The All-Around Center Forward

Thwack!

The ball struck his palm. The powerful shot made the palm of Sifakis, the Greek Goalkeeper, sting a little, and his wrist trembled slightly.

Fortunately, during the scramble, the ball hit Perisic's calf and flew out of bounds.

This prevented Greece from facing the dangerous situation of a second defensive effort!

But even so, Sifakis still looked solemn.

Despite being double-teamed, Rakitić still unleashed a powerful long-range shot.

Therefore, this Croatia team's threat was not just Suker.

Rakitić was also not to be underestimated.

"Ah~~~ So close!!"

Rakitić rubbed his head, a look of regret on his face.

He was just a hair's breadth away from helping Croatia score first, which would have made the game much easier.

However, when striking with full power, he still couldn't guarantee accuracy.

To be able to ensure both power and angle, like Suker, that kind of shooting skill was too difficult.

However, Rakitić also knew that not everyone could be Suker!

Some things were simply very difficult to train for.

Croatia immediately retreated, and Greece started with a goal kick, launching another attack.

It was still the same old routine: advance along the wing, then transfer to the middle, and look for an angle to thread a pass through the center.

Samaras, Katsouranis, and other Greek players were engaged in a fierce confrontation with Croatia's two defensive midfielders while also looking for an angle to thread a pass.

But... there was no angle at all!

Not even a gap!

As they shifted towards the middle, Croatia had already tucked in, squeezing the space available to striker Salpingidis.

Even if they managed to force a pass through, Salpingidis wouldn't be able to showcase his speed and explosiveness; instead, he would be directly challenged physically by Croatia's two center-backs, who would seek a confrontation to poke the ball away.

Greece began to constantly shift the ball, looking for an opportunity to thread a pass.

But Croatia gave them no such chance.

The entire midfield and defense operated like a tightly run machine, following orders precisely, not letting any angle go unchecked.

The most crucial aspect was the active running of the two defensive midfielders.

When Greece attacked, Vukojević and Modrić would constantly run from side to side, not making overly dangerous pressing moves, but continuously restricting their passing lanes.

The Greek players actually hoped these two defensive midfielders would play more aggressively, as that might give them a chance to thread a pass.

But now, there was simply no such opportunity!

"Are these guys robots?"

After several consecutive passes without finding an opportunity to thread the ball through, Samaras couldn't help but complain.

Tactics are tactics!

Players are players!

Players have their own thoughts and subjective consciousness, so even with tactical constraints, there will be some less disciplined players who make unreasonable moves based on their own subjective consciousness.

Technical errors are errors!

Positional errors are also errors!

But… Croatia made almost no such errors.

Just as Samaras said, these guys were like robots without thoughts.

"Defense relies on discipline…" Bešić looked at the Croatian players collaborating defensively on the field, a slight smile on his face, and said, "I strongly agree with Ancelotti's statement!"

"One person cannot defend well, nor can two; therefore, defense needs to be team-based."

"Defense is different from offense; offense requires creativity, unexpected passes, but defense only needs precision and composure!"

"I didn't expect Croatia to produce another defensive stalwart, but we can use active running to quickly create numerical superiority for defense!"

"Our defensive system hasn't fully matured yet, but it's already taking shape. If anyone thinks our defense is a weakness and tries to break through it, we'll teach him a harsh lesson!"

"From the moment the squad was reorganized and the backline was revamped, I had already prepared for these things!"

"A younger defense! A more active defense! A defense that can carry Croatia's championship dreams!"

Bešić clenched his fist forcefully: "All of this will start here!"

Van Stoyak looked at the field; he was an absolute offensive-minded coach!

Therefore, he wouldn't put too much effort into defense.

In his view, the best defense was offense, but sometimes, offense didn't work, and at such times, without solid defense, all efforts would be in vain.

Van Stoyak's theory was correct!

Bešić's theory was also correct!

However, Van Stoyak was too aggressive; his tactical philosophy was like a double-edged sword.

It was either you die or I die!

There was no room for maneuver!

But Bešić was different; he was more stable.

From the moment Bešić took office, from the moment they went to Germany to contact Vida, Bešić had already begun to build the best defensive line in his mind.

Although, it wasn't perfect yet!

But… it was already showing initial results!

"Left side!!"

On the field, Vida shouted.

He immediately turned his body, positioning himself, and simultaneously used his arm to block Salpingidis.

On the other side, Lovren was also ready to follow up at any time.

But the most crucial aspect was the two defensive midfielders in front; their constant running and interference prevented Greece from daring to thread a pass.

Although Greece had higher ball possession so far.

Croatia, however, controlled the flow of the game.

Prolonged attack without success inevitably leads to disarray!

Vida looked at Modrić and Vukojević, admiring their perfectly timed positioning and interference.

"Absolutely incredible!"

He knew his weaknesses, and these two in front also knew it.

Therefore, their every positioning and restriction method was the most comfortable option for Vida.

This completely covered his flaws and fully utilized his strengths.

