The All-Around Center Forward

"What kind of pass was that?!"

The Greek commentator couldn't help but furiously pound the table.

After a long period of being unable to advance, Samaras made an aggressive forward pass, but he and Salpingidis clearly failed to communicate properly, passing the ball directly to Lovren's feet.

Lovren gratefully accepted the gift, easily transferring control of the ball.

Croatia's offensive rhythm had now slowed down, slowly eroding Greece's morale.

This was why Samaras's unreasonable pass occurred.

After passing the ball, Samaras looked at Salpingidis, who had his hands spread, and couldn't help but question him.

The two even had a bit of an argument.

"Greece is playing too impatiently."

Krauhić had a slight smile on his face; the situation had completely turned in favor of Croatia.

Greece was playing more and more frantically, and with this urgency, their mistakes also increased.

"They're really not giving us any chances at all!"

Germany was also watching this match.

Watching Croatia handle the advantage, the German players couldn't help but frown.

This was how they lost!

When Croatia gained the advantage, they truly gave no chances at all.

If their defense couldn't be disrupted, Greece would never have a chance.

But the key was that Croatia started focusing on passing and defending in the midfield and backline.

This was like a dead knot!

The harder Greece struggled, the tighter the knot would become!

Löw also frowned deeply.

Before the match, many media outlets had said that this Croatia team was the strongest in their history, even T1 level in the entire European Cup.

But looking at Croatia's current performance...

This was more than T1!

It was truly T0!

Anyway, the current Germany, Spain, and Italy teams had not yet reached Croatia's perfect state and performance.

To play against Croatia in this state, they either had to bring their state down!

Or they had to raise their own state.

There were only these two paths!

And currently, there was truly no team that could bring Croatia's state down!

Therefore, they could only adjust their state as quickly as possible through a limited number of matches.

Their opponent in the semi-finals would most likely be Spain.

Although the match between Spain and France had not yet started, Spain had a greater chance of winning.

Therefore, for Germany, they still needed to defeat Spain before facing Croatia.

As for whether Croatia could advance to the final!

Löw was almost certain about this.

After all, in the lower bracket, neither England nor Italy could defeat Croatia in their current state.

The match entered halftime.

Löw took a deep breath and slowly stood up.

"Don't watch too late; go back and rest after the match!"

With that, Löw was the first to leave.

There was no need to keep watching.

Greece was going to lose!

Löw returned to his room and began preparing tactics for the next match.

Whether it was Spain or France, he needed to be prepared.

Of course, he would put more effort into Spain.

He couldn't have problems like in the group stage; they needed to play more cautiously.

Moreover, Spain still had one more match to watch, so he could gather more information.

Just as Löw was thinking about tactics, his phone vibrated.

He opened his phone and saw.

A text message from his Assistant Coach!

"Greece has equalized!"

Bang!

Löw suddenly stood up, looking at his phone in disbelief.

Greece equalized?

How did they equalize?

His phone vibrated again.

"Greece's offense is fierce! Croatia is in some danger!"

This time, Löw couldn't sit still anymore.

He immediately turned around and walked out of the room, hurrying towards the conference room.

He was very curious about what Greece had done to cause problems for Croatia's defense.

And, how did they equalize?

He had watched the first half.

With Croatia's caution, they would give even fewer chances in the second half.

So, where did the problem occur?

Löw was almost dying of curiosity.

Most importantly...

What if?

What if Greece eliminated Croatia?

That would eliminate a major concern.

Football is round!

Anything can happen!

This situation existed!

Löw hurried to the conference room and abruptly opened the door.

"What's the—"

Before he could finish speaking, he saw the Croatian players celebrating on the big screen.

They were celebrating around Suker, and all of this indicated...

"Croatia scored again!" The Assistant Coach turned to Löw, saying bitterly, "Suker... he's simply unstoppable!"

Löw's eyes were a bit blank.

Isn't this just playing with him!

Since he was here, he might as well stay and watch the rest of the match.

On the field, in the 56th minute, Croatia scored again.

However, the goal was not scored by Suker, but by Dujmović, who came on as a substitute in the 55th minute.

Croatia's 'Demon Blade' had been unsheathed!

Just one minute after coming on as a substitute, Dujmović received a pass from Suker and scored with a long-range shot that pierced Greece's goal, giving them the lead again.

The reason Suker was shown on screen was because he dribbled past three players from the backfield to the front.

Moreover, this was also an assist from Suker.

"Greece's goal in the second half was too scary!"

Krauhić couldn't help but pat his chest, letting out a sigh of relief.

Greece brought on their number 9 tall center forward, Liberopoulos, in the second half, and used a corner kick opportunity to disrupt Croatia's defense.

After the ball was cleared by Vida, Samaras suddenly took a volleyed shot, and the ball deflected off Lovren's head.

Lovren wanted to clear it, but by a stroke of bad luck, the ball deflected into the net.

This was a lucky goal.

It was also an own goal by Lovren.

After this goal, Greece's morale soared, and they launched continuous counterattacks, threatening Croatia's goal several times.

