"Portugal's defense has been outstanding. Compared to their group-stage performance, their error rate has clearly dropped. In fact, there's barely any mistake now—especially when it comes to marking Suker."
Krauchevic watched as Tiago and Pepe followed Suker like a pair of Siamese twins, sticking to him like shadows with tails.
Wherever Suker ran, they followed.
Every time Suker touched the ball, they would immediately apply pressure, confronting him physically at the first opportunity.
If Suker tried to break free, they'd grab, tug, and trip him in every way possible.
He had attempted to shake them off several times but couldn't break free from the two-man trap.
This was the infamous man-marking midfield!
And not just one marker—but two at the same time!
So far, no team in world football had ever gone so insane as to assign two dedicated man-markers to a single player.
Pepe was particularly active—not just sticking to Suker, but also shadowing other plays when Croatia shifted the attack to the right.
In those cases, Simão or Meireles would take over the job of marking Suker.
The strategy was clear: always keep two men on Suker no matter where he went.
Modrić had been observing quietly and realized Portugal's defense on Suker was mechanical and rigid.
They didn't adjust based on Suker's passes or movement. It was like a hardwired instruction: wherever Suker goes, follow with two men.
This situation reminded him of a fiery Balkan derby back when he played for Dinamo Zagreb against Red Star Belgrade.
At that time, they had also failed to utilize Suker's abilities and lost the match.
But now… Croatia had far more offensive weapons than just Suker.
Rather than waste energy trying to free Suker up, why not use him as a decoy?
With that thought, Modrić sprang into action.
He poked the ball forward to Rakitić with the tip of his toe and immediately darted into space, calling for the return pass.
Rakitić obliged instantly.
Usually, in this scenario, Modrić would pass wide instead of carrying the ball forward.
But not this time.
Modrić turned and began advancing slowly with the ball.
Pepe and Tiago were both on the left side. Meireles was to the right, focused on Perišić.
But right in front of Modrić—there was no one.
He passed forward to Mandžukić with almost zero pressure.
Rakitić caught the entire play with keen eyes.
Modrić immediately dropped back.
"Go! You make the run!" he shouted to Rakitić.
In terms of ball-handling and dribbling, Rakitić was better and had faster drive.
As for Modrić, unless absolutely necessary, he stayed central to dictate the game's rhythm.
Rakitić made a diagonal run through the middle.
Suker saw it all unfold and instantly understood Modrić's intentions.
So I'm the bait now, huh?But hey…
No problem!
If it helps them win, Suker didn't mind playing the decoy.
He moved to the inside-left channel, not going wide so as to not pull Portugal's midfield apart prematurely.
Earlier, Suker had been trying to break free.
Now, he almost wanted Pepe and Tiago glued to him.
Rakitić received the ball centrally and easily burst past Portugal's midfield line to attack their backline.
"Damn it!"
Pepe turned to give chase—
But suddenly, Suker spun and made a run forward.
Pepe had no choice but to halt and stick with Suker.
Rakitić was now at the edge of the box. He passed to the right wing—Perišić met the ball and sent a cross into the area.
Bang!Mandžukić jumped to challenge the header but missed, and the ball grazed the crossbar on its way out.
"Promising!"
Rakitić's eyes lit up.
That attack was fluid, almost entirely unchallenged.
Portugal's defense was tilted too far to the left, leaving the right wide open.
"Srna! You go up too!" Modrić called out.
If the right wing was working, Croatia would lean into it.
Suker only needed to keep pulling defenders to the left. Others could get the job done.
"The lads are now trying right-side attacks. Exactly! Sometimes you have to adapt. Even if our strongest route is the left wing, we can't ignore exploiting the right," Krauchevic nodded repeatedly.
Football is a team sport.
Portugal had sunk so many resources into guarding Suker that their defense skewed left.
Croatia wisely chose the path of least resistance by attacking the exposed right corridor.
Smashing their heads into a wall would've gotten them nowhere.
Now, if they could truly open up the right, Suker himself might soon be free.
Bang!Modrić sent a through ball to Perišić again.
