The All-Around Center Forward

"The match has ended! Croatia ultimately defeated Denmark with a score of 3:0, becoming the first team in group b to enter the knockout stage!"

"Two matches, Croatia has brought us wonderful performances, and we look forward to their even better performance in the upcoming matches!"

After Suker left the field, Croatia switched from offense to defense, relying on their rich defensive experience and active running to prevent Denmark from getting any chance of a comeback.

For Denmark, losing this match meant they were completely eliminated from the European Cup.

This was not far from the pre-match predictions; after all, in group b, Denmark's strength was indeed a bit challenging.

"Well played!"

"Keep up the good work!"

Bešić moved among the players, constantly patting shoulders and offering encouragement.

In this match, his disciples performed very well.

Of course, Suker was naturally selected as the Man of the Match, but this was already commonplace.

Besides Suker, Rakitić's performance remained very stable and excellent, and Mandžukić, in the center-forward position, could also create many opportunities for the two wings.

After all, for Croatia at this time, they did not need a traditional center-forward, but rather a center-forward who could fully utilize Suker's abilities.

Clearly, Mandžukić was a very suitable candidate.

The performances of young players Kovacic and Brozović were also commendable; no goals, no assists, but very stable.

This was already enough!

Bešić did not expect them to exert themselves now and become the backbone of Croatia, as Suker and his peers were just entering their peak.

Unless their performance could surpass these players, they would not be able to become starting players.

For Bešić, Kovacic and Brozović were here to gain experience in this European Cup; the 2016 European Cup or the 2018 World Cup would be when they needed to exert themselves.

Before that, they only needed to grow steadily.

Of course, not everyone was in good form.

Perisic seemed to have entered a goal drought.

In these two matches, he had opportunities to shoot, but he failed to convert any of them.

Perisic would get more possession at Borussia Dortmund and become a primary attacking winger, and with more resources tilted his way, his form could immediately heat up.

But in Croatia, Suker was the undisputed attacking core and finisher.

And in the areas Perisic excelled in, Mandžukić could also play a part.

Perisic still hoped to get more resources and play a more important role.

He dared not compete with Suker; that was impossible.

But some of Mandžukić's resources could be given to him, except the coaching staff had no intention of doing so.

Because of this, Perisic became a pure winger-shooter.

He had very few touches in a match, sometimes even only 3-4 touches in a half, two of which were shots.

But after not touching the ball for a long time, asking him to suddenly shoot was clearly not something he was accustomed to.

Because of this, he also failed to seize the opportunities!

Bešić was aware of this problem, but it couldn't be changed in the short term, as it was a tactical system construction issue that required long-term adjustments.

And now, with the European Cup imminent, he couldn't waste his energy here.

Therefore, weakening the presence of the right wing and focusing on the left wing became Croatia's current tactical characteristic.

At worst, the right wing's attack could be handled by Srna's overlapping runs.

Perisic probably wouldn't be content, but for the team, Bešić also needed to have a talk with him.

After securing their second victory, Croatia could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

They had already qualified for the knockout stage.

The only remaining question was whether they would finish first or second in the group.

And for Croatia, they only needed to win their third match, and there would be no problem with advancing with a perfect group stage record.

That evening, the entire Croatia National Team gathered, packing their luggage again, preparing to return to Warsaw, the Capital of Poland.

The third match, Croatia against Germany, would be held at Warsaw National Stadium.

Poznań to Warsaw is over 300 kilometers, and since there was ample time, the entire Croatia team traveled by bus.

The journey would take about 3 hours, and many Croatian players were already asleep.

At the back of the team, Suker, Modrić, Srna, Mandžukić, and Dujmović gathered together.

Srna held his phone, watching the match between Germany and Portugal.

Hiss~~~~

"They equalized again?" Srna gasped.

Was this the same Portugal that played against them?

The first round was a daze.

The second round was a powerful punch.

Germany led twice, and Portugal equalized twice.

And both equalizing goals were scored by Cristiano Ronaldo.

"Portugal's form picked up too slowly; if they had this form when playing against us, they might have gotten a draw!"

Dujmović said.

Suker: "Show-off!"

Dujmović: "I'm telling the truth; after all, the squad difference is right there!"

"Stop arguing!" Mandžukić said, concentrating; "Watch the match, it's a crucial moment!"

Dujmović pouted; "Why don't you say that to Suker too!"

But no one paid attention to him.

Everyone was looking at the screen on the phone.

On the screen, Germany's counterattack started again.

Lahm sent a counter-attacking ball directly to Özil in the frontfield, who then slipped it forward.

Muller ran horizontally but suddenly jumped over the ball.

"A fake? Oh no!"

Srna couldn't help but exclaim.

The ball diagonally cut forward along the rib area.

Podolski received the ball and swept it directly in front of the goal, and German center-forward Gómez slid to score.

In the 88th minute, Germany scored another goal.

Germany 3:2 Portugal!