Bang!

Greece finally couldn't resist threading a pass.

Vida's eyes widened, and he charged forward like a wild bull, using his shoulder to deliver a powerful shove.

"Get lost!!—"

Salpingidis tried to resist the charge, but due to the immense strength difference, he was directly pushed away, unable to hold his ground at all.

Vida, meanwhile, used this confrontation to easily pass the ball to Modrić in front.

"Well done!"

Srna watched the whole thing from the side, then turned and gave Vida a thumbs up.

Vida returned the gesture!

Immediately, he looked forward, his eyes bright.

Now it was time for their forwards to get to work!

Thump!

Modrić cleanly threaded the ball to Suker.

Suker was on the left wing, with his back to the touchline, body angled, and trapping the ball with his left foot.

The Greek full-back was a bit reckless, charging directly at Suker, attempting to steal the ball.

But Suker pulled his left foot back and flicked the ball forward with his right foot.

Oh no!

The Greek full-back, Torosidis, tried to grab Suker.

But Suker took a step back first, dodging Torosidis's outstretched hand.

The opponent's hand brushed past his chest, and Suker instantly accelerated forward, using his powerful explosiveness to chase the ball.

"Torosidis!! That press was too aggressive, Suker has broken through!"

Watching Suker surge from the left touchline, diagonally towards the penalty area, the Greek defenders retreated frantically, their expressions changing dramatically.

But they couldn't retreat any further.

"Someone go!"

Kyriakos roared.

The right center-back, Papasthatopoulos, gritted his teeth; he could only bite the bullet and charge forward.

Suker's dribbling speed suddenly dropped, his feet changing rhythm, feigning an attempt to overtake on the outside.

Once Papasthatopoulos's entire body turned, Suker suddenly stopped short, pushed the ball horizontally, and changed direction again.

Beating such a clumsy defender offered no sense of accomplishment at all.

"You're not getting past!"

Papasthatopoulos suddenly swung his right foot; even if it was a foul, he wouldn't let Suker get through.

Just then, Suker poked the ball away with his toe, and he himself lightly jumped, dodging the sweeping tackle.

The ball had already been passed to the center.

Mandžukić held off the other Greek center-back, showing no intention of trapping the ball.

"Ivan!"

Mandžukić roared.

The ball was allowed to pass through, and Perisic on the right side surged towards the ball, his right foot raised high, feigning a shot.

This action caused Chavelas, the Greek left-back, to make a blocking move.

But Perisic didn't shoot; instead, he twisted his foot and delivered a cut-back pass.

The ball was passed to the center again.

Under the continuous and frequent passing, the Greek Goalkeeper was already dizzy.

At the same time, in the center, Rakitić suddenly surged forward, meeting the ball and pushing it into the net.

The ball flew towards the left side of the goal.

The shot wasn't particularly tricky in its angle, but the Goalkeeper was positioned closer to the right side, and he was too far to reach the sudden shot.

Croatia scored first in the 21st minute.

"Ivan Rakitić!"

"Goal!!!!!!!!—"

The Croatian commentator, Krauhić, cheered loudly.

"With our fluid passing in the frontfield, we completely disrupted Greece's backline. From Suker's offensive push, Greece's backline had already lost its formation, and the Croatian boys, with their calm passing, got a perfect shooting opportunity. Rakitić accurately hit the goal, helping us take the lead!"

"Excellent counter-attack!"

"Excellent quick advance!"

"Excellent shot!"

"This attack, the boys put on a superb team effort for us!"

Krauhić was very excited.

This goal was not like the goals from the group stage.

Whether it was Rakitić or Suker, they mostly relied on individual ability to score.

But this time, Croatia used fluid team passing.

From the start of the offense-defense transition, Croatia's decision-making speed was too fast.

There was almost no hesitation.

From the backfield to the frontfield, apart from Suker's dribbling advance, all the rest were one-touch passes, resulting in a goal.

Although the goal came a little later than usual, it still made the Croatian fans cheer loudly.

"Oh~~~~ Goal! Goal!"

Rakitić was very excited.

He celebrated by running wildly on the sidelines.

He was in such good form that he felt like he could explode.

It felt like every shot he took would go in!

Currently, Rakitić is definitely another major scoring weapon for Croatia, after Suker.

"Great pass, I'll pass to you next time!"

Rakitić hooked Perisic's neck and gave him a thumbs up in admiration.

At that angle, even if Perisic had shot directly, no one would have said anything.

But he still sought stability, looking for a greater certainty of scoring.

Rakitić liked Perisic's selfless dedication.

Perisic didn't speak.

Actually, that pass was meant for Suker.

He thought Suker would continue to run horizontally along the wing, so he passed a cut-back.

He didn't expect Suker not to run, and instead, Rakitić picked up the loose ball.

However, the goal also made him very happy.

Croatia was celebrating.

Greece, on the other hand, looked bewildered.

"It's not working! Something's not right!"

Samaras panted.