Perišić received it with his back to goal in the half-space.
Rakitić and Srna closed in from both flanks.
Instead of an immediate pass, Perišić delayed a moment and then passed horizontally to Rakitić.
Rakitić didn't stop—he instantly slipped it diagonally.
The ball split between center-back Alves and fullback Coentrão.
Srna burst in, beat everyone to the ball, and whipped in a cross toward the center.
Mandžukić tangled with the center-backs but couldn't connect.
"Hey!" Rakitić gestured toward the top of the box, indicating Srna should've gone for a cutback. He was wide open.
Srna nodded right away.
These attacking waves were building confidence.
Portugal's defense had been breached multiple times, and the pressure was growing.
Suker still loitered casually on the left.
"Aren't you going over there?" he asked Pepe.
Pepe looked conflicted but dared not leave Suker.
Seeing him silent, Suker shrugged.
Croatia's right-wing attack was working—how long could Pepe stand this?
Suker wasn't in any hurry.
There were still 20+ minutes to play. Let them sweat.
"Another right-wing attack from Croatia. Rakitić and Perišić exchange a one-two. Rakitić cuts inside—goes for goal—ooh, just wide!"
"Again Rakitić! He's been incredibly active! Ball to the wing—Srna crosses—Mandžukić knocks it down—Rakitić! Did it go in?"
The ball smacked the crossbar, hit the goal line, and bounced out.
The Portuguese keeper frantically palmed it away.
Croatian players raised their hands—it looked like a goal.
But after consulting with the assistant, the referee shook his head. The ball hadn't fully crossed the line.
Portugal had survived—barely.
But they were visibly cracking.
And that was only 10 minutes in!
Ten more minutes? They were close to breaking.
"Hold the line! Hold the line!" Portuguese coach Santos shouted.
Even now, he wasn't willing to loosen the grip on Suker.
Despite Croatia's barrage, he still believed Suker was the bigger threat.
At the 37th minute—
Rakitić launched another attack. This time, he passed to Mandžukić and sprinted forward for a return pass.
With a slick stepover, he burst past the Portuguese backline.
"Rakitić is through! He's in! Shoot—wait! Pulls it back—Srna! No one marked him!"
Under the eyes of tens of thousands, Srna calmly tapped the ball into the net.
The Portuguese keeper, caught on the wrong side, could do nothing.
GOAL!Croatia finally scored in the 37th minute!
"Brilliant! What a right-wing sequence! Srna with the goal—Croatia 1:0 Portugal! The balance of victory is tipping in our favor—come on, boys!"
"This attack didn't even involve Suker—but he drew enough defenders to leave Portugal's midfield right flank wide open. Modrić saw the opportunity and launched the strike!"
"This play proves one key fact!"
Krauchevic, visibly excited, declared: "Even if you shut down Suker, you can't shut down Croatia's offense!"
After the goal, Srna slid across the pitch like a jet fighter, celebrating in style near the corner flag.
His teammates rushed over to join him.
Croatia had applied pressure all half.
If they hadn't scored, their tactics would've been questioned.
But they sniffed out Portugal's weakness and capitalized.
Suker jogged over, smiling, and gave Srna a solid high-five.
"Captain, you beast!"
Srna laughed, "Now I'm your captain, huh?"
"You've always been my captain!" Suker gave a thumbs-up with a big grin.
Srna chuckled and patted his shoulder. "It's thanks to you drawing attention on the left that we could break through on the right. This goal's yours too."
"Verbal thanks? How about something real?"
"Get lost!" Srna teased. "Duimović still hasn't paid back that Chinese meal you bought. Now you're trying to squeeze one out of me?"
They laughed and joked as they jogged back.
On the Portuguese side, players shook their heads—frustrated.
They had defended as best they could and kept Suker under wraps—yet they still conceded.
And with the right wing open, how much longer could they keep Suker locked down?
"Chin up!" Ronaldo clapped his hands. "It's just one goal—we have the second half. Tiago, play with confidence! Show your fighting spirit!"
His constant encouragement lifted the gloom in the squad.