"It's over!"

Srna couldn't help but grimace; "No chance!"

At this point, the Portuguese players were panting; it was already very difficult for them to hold on until now.

And facing another conceded goal and not much time left, it would be very difficult for them to organize another counterattack.

In the remaining time, Portugal continuously lofted balls into the German penalty area.

Cristiano Ronaldo jumped repeatedly to contest the ball, and by the end, one could even see him gritting his teeth with every jump.

Even in the very last instance, Cristiano Ronaldo couldn't even jump.

Too much physical exertion!

The 90-minute match ended, and Portugal couldn't change their fate.

The final score was set at 3:2.

"The match has ended! Portugal failed to defeat Germany and became the third team to be eliminated!"

"Actually, Portugal had a great chance in this match. I also saw Ronaldo, as the top star, equalize stubbornly twice, but he still couldn't defeat this strong Germany!"

"Portugal failed to secure a victory, with two consecutive losses in the group stage; they are eliminated along with Denmark!"

"And in European Cup group b, Croatia and Germany have advanced together. As for the group winner, it will be decided in the third round match, in the confrontation between the two favorites to win the title!"

Srna put down his phone and sighed: "Portugal ultimately couldn't get a draw!"

Modrić also shook his head: "There's no way. Even if we wanted to eliminate Germany, Portugal would have needed to get a draw."

Suker shrugged: "Well, nothing can be done about it!"

All European Cup group stage matches concluded.

The teams eliminated from each group also appeared one after another.

Group A eliminated: Netherlands 0-0-2.

group b eliminated: Portugal 0-0-2, Denmark 0-0-2.

Group C eliminated: Ireland 0-0-2.

Group D eliminated: Sweden 0-0-2.

Currently, except for group b, the qualification situation in other groups still held suspense.

And group b, as the group of death, was more brutal than imagined.

This brutality was not about chaos, but rather the kind of brutal suffocation for Portugal and Denmark!

These two teams, placed in other groups, would have been teams capable of fighting for group qualification.

But in group b, they were repeatedly defeated by Croatia and Germany twice.

The powerful performances of these two teams put pressure on everyone.

Especially for those teams with a chance to qualify from their groups, they might face one of these two teams in the knockout stage, so they needed to be even more careful.

Portugal left the European Cup stage.

Cristiano Ronaldo also reluctantly started his vacation.

However, just days after Portugal's elimination, German media suddenly broke a piece of news that shocked everyone.

On June 16th, the night the second round of the European Cup group stage concluded, German authoritative media suddenly broke a piece of news.

"Bayern Munich officially announces the signing of Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo to Bayern Munich Football Club for a transfer fee of 100 million pounds!"

The news of Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer instantly swept across Europe, astonishing everyone.

After all, there had only been some discussion about this news among high-level insiders, but both sides had maintained such good secrecy that no one knew the specific progress, let alone the fans.

Therefore, when this news broke, the entire European continent instantly erupted.

Especially the fans of Bayern Munich, who were pleasantly surprised.

They had witnessed the second round of the European Cup, how Cristiano Ronaldo, by himself, continuously equalized two goals, dragging Germany into a fierce battle.

Although they ultimately won the match, they did not win easily.

In it, Cristiano Ronaldo's value and efficiency were fully demonstrated.

And for Bayern Munich, what they currently needed most was a star player capable of crucial scoring.

Cristiano Ronaldo met this requirement in all aspects.

They even imagined that if they had Cristiano Ronaldo in the Champions League Semi-Final against Real Madrid, the situation might have been different.

Cristiano Ronaldo would wear the Bayern Munich No. 7 jersey in the new season, while Franck Ribéry, the original No. 7 owner, would wear the No. 11 jersey.

When Suker saw this news, he was puzzled.

He wondered how Bayern Munich convinced Franck Ribéry to hand over the No. 7 jersey.

As for Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer to Bayern Munich, Suker was not too surprised.

After all, if Cristiano Ronaldo still wanted to compete with them, he would inevitably have to choose a team that could pose a threat to Real Madrid and Barcelona, and currently, that was only Bayern Munich.

Moreover, in his previous conversations with Modrić and Zorancic, he could also hear some hidden information in this regard.

Although they did not actively say it or admit it.

But it was close enough!

"Bayern Munich doesn't want to lose anymore! They've spent 100 million to sign Ronaldo!" Srna couldn't help but exclaim, "It seems two runner-up finishes and one semi-final appearance have made them break down a bit!"

Mandžukić and Vukojević looked at Srna with resentful eyes.

Are you being polite?

"But isn't Olić the most miserable? Cristiano Ronaldo wears No. 7, Franck Ribéry wears No. 11, so what will the original No. 11, Olić, wear?" Dujmović asked, puzzled.

Everyone turned to look.

Dujmović immediately said, "Olić was not selected for the National Team, he's not here, I didn't say anything wrong!"

With that, he covered his crotch.