Lovren, in particular, was so affected by this own goal that his mentality changed, and he was eager to make amends and perform well, which ironically created many opportunities for Greece.

Fortunately, in the 55th minute, Croatia's substitution had an immediate effect.

In the chaotic situation, Dujmović's long-range shot completely caught the Greek Goalkeeper off guard.

With this goal, Croatia regained the lead.

"Whew~~~"

Bešić also couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Greece's lucky goal had also startled him, fortunately, Croatia's 'Demon Blade' was demonic enough.

Regarding the ability to use Dujmović, Bešić, as the initial trainer, had the most say!

"Aren't you going to substitute Lovren?" Van Stoyak asked.

Bešić shook his head; "Let's see!"

Substituting Lovren now would be too big a blow to his confidence.

He would give Lovren some time, more patience.

After all, he was a young player who needed to be polished.

Only after experiencing certain things could they better cope with such situations.

Lovren was a bit uneasy, he was afraid of being substituted.

He knew he had made a mistake.

Although this own goal couldn't be entirely blamed on him, after all, he was trying to clear it, and it would have been dereliction of duty if he had dodged it.

However, he was still uneasy.

Bang!

"Don't worry! You won't be substituted!" Srna forcefully patted Lovren's back, smiling, "If the coach isn't making a substitution now, it means he has no intention of taking you out.

Play well, don't try to be a hero, just stay steady!"

Perhaps Srna's comfort had some effect; he slowly exhaled.

Although he made a mistake, Croatia immediately scored again, which relieved him.

If his mistake had led to a change in the situation, or even elimination, he would have been a sinner for Croatia, and the consequences would have been unimaginable.

"It's time for it to end!" Bešić exhaled.

There could be no more changes in the match.

"Let Suker fully attack the defense!"

Van Stoyak nodded.

When the match resumed, Croatia's offense became even more intense.

Suker launched unreasonable breakthroughs on the wing.

Without any technique, he simply used speed to burst past you directly.

As the opponent's stamina declined, this simple and brutal attacking method put immense pressure on Greece's defense.

After several rounds of Suker's bursts, the Greek full-backs and defensive midfielders were almost out of breath.

They couldn't understand how Suker still had such abundant stamina.

But Suker didn't give them time to think; with round after round of attacks, Greece could only passively take the blows.

Greece's Head Coach, Santos, tightly pursed his lips; he could only use his substitutions to mark Suker.

The full-back was replaced by a player with abundant stamina.

But Suker's breakthroughs were still sharp.

However, this time Suker didn't go to the byline but changed to cutting inside.

During Suker's continuous sharp changes of direction, the substitute Greek full-back's ankle was severely tested.

Finally, in the 76th minute, Suker cut inside from the wing, evaded the defense, created an angle, and then suddenly took a cold shot.

The ball bounced off the ground, went over the Goalkeeper's shin, and flew into the goal.

Croatia once again extended their lead to 3:1 against Greece!

After falling two goals behind, Greece's morale plummeted once again.

This time, it was even lower than before.

Previously, there was still hope for a counterattack.

But now, they even felt like they couldn't run anymore.

Greece's Head Coach Santos used his last substitution on the forward line, planning to go all out.

Meanwhile, Croatia brought on Ćorluka as a substitute, replacing Strinić.

This further strengthened their defense.

At the same time, the entire team retreated into a defensive mode.

At this point, Greece had almost no chance of winning.

As for a lucky goal?

One was enough; could they really score two lucky goals?

Did they really think they were the illegitimate child of the Goddess of Fortune?

"The match is about to end!"

Krauhić exhaled; "In this match, Greece's goal in the second half gave us a big surprise, but the result is still very good, Croatia's players bravely won the match."

"However, this match also tells us that we cannot relax for a single moment."

"Let's give these lads some applause and thank them for a wonderful match!"

As the final whistle blew, the match concluded.

Croatia secured the victory without much trouble and successfully advanced to the semi-finals.

In contrast, Greece was completely eliminated from this European Cup.

The cruelty of knockout rounds lies precisely in this.

There is no room for maneuver; one match decides the winner.

The Greece players sat on the field, one by one, their eyes red.

The loss in the match and their elimination from the European Cup made them extremely sad.

Especially for players like Liberopoulos, he is already 37 years old, and it's impossible for him to participate in another National Team event.

After this European Cup, he will retire from the National Team.

It can be said that this was his last match for the National Team.

And in this match, he only played for 45 minutes.

Liberopoulos was very regretful that he couldn't help the Greece team create a miracle again, like in 2004.

Their European Cup journey ended completely in the quarter-finals.

"That was a great match!"

Srna proactively approached Liberopoulos.

Liberopoulos exhaled and shook his head, saying, "We gave it our all, but we still couldn't defeat you. I wish you all the best and hope you go further in the European Cup!"

Srna nodded, took off his jersey to exchange with him, and then turned to walk towards the player tunnel.

On one side of the player tunnel, Suker was already surrounded by the media.

"This match presented some unexpected problems for us, which is also the result of Greece's tenacious fight, but we still secured the victory."