They had more possession, and they constantly tried to make through passes.

But Croatia had more threatening attacks and more shots, and now they had scored first.

This was very wrong!

This was not the scenario they wanted.

Greece's coach, Santos, looked panicked, and he finally understood.

If he couldn't see it now, he'd be a pig!

Croatia's backline issue was a trap!

It was deliberately exposed to lure them in!

Perhaps this trap was left more by strong teams like Germany or Spain, intending to catch the opponent off guard.

But they unexpectedly stepped right into it.

Beneath that step was an abyss.

Now that Croatia was ahead, the game was completely under Croatia's control.

"We can't play like this!"

Santos pursed his lips, standing in the frontfield, shouting towards the pitch.

"Try more long-range shots!"

Santos clapped his hands forcefully, shouting, "Force them out!"

Bešić didn't know what this guy was yelling about, but he guessed it was something about long-range shots.

This was also the choice of those at their wit's end.

When there was no other way, they started believing in miracles through brute force.

But Croatia wouldn't give them a chance for long-range shots!

On the pitch, the match resumed.

After conceding the goal, Greece became more aggressive in their attack.

Just as Bešić predicted, these guys started believing in miracles through powerful long-range shots.

However, every time they attempted a long-range shot, Vukojević or Modrić would follow up and restrict them.

The ball would either hit them and bounce back, or fly out of bounds.

It was very difficult for Greece to get a complete long-range shooting opportunity.

Most crucially, their striker, Salpingidis, was completely isolated.

Currently, at 31 minutes into the match, Salpingidis had only touched the ball once.

31 minutes, one touch, what does that mean?

This person was practically invisible.

A striker.

The biggest threat to Croatia's backline, now he had disappeared.

Greece was forced to resort to long-range shots, which meant that tactically, Croatia had completely won.

In the VIP stands of the stadium, Davor Šuker, Jarni, Štimac, Stanić, and other Croatian Golden Generation players were also full of emotion.

Davor Šuker sighed, "Is Greece that easy to play against?"

In their European Cup Qualifiers, they had fought many battles with Greece, but still failed to win the group.

But now, this Croatian team was practically thrashing Greece.

"Suker is amazing!" Stanić also sighed, then added, "I'm not talking about you, Davor!"

Davor Šuker pouted.

Jarni also couldn't help but exclaim, "If we had a winger like Suker who could break through, our defense wouldn't have been so difficult!"

Štimac laughed, "If we had Suker, Davor would probably have to give up the number 9!"

"Not just number 9, he might have to be a substitute!"

"Nonsense!" Davor Šuker turned his head and pointed at Stanić, "I can't beat Suker, but I can't beat you? If anyone's going to be a substitute, it's you!"

Stanić wasn't angry, and chuckled, "You really did something incredible!"

He was referring to Davor Šuker's suggestion for Suker to join the Big Five Leagues as soon as possible, which led to Suker's rapid growth, and consequently, this group of Croatian players grew to a level they had never imagined.

Davor Šuker nodded, "To be honest, my idea at the time was for Suker to establish himself in the Big Five Leagues. I never imagined this current situation. According to my thinking at the time, Suker getting a starting position in a big club would already be a success!"

"And then…" Štimac grinned, "This guy became a four-time Ballon d'or Winner!"

Just then, Jarni suddenly pointed to the pitch: "It's been disrupted!"

On the pitch, Vukojević's forward pass was too obvious.

The ball hit a Greek player's calf and flew high into the air. In a header contest between Rakitić and Marquez, the ball was headed high again, flying towards the left.

And on the left side, Suker had already appeared at the landing spot.

However, on his left and right, Ninis and Salpingidis rushed over.

Suker first turned his head left and right to observe the situation, extended his right foot, and slightly hooked his toes.

As the ball touched his toes, his ankle twisted to the left.

The ball actually went through Ninis's legs.

"Oh~~~~"

Davor Šuker and the others couldn't help but exclaim.

This was a perfect first touch!

But Suker's performance wasn't over yet; he immediately chased the ball, and used his right foot to pull the ball back.

He nutmegged the enraged Ninis again, while using his supporting leg as an axis, turned to control the ball, and lightly pushed it forward, the ball smoothly falling at Modrić's feet.

What could have been a dangerous loss of possession was stabilized by Suker's exquisite technique.

"You just can't get the ball from him!" Jarni grinned.

"This is too much!" Stanić also exclaimed.

They looked at the Greek player Ninis with sympathetic eyes, having been nutmegged twice in a row.

Under Suker's graceful movements, Ninis looked increasingly clumsy.

The funniest thing was that the camera also focused on Ninis.

The anger, agitation, and shame on his face were all clearly visible.

As a defensive midfielder!

To be nutmegged twice in a row, was simply a huge humiliation.

Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap!!!!

Applause erupted in the stadium.

The Croatian fans applauded and whistled.

They encouraged Suker for his wonderful performance.

A match is not just about goals; such brilliant dribbling and escapes are also an important highlight.