"This shot is really dangerous! We can't let Suker take a clear shot so easily; we must disrupt him when he shoots!"
The Argentine commentator wiped the sweat from his forehead. After the kickoff, Croatia launched a surprise attack. Although they didn't score, they dealt a great psychological blow to Argentina.
The Argentine players felt anxious inside because of this early threat.
"Control the ball! We must control the ball!"Higuain kept shouting.
He turned to look at Messi, eyes full of irritation.
This kind of thing should have been done by Messi, but the guy had been silent from start to finish. This made their cooperation awkward, as they always had to look up and find Messi's position.
He didn't even shout once to let them know he was in open space.
Messi frowned deeply. Judging from Croatia's attack since the start, this match was going to be serious.
For Argentina, there was no room for easing up; they had to face Croatia head-on.
Di María advanced with the ball for a while, then pushed it to Messi in the center.
Messi received the ball and turned, intending to switch to the other side.
But just as he turned, Kranjčar charged forward, blocking his passing lane.
And he kept a certain distance, preventing Messi from dribbling past him.
In the defensive zone, Suker and the others tightly marked Messi's passing options.
Modrić and Rakitić stood ready, prepared to press forward at any moment.
"Don't hesitate, get past him! Get past him! Leo, you can do it!"Maradona shouted anxiously from the sideline.
His expression was tense; he felt Messi was playing too timidly. At times like this, hesitation was a no-go. One should act like him in the past, directly dribbling past opponents, relying on personal ability to tear open the defense.
But in the end, Messi passed the ball!
Bang!Seeing Messi pass the ball back to Di María again, Maradona angrily slapped his thigh.
Without forward penetration, how could the attack gain momentum?
Once Croatia slowed the rhythm, Argentina would find it harder to execute their plays.
Van Stoyak watched the field and slightly nodded after seeing Messi's choice.
Based on various data and analysis, a conclusion could be drawn:
Messi's attributes aren't that strong at critical moments.
He lacks Suker's all-in spirit, the courage to bet everything and trust his own ability.
This made Messi tend to favor team play.
Of course, this isn't bad; a highly team-oriented player can perform better with the right team.
But Argentina is not Barcelona!
Messi doesn't have Xavi and Iniesta behind him.
Di María, seeing the attack stalled, could only send the ball directly to Tévez on the wing.
The Beast Tévez, fierce in appearance, although not tall, was muscular and powerful.
But before he could start his move, Pranjić and Jorļuka were already closing in.
"Force him to pass back!"
Pranjić knew Tévez well — both were Premier League players. Tévez was aggressive and would definitely try to push forward.
So after blocking the direct path, he forced Tévez to pass back first.
Bang!Tévez passed back.
Immediately, Tévez sprinted forward.
At this moment, a subtle detail happened: Jorļuka suddenly stepped sideways and blocked Tévez's direct path, forcing him to take a longer route and slow down.
At the same time, Pranjić launched himself behind Jorļuka.
Sure enough, Di María received the ball and chipped a pass behind Jorļuka.
"Got you!"
Pranjić was delighted, jumped up, and headed the ball to Šimunić.
Šimunić passed it to his central defender partner Kovačić.
With a brilliant zonal defense, Croatia easily neutralized Tévez's attack.
"Good job, boys!"Kraushević kept clapping.
This defensive move showed Croatia's style.
They didn't just rush blindly, but played smart.
Pranjić was originally a fullback but was playing defensive midfield this match.
He knew fullbacks' weaknesses well.
With cooperation from Jorļuka, they almost effortlessly intercepted the ball.
"Well done!"Modrić received the ball and immediately passed to Kranjčar on the flank.
Seeing Kranjčar had no gap to advance, Suker decisively dropped back to support.
"Pass it here!"Kranjčar side-footed a horizontal pass.
Suker controlled the ball sideways, feeling Mascherano pushing him from behind.
But Suker didn't force it; he stepped on the ball with his right foot, faked charging forward, and when Mascherano was slightly off position, Suker shifted his weight back, turned the other way, and passed to the right side, completing a switch.
The ball moved from the densely defended left side to the right.
Argentine players rushed to the right side.
Perišić stopped the ball.
He saw Suker making a run into the penalty area but chose not to cross, instead patiently pushing the ball diagonally backward.
Rakitić advanced to receive, made a V-shaped turn to avoid Di María's pressure, and passed again to switch sides.
The ball flew back to the left side.
With continuous shifting attacks, the Argentine players became a little dizzy.
"Croatia is fully exploiting the space on both wings, constantly switching to seek openings in Argentina's defense."
"Of course, Croatia could also try crossing directly, but the efficiency is low, and it seems they don't want to give Argentina too much possession!"
Argentina's lineup meant they had to gain ball control.
So when Croatia started pressing and took the ball away, Argentina's tactics began to fail.
Kranjčar tried to break through from the baseline but was pushed back.
Helpless, he passed back again. Srna received the ball near the flank and passed it horizontally to Modrić.
Modrić glanced to the right side.
At this moment, the Argentine defenders' attention shifted following Modrić's glance.
Then suddenly, Modrić lightly flicked the ball.
The ball floated into the penalty area.
This sudden change startled the Argentine defenders.
"Mark Suker!"Demichelis hadn't finished shouting when he saw Suker flash past him in front of his eyes.
Suker ran from right to left, raising his chest, and lifted the ball again.
Demichelis' attempt to tackle failed and he lost balance due to Suker's body contact.
Before falling, Demichelis threw his body forward with hands and feet.
Suker faced the dropping ball, faked a left-foot shot, suddenly flicked with his right foot, creating space for a shot.
At this moment, Suker almost had no defenders in front of him, but he didn't take it lightly.
He used his toe to poke the ball.
