In the roaring stadium, Suker swung his arms in celebration.
It was the first goal of the World Cup — such an important moment — and Suker was visibly ecstatic.
Very quickly, Modrić, Mandžukić, and others rushed over and piled onto Suker, forming a celebratory dogpile.
Kraushevich, still thrilled, shouted toward the camera:
"Suker! It had to be Suker! This is what top-class strikers do — seizing chances. Just one shot, and Suker scores!"
"Of course, Mandžukić's pass was also fantastic. Croatia's counterattack completely tore apart Bosnia's defense!"
"Let's cheer for this brilliant goal!"
Zagreb, Times Square
Over a hundred thousand fans erupted into a wild cheer at that moment.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Fireworks lit up the sky, as if they had expected Suker to score — the whole sky was illuminated.
Everyone was jumping and screaming, faces flushed with excitement.
The first goal of the World Cup — and it gave them the lead.
Croatia had played conservatively for the first 20 minutes.
But when they decided to strike back, the momentum was overwhelming.
On the field, Suker got up from the ground and kept waving his arms toward the stands, drawing even louder cheers.
He walked back toward his own half, surrounded by teammates.
On the way, Suker Bazić, Boame, and Skolk looked at him, shaking their heads helplessly.
Suker Bazić was especially dazed.
The guy who used to be shorter than him even when jumping, had just leapt over him and made a clean clearance.
Even if Bazić had jumped with all his strength, he might not have matched Suker's height — especially under such physical pressure.
The goal dealt a major blow to Bosnia's morale.
They had expected a tough match — but getting steamrolled like this without even being able to interfere was truly frustrating.
"Stay focused! We still have a chance! Keep sending high balls!"
Pjanić clapped his hands and shouted encouragement.
Džeko and the others perked up too.
Yes!
The match had just begun. There was still time!
The celebration ended, and the game resumed.
Croatia didn't slow down after scoring. Instead, they ramped up their pressure.
Skolk continued to follow Suker, but Suker no longer tried to dribble — he just used simple passes to disrupt Bosnia's defense.
He moved more in the half-space, while Pranjić occasionally overlapped down the flank.
Dujmović began testing long shots, repeatedly bombarding Bosnia's goal.
Since that opening goal, Croatia had shown intense pressure.
Boom!
Just as Suker controlled the ball, Skolk closed in from behind, with Džeko pressing from the front.
Suker quickly assessed the situation, feinted a breakout down the outside, and as the two defenders moved to block that side, he swiftly pulled the ball inward with his agile body, escaped the double team, and passed to Rakitić.
"Son of a—!"
Skolk gritted his teeth.
Even a pincer move couldn't take the ball from Suker — it gave him a headache.
Džeko also frowned. Suker's continued dominance on the wing was putting enormous pressure on their backline.
After passing, Suker casually jogged toward the sideline.
Perišić had the ball.
Instead of pushing forward, Perišić passed back to Rakitić.
Rakitić, seeing no opportunity on the right, made a big switch of play.
Skolk sprinted toward Suker, planning to apply pressure the moment he received the ball.
He was fast and decisive.
Suker saw it too.
He subtly leaned toward the end line, pretending to sprint down the outside. As Skolk shifted his body in that direction, Suker instantly pulled the ball inward, stopping it to his right and cutting inside.
"Ohhh~~ What a world-class first touch!"
Kraushevich couldn't help but exclaim.
Instead of stopping the ball dead — the easiest option — Suker positioned it perfectly to his right, directly along his attacking route, allowing him to accelerate instantly.
Just one touch, and Suker left Skolk behind.
Instead of moving horizontally, he forced his way into the half-space and charged into the six-yard box.
Skolk chased from behind.
Seeing Suker turn sideways, Bosnia's center-back Panza assumed he was going to shoot and extended his leg to block.
Right then, Suker pulled off a "rainbow flick" and cut along the baseline.
The keeper guarded the near post, leaving no angle to shoot, so Suker swept the ball across the face of goal.
"Mario!"
Suker shouted.
Mandžukić stretched his foot — and missed.
The ball veered past the right post and out of bounds.
Suker: "..."
Mandžukić: "...My bad!"