"I believe Greece is a team with strong fighting spirit, but there can only be one winner, so we will not abandon the hope of victory!"

"As for our next opponent, I cannot make a prediction, but whether it's England or Italy, we will take them seriously!"

"Goal? Let's focus on playing each match well first, concentrating on what's in front of us!"

Suker smiled, not directly answering.

After a brief interview, Suker bid farewell to the reporters and returned to the locker room.

The atmosphere in the locker room was somewhat subdued.

That unexpected goal conceded in the second half indeed gave them a fright.

Bešić didn't mean there should be no goals conceded; in football, it's impossible to have zero goals conceded.

But every time a goal is conceded, the problem must be identified and solved.

During the match, Bešić didn't say much, but after the match, it was time for accountability.

The entire Croatia team took the bus back to the hotel.

As soon as they arrived, Bešić immediately called them all to the meeting room for a meeting.

In the meeting room, Bešić was already prepared.

On the screen was a replay of the match. After seeing all the players gathered, Bešić began a frame-by-frame analysis, focusing on the goal conceded.

Where did the problem occur?

Where was the mistake?

Where was the handling not decisive enough? And so on.

Bešić is very rigorous about defense, just as Suker said before, when it comes to scrutinizing details, besides Mourinho, it's Bešić.

However, Bešić did not scold Lovren; instead, he praised Lovren.

That own goal, though called an own goal, was indeed due to luck.

In fact, it wasn't Lovren's fault at all!

After all, as a center-back, Lovren's determination to block was already commendable; he just had bad luck.

And compared to the own goal, his attitude of not shying away from the ball was commendable.

Under Bešić's praise, Lovren's expression immediately turned to joy.

However, Bešić also pointed out some issues with Lovren's performance in this match, but Lovren humbly accepted them without any mental issues.

Suker looked at Bešić, truly worthy of being a Head Coach; the way he played with their minds, he completely had Lovren under control.

A carrot! And a stick!

He made Lovren understand clearly, and since Lovren understood the problems, he also didn't let him experience any emotional low.

Finally, Bešić praised the players' performance and also told them that after entering the semi-finals, they needed to be even more cautious.

A post-match review meeting lasted an hour, thoroughly explaining everything without causing anyone to have mental issues.

Van Stoyak, watching from the side, couldn't help but sigh in admiration.

Compared to Bilić, every word from Bešić was like art.

It made people listen without making them uncomfortable.

Moreover, with Bešić's status, even if he said a few harsh words, these guys wouldn't dare to speak up.

But he didn't do that; instead, he communicated in the easiest way possible.

The review meeting ended, and Croatia successfully advanced to the semi-finals.

Now, at most, there were only two European Cup matches left for them.

And they also understood that these two matches would be much more difficult than before.

It could be said that after entering the semi-finals, it would truly be a head-on collision.

Croatia secured the victory, becoming the second team to reach the European Cup semi-finals.

Soon, the match between Spain and France also began.

This match was largely as expected by the outside world. Although France threatened Spain's defense, the number of threats was limited, and they failed to capitalize on their chances.

In contrast, Spain deployed a false nine formation with Fabregas, David Silva, Iniesta, Xabi Alonso, Xavi, and Busquets, playing steadily and scoring two goals.

This helped Spain secure the third semi-final spot.

Watching this match and seeing Spain's midfield lineup, although it wasn't the first time, I was still full of admiration.

To be able to form a false nine with six world-class midfielders, such a feat could only be pulled off by Spain.

Following closely was the match between England and Italy!

England, with a squad worth 1.53 billion, was held to a 120-minute draw by Italy.

The 'Three Lions', renowned for their invincible attack, crashed head-on into Italy's steel defense and simply couldn't score.

Ultimately, in the penalty shootout, Buffon became the hero, saving two penalties and causing one to miss the target due to pressure.

In the end, Italy defeated England 4-2 in the penalty shootout.

England suffered elimination from the European Cup knockout stage.

Before the match, they praised their own; after the match, they criticized their teammates!

This is typical of the England media.

After England lost, the more they had hyped them up, the more fiercely they criticized them.

But regarding England's level, there's no need to look at the media's hype; it's too much inflated.

Their performance peaked at the quarter-finals.

Entering the semi-finals.

Croatia, Spain, Germany—any of these three teams could easily dominate England.

As for Italy, although they are not as formidable as they were in the 2000s.

However, a new generation of players in the team is gradually emerging.

The most famous among them is undoubtedly Mr. 'Why always me', the Italian prodigy Balotelli.

Mario Balotelli, world-class from the neck down. (LMAO)

Croatia had also studied Balotelli's playing style, but ultimately concluded that studying him was useless!

This guy had no idea what he was thinking and didn't follow any patterns.

Sometimes normal, sometimes abnormal.

When he should pass, he shot!

When he should shoot, he passed!

A guy who could turn a deadlock into a world-class goal was truly unique.

Most importantly, the current Balotelli's form and ability are at their most threatening state.

It cannot be said that he fulfilled all his talent, as this guy failed to do so in the original timeline.

His biggest problem was his surprising thought process.

And precisely this is what makes him most threatening!