"Ambitious!" Suker said disdainfully.

Suker turned to Mandžukić: "Götze and Robert Lewandowski, are you not signing them?"

"The plan has been postponed!" Mandžukić waved his hand: "Not enough money!"

This season's transfer fees were basically all spent on Cristiano Ronaldo, so Bayern really didn't have much money left.

What's more, Cristiano Ronaldo's salary was also a huge pressure.

All these factors indicated that Bayern Munich was gambling.

If they succeeded, everyone would be happy.

If they failed, they might not be able to recover for one or two seasons.

"Bayern Munich! Borussia Dortmund!"

Suker couldn't help but sigh.

The two major teams in the Bundesliga next season are so strong!

In the original timeline, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund were very strong next season.

The two sides staged a German derby in the Champions League!

Now, Bayern Munich has signed Cristiano Ronaldo, making their decisive ability and scoring ability even better.

Borussia Dortmund has not lost Robert Lewandowski and Götze, so shouldn't Klopp be soaring?

However, Real Madrid, facing these two major teams, was plagued by internal conflicts.

The current internal conflicts were already becoming difficult to suppress.

Once Mourinho caused trouble again, it would inevitably erupt comprehensively.

Suker shook his head, saying that such matters could be discussed later, and for now, he still needed to focus his energy on the European Cup.

Starting June 17th, the third round of the European Cup group stage began across the board.

The matches in the third round were more intense than the first two rounds.

This was the last match concerning advancement, and also the most crucial match, so they had to play this match well.

At the same time, for Croatia and Germany, this was also a tough battle.

Neither Croatia nor Germany wanted to be inferior, so competing for first place in the group became their goal.

Currently, both teams had two wins.

Croatia had a slight lead in goal difference.

If the group stage ended in a draw, Croatia would still be first in the group based on goal difference, giving them a small advantage.

However, for Croatia, they still had to play this match with a winning mentality.

Moreover, Suker would not relax at all in this match.

Being a decoy in the first round.

Exerting a small amount of effort in the second round.

All of this was in preparation for the third round, and Bešić also understood that the outcome of this match was directly related to Suker's performance.

Therefore, Suker's abilities had to be utilized to their fullest.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Germany was also preparing for the match.

Germany's coach Löw was also in high spirits at this time.

With the explosion of German youth training, the Germany squad became extremely strong.

The starting lineup was powerful, and the bench was also filled with a host of young and talented geniuses.

These players could fully implement the tactical ideas in Löw's mind.

The previous Germany only had Ballack holding on, but the current Germany was more united and stronger.

Even against Croatia, they had the courage to field an attacking lineup.

That's right!

Löw wanted to play an attacking game against Croatia!

To take revenge for himself and Germany in the most powerful way.

"In the next match against Croatia, we will no longer set up a purely defensive formation, but will play more proactively!"

Löw said passionately, "We will defeat Croatia! We will take revenge! We will win in the most confident way!"

Listening to Löw's speech, the German players were also invigorated.

With the growth of the younger generation, their current form and performance were also extremely outstanding.

They believed they had the ability to directly confront Croatia.

In the entire meeting room, only Lahm's expression was solemn.

The reason for his expression was very simple.

Löw hoped he could man-mark Suker!

Damn it!

Lahm almost swore, but Löw was arranging tactics in public, so could Lahm say 'no'?

What's more, Löw called him the current world's best full-back, praising him heavily and putting him on a pedestal, and as captain, as a leader, with such a prefix, he had no right to say 'no'.

If he said no, it would damage morale, so Lahm could only grit his teeth and go for it.

However, Lahm also had some confidence.

After all, over the past period, his defensive ability had also been honed; he couldn't completely limit Suker, but he could still interfere.

If he cooperated with the center-back, it wasn't impossible for him to man-mark Suker.

And once he defended Suker, then Germany would naturally be able to produce a better attacking performance, just as Löw said, directly crushing Croatia, winning in the most dominant way, and taking revenge for himself.

On June 17th, the third round of the European Cup kicked off.

The battle in Group A was fierce!

Except for the already eliminated Netherlands, the other three teams fought fiercely to secure qualification spots.

In contrast, the Netherlands had given up due to internal strife, and undoubtedly lost their third-round match.

Czech Republic finished first in the group, and Greece finished second, advancing together.

All Group A matches concluded.

Attention also shifted to group b!

There was no fight for qualification in group b, but there was a battle for first place in the group.

The match between Portugal and Denmark had very low interest, as they were already eliminated, so who won or lost didn't matter.

In contrast, Croatia and Germany both had two wins, and this match would determine first place in the group, so it was bound to be a fierce contest.

Moreover, these were also the two best-performing teams in the group stage so far, both Group D in group B.

Therefore, their confrontation became the focus of the world.

Would Croatia continue to play their rhapsody?

Or would the roar of the Germany chariot echo through the skies of Warsaw?

The great battle was on the verge of breaking out!