"Ohhhh~~~ Mandžukić missed a golden chance to extend the lead! That was such a wasted opportunity!"
Kraushevich clutched his head in regret.
The Croatian fans had just raised their arms to celebrate — only to drop them and grab their heads in disbelief.
"Stay sharp!"
Suker didn't blame Mandžukić.
It's the World Cup!
Players feel pressure — what matters is how they handle it.
Bosnia narrowly avoided conceding again.
But they looked completely lost.
Croatia's continued pressure left them unsure how to play at all.
Especially Suker — they simply couldn't contain him.
He kept stretching Bosnia's backline with his dynamic presence.
Croatia continued to dominate with set pieces and corners.
Suker, Mandžukić, and Perišić were constant aerial threats in the box.
Eventually, Bosnia even pulled their tall striker Suker Bazić back to help defend.
But still, on one corner, Suker passed the ball out to Perišić.
Perišić, surprised by the sudden opportunity, instinctively chested the ball down and nudged it forward.
The shot was slow, but had an awkward angle.
It slipped through center-back Panza's legs and rolled into the near post.
"Did that go in?"
Perišić was stunned.
Even he hadn't expected to score — it was all instinctive.
The crowd also hesitated — the shot looked more like a pass, soft and slow — but when the Italian referee pointed to the center circle, the stadium erupted.
"Goal!!! Perišić! Unbelievable! The youngster scores in his first World Cup appearance!"
Perišić finally reacted and ran to the corner flag to celebrate.
Mandžukić's jaw dropped.
"He got lucky!"
Smack!
Suker smacked him on the head and quipped, "Lucky or not, he did better than you!"
With Perišić's goal, Croatia led 2–0 in the first half.
By this point, the match had reached the 43rd minute — halftime was near.
"That's halftime! After 45 minutes, Croatia leads Bosnia 2–0. Suker and Perišić each have a goal, and Suker has an assist too — he's in phenomenal form, which bodes well for Croatia's future!"
"But they can't relax — there's still another half to play. Let's go, boys! Bring this one home!"
Kraushevich smiled with satisfaction.
Croatia had played a superb first half.
Croatia's locker room.
Van Stojak slapped the tactics board: "Great first half. But we need to keep pushing in the second — break Bosnia's defense once and for all!"
He finished laying out strategy, then turned to Bilic: "Why didn't you stop me?"
They had agreed earlier — Bilic was supposed to rein in Van Stojak's attacking urges.
But Bilic just shrugged: "No need. We're in control. Besides, letting the players keep attacking and build rhythm during the World Cup is a great way to boost their confidence."
Bilic had World Cup experience.
He knew — attacking generates momentum.
Defense isn't bad, but it's more restrained and harder to adjust quickly.
While they still had the lead, it was a good time to fine-tune.
Especially since they'd still have to face South Korea and Argentina.
Argentina would be a real threat!
Now was the time to prepare — who knew what would happen later?
Meanwhile, in Bosnia's locker room...
"Ibricić off, Spahić on. You're replacing Skolk and helping contain Suker. Pjanić pushes up, and Skolk will take over playmaking from the back."
The Bosnian coach shifted his tactics.
They had planned to play it safe — hoping for a draw or a lucky win.
But now, trailing by two, they had to take risks.
With Argentina also in the group, getting at least a point from Croatia was critical for advancing.
So he bet on the chemistry between Skolk and Boame.
The two had been teammates for a long time — their understanding was solid.
Boame's speed and forward runs could be fully utilized only with Skolk behind him.
Skolk wasn't just a fullback — he had top-notch passing skills, whether crosses or ground balls. And he had a secret weapon.
Before, he had played conservatively.
But now, they needed counterattack threats.
Halftime ended.
Both teams returned to the pitch.
Bosnia made a substitution, and though it seemed odd, they looked eager.
"Stay alert!"
Suker shouted back.
He had a feeling Bosnia was up to something.
Why? Because Skolk's face was practically beaming.
Boom!
Skolk played a pass from the corner — then surged forward.
Suker followed him closely.
But Skolk didn't mind. He stayed just behind Suker, in his blind spot, constantly shifting to create space.
When he did receive the ball, he made quick one-touch passes.
