Japan's memorable World Cup campaign ended with an agonizing penalty shootout loss to Croatia in the round of 16 on Monday, leaving the Samurai Blue manager and players crestfallen at missing their chance to rewrite history. But while they may continue to feel the regret of narrowly missing a maiden quarterfinal berth, they believe the tournament will serve as a benchmark and encourage future generations. "They've shown our future, the new era," said manager Hajime Moriyasu, who masterminded wins over giants Germany and Spain in the group stage. "We couldn't go beyond the last 16 but by taking...