They had to hold on for the remaining ten minutes.
The rest of the half saw Croatia continue their siege, while Portugal dropped everyone deep to defend.
The Portuguese fans cheered desperately, backing their heroes.
Eventually, the halftime whistle blew.
Croatia led Portugal 1:0.
In Portugal's locker room, coach Santos clapped as he entered.
"Well done! We conceded, yes, but it's within acceptable range. Now the second half is ours. Maintain positioning—look for Ronaldo—and create shooting chances for him."
Despite trailing, their first-half plan had been defensive, and they executed it decently.
Now came the counterattack.
In Croatia's locker room:
"We won't stop attacking in the second half," said Van stajak bluntly.
Football isn't about taking turns. Just because one team attacks doesn't mean the other must defend.
Portugal had no choice due to their limited squad.
Croatia wasn't bound by that.
And more importantly, the second half was when Suker would truly explode.
"How're you feeling?" Van Stojak asked Suker.
"Fantastic!" Suker gave a thumbs-up. "Watch this!"
Van Stoyak smiled. "At the 55th minute, Kranjčar goes in. Portugal will attack. That's our cue to punish their mistakes, intercept, press—and strike back hard!"
Ronaldo was powerful.
But Portugal's midfield wasn't solid enough.
Under Croatia's high press, they'd make mistakes—bad passes, broken rhythm.
That would be Croatia's chance.
Santos might expect a passive Croatia, but Vanstajak had never entertained that notion.
Even in defense, he preferred high pressing to force errors and seize initiative.
After all—who says you can't counter when you're under pressure?
Sure, long balls might be risky in the wind—but Croatia could still pass on the ground.
Soon, the second half began.
Teams switched sides.
The camera focused again on Suker and Ronaldo.
Neither had shone in the first half—
One was coiled and ready, the other was brutally marked.
Still, Croatia had scored—proof they weren't a one-man team.
But the second half would be even more intense.
Portugal kicked off.
After a few back passes, they urgently sent the ball up to Ronaldo.
He controlled it, cut in, and created space.
A long-range shot!
Bang!The ball flew, dipped—but hit the crossbar again and went out.
"Another one! Ronaldo's fourth post-hit this World Cup!"
The Portuguese commentator grabbed his head in disbelief.
He'd hit the post twice against North Korea, once against Ivory Coast, and now again.
It seemed Ronaldo and the goalpost were cursed this tournament.
Ronaldo clenched his jaw in frustration.
This miss really hurt—they could've leveled the score.
On Croatia's side, Srna called out orders.
"Pranjić—don't let Ronaldo shoot like that! Pressure him! Block if you can!"
Pranjić nodded.
Meanwhile, Croatia had the ball again.
They attacked more cautiously—ground passes rather than long balls.
The wind made high passes risky.
Modrić spread it wide—Rakitić ran along the line and passed to Suker.
Suker shielded with his body, holding off Tiago, and laid it off to Modrić.
Then pushed upfield.
He noticed Pepe didn't follow him this time.
Suker drifted to the wing.
"Suker's on the wing! Watch the far post!"
Suker grinned and cut inward.
"Pepe! Watch your back! Suker's cutting in!"
Tiago shouted like a telegram operator—wherever Suker went, he reported it immediately.
Finally, Suker stopped.
He stood near the box—Tiago still glued to him.
Eyes scanning everything—the defenders, his teammates.
Croatia's attack came from the right.
Suker remained still.
Rakitić and Mandžukić exchanged another one-two.
Suker leaned slightly toward the penalty area but didn't move.
Once Tiago locked onto him, he turned to watch the play.
Rakitić blasted a shot.
The Portuguese keeper punched it away.
"Great save!" Tiago shouted—then froze. "Suker… where is he?!"
He lost him.
Tiago looked back—
Suker was already at the penalty spot.
The ball was falling right to him.
With a gentle flick, Suker chipped the ball—
It floated over the defenders and dropped into the net.
The keeper hadn't even gotten back on his feet.
Everyone could only watch the ball fall into the goal.