The difference was stark — Bosnia's passing was far smoother than when Pjanić led the buildup.
"You're pretty good at this passing game," Suker said.
Skolk rolled his eyes: "I've always been good at passing, okay?"
Suker blinked.
When they were teammates at Zrinjski Mostar, Skolk rarely got minutes and had a limited role — just overlapping runs and decoy moves. He never had real possession.
Even in training, he only played straight up and down — nothing like this fluidity.
Now Suker understood — Skolk was an attacking fullback.
He had solid passing, coordinated movement, and clean technique. He created space with positioning and could cut through Croatia's press with pinpoint passes.
But unlike most attacking fullbacks, he rarely overlapped.
Someone like Srna would constantly whip in crosses — but Skolk played with control.
Boom!
Another sharp pass from Skolk to Pjanić.
Suker instinctively pressed.
Then Skolk suddenly cut diagonally toward midfield.
"Pass it!"
He shouted while sprinting.
Pjanić pushed the ball forward — threading it between Suker and Modrić.
Skolk received it in stride and surged ahead.
Then, drawing defenders, he suddenly yelled:
"Boame!"
And then…
He chipped the ball with a delicate flick.
Suker's jaw dropped.
The ball curved in a huge rainbow arc along the ground — curling around two center-backs and landing perfectly in front of Boame.
"No way?!"
Suker was stunned.
That was his signature rainbow pass!
Modrić was shocked too.
Skolk grinned, seeing their expressions.
Meanwhile, Boame dashed into the box, faked a shot, stopped suddenly, and squared it across goal.
Džeko arrived and hammered it home!
Whoosh!
The ball slammed into the net!
"Ohhhhh~~ Goal!!!!"
"Brilliant! Brilliant! Absolutely stunning! Skolk's rainbow pass cut open Croatia's defense — what a ball!"
"And he did it right in front of Suker using Suker's own move!"
At minute 61, Bosnia pulled one back through Džeko.
Croatia 2–1 Bosnia!
The Bosnians celebrated.
Suker scratched his head: "Wait... When did he learn that?"
He remembered trying the rainbow pass in Mostar, but it wasn't very reliable.
He hadn't even taught it seriously — yet Skolk had clearly studied it.
And Boame?
His run was perfectly timed — clearly well-practiced.
Modrić came over.
"You train rainbow passes with Boame?"
Suker nodded: "We did, but he mostly just fetched the ball. I didn't teach him this stuff!"
"Well, they clearly practiced — they've got rhythm and chemistry." Modrić sighed. "That was a statement."
"Pfft!"
Suker barked: "Collapse toward the center when defending! This pass needs spacing — cut it off, and it's useless!"
I'm the original!
He knew the strength — and the weaknesses — of the rainbow pass.
Thanks to his call, Croatia's backline quickly adjusted their positioning.
Seeing this, Skolk sighed.
"As expected... only usable once."
But at least they scored!
Still, that goal only enraged Croatia.
They launched even more furious attacks.
Suker, in particular, seemed to take it personally — he kept firing off rainbow passes in retaliation.
Short ones, long ones — and far better than Skolk's imitations.
Under this relentless assault, Mandžukić drew a foul inside the box.
Croatia won a penalty.
"Oh no! This is bad news. We just got one back, and Croatia's already won a penalty," Bosnian commentator Basodach groaned.
"It's yours!" Mandžukić tossed the ball to Suker. "Also, don't bring up that missed tap-in earlier!"
Suker waved it off: "Come on, am I that kind of guy?"
He placed the ball on the spot, exhaled deeply.
All eyes were on him.
Croatian fans clenched their fists in prayer.
Bosnian fans cursed him silently.
The whistle blew.
Suker stepped up.
Boom!
He fired low and hard to the bottom-right corner.
The Bosnian keeper guessed wrong — goal.
73rd minute: Suker scores again.
Croatia leads 3–1.
At the 75th minute, Croatia made changes.
Suker and Dujmović off.
Ćorluka and Šimić on.
Croatia had shifted from attack to defense.
Two goals down, Bosnia couldn't break through Croatia's iron defense.
Final whistle: 90+3 minutes
Croatia 3–1 Bosnia — a strong start to their World Cup campaign.