty area to Mario Mandzukic who scored.

The explosive start – both sides hit the back of the net within 3 minutes and 37 seconds – was officially the quickest two teams have ever scored in a World Cup finals match.

The following 116 minutes though largely failed to live up to the first 4, fireworks giving way to a damp squib of an encounter as the game edged inexorably towards extra time and penalties.

Billed as a clash between the opposing number 10s, Modric and Eriksen, it instead became increasingly attritional and tactical, with both playmakers unable to find any space. 

Instead the player who created most chances was Knudsen with his long throws.

Few clear chances were created by either side until Modric's late penalty miss.

That came after Ante Rebic was fouled in the 116th minute Mathias Jorgensen, with the goal at his mercy.

Modric stepped up but side-footed weakly and Schmeichel made the first of his 3 penalty saves on the night, all in vain, as his legendary goalkeeping father Peter punched the air in delight as he watched on in the stands. – Rappler.com