The ball rolled past the supporting foot of Argentina's goalkeeper Romero.
Romero desperately tried to move his right leg, knowing if he could stretch it out, he could save it since the shot was slow.
But his body leaned right, his weight was on the right foot, so he couldn't move his foot.
He could only force his body downwards, but the ball still rolled past his waist.
Swish!The ball gently touched the net.
Only 13 minutes into the game, Croatia took the lead.
Modrić's chipped assist helped Suker score.
"Goal!!! Croatia takes the lead!"
"Brilliant attacking cooperation! Through continuous switching, Croatia didn't attack from the wings but chose the middle, which Argentina didn't expect. Suker's calm judgment in front of the goal was key."
"This is a precious goal, a solid step toward Croatia's third win in the group stage!"
"Great playing! Keep it up, boys! Keep it up!"
The Croatian fans erupted.
They shouted and cheered excitedly.
Their buzzing zouras (traditional horns) blew wildly.
Croatia's attack was very three-dimensional.
Continuous flank switching forced Argentina's defense to react.
When a gap appeared, Modrić's delicate chip put the ball into the box, and Suker's calm finishing was decisive.
"These guys play great!"
"Modrić's chip was amazing."
"Suker's continuous feints near the goal were outstanding; he was so calm!"
"Hahaha! This is the power of a Champions League + La Liga Golden Boot winner. Give Suker a little chance and he'll turn it into a goal!"
"Forward, Croatia!"
"Come on, boys!"
Croatian fans cheered wildly.
Meanwhile, in Zagreb, at the Times Square, the crowd was also boiling.
Compared to the first day, more fans gathered here.
They jumped as if the ground was shaking.
They raised their hands and cheered.
Flags waved fiercely in the night sky, the passion unleashed further.
Brozović and Kovačić hugged, excitedly celebrating with the crowd.
Their eyes stared at the big screen, burning with a desire to reach the South African World Cup stage.
The Croatian national team—Suker, Modrić, and others—were not only inspiring the people but also making countless young people dream of that stage.
They imagined wearing the checkered jerseys, fighting for their country.
They crowded around Suker, Modrić, and others, fighting together!
On the pitch, Suker and others continued celebrating.
The Argentine players stood with hands on hips, full of unwillingness.
Conceding so early was very unfavorable for them.
Since only a win could get them through, they had to play better.
Messi struggled inside.
They must win to qualify.
But the pressure was overwhelming.
He wondered how Suker coped with such pressure.
Even if he asked, Suker wouldn't tell him.
He could only find his own way.
"Hey! Guys, let's equalize!"Messi finally spoke, surprising the Argentine players.
"Our attack has enough power, but we need more cooperation and more movement!" Rodríguez shouted. "Let's be a whole; we still have a chance!"
The game restarted.
Bang!The moment Suker got the ball, his waist was grabbed and pressed down. Even Suker couldn't turn.
He was pushed to the ground.
"Playing this trick, huh!"
Lying on the ground, Suker cursed loudly.
At the same time, Argentina began a counterattack. The referee showed no intention of calling a foul.
Messi received the ball, turned, and passed forward immediately.
This pass was skillful—neither too hard nor too soft—just enough to deceive Šimunić.
The ball slipped between the two Croatian center backs.
"Oh~~~~~~A through ball! Higuain! Can he seize the chance?"
Higuain sprinted hard after the ball, with Srna closely marking.
Higuain didn't want to lose this chance and prepared to shoot.
At the moment he was about to shoot, Srna accelerated and made a tough challenge.
In a critical moment before shooting, this confrontation was fatal!
Bang!The ball was kicked over the stands.
Higuain missed the chance.
"Higuain!! He failed to seize the opportunity! Argentina missed a chance to equalize!"
Srna got up from the ground, shouting at Šimunić and Kovačić.
"What are you doing? Just let him pass like that? Don't let him! Clear it! Just clear it! Communicate!"
Argentina's attack was still dangerous.
In the original timeline, this team reached the World Cup quarter-finals.
Despite serious imbalance in attack and defense, they still made it to the last eight, showing they had strong attacking power.
This time was a clear example.
The counterattack was reasonable and sharp. Messi's through ball was perfect.
If not for Srna's close marking, this ball would have been dangerous.
And on defense...
When conventional means couldn't stop Suker, they started fouling him.
Whenever Suker had the ball, they would target him.
Argentina fully utilized the rules—the foul tactic.
Moreover, the referee seemed to be lenient.
"Argentina was testing the waters earlier, and after the referee ignored several fouls without cards, they began to foul recklessly!"
Van Stoyak squinted, running to the sideline to talk to Srna.
Srna nodded repeatedly.
When Van Stoyak returned, Bilić asked, "What did you say?"
At the same time, the cameras caught the scene.
"Bilić told the assistant coach to communicate with Srna, clearly responding to Argentina's fouls." Kraushević nodded, "Bilić's instincts are sharp. His in-game commands in the Euros and qualifiers have been crucial."
Back on the pitch, Croatia moved forward again.
As soon as Suker got the ball, Mascherano and Rodríguez surrounded him.
They pulled, dragged, and even kicked at Suker's ankle, forcing him to lose the ball.
"You bastards!"
Suker was furious and got up quickly.
Just as he was about to rush back for revenge, suddenly a voice exploded ahead.
Bang!!
Messi was slammed heavily to the ground.
Srna made a fierce sliding tackle, knocking Messi and the ball down.
"Playing dirty, huh? Come on! We're not scared!"
Srna glared down at Messi, cursing fiercely.
Then he looked at the referee with a clear message:
"If you keep calling it like this, I'll keep sliding!"
As captain, Srna couldn't watch his teammate get hurt.
If they wanted to play dirty, he'd match them.
He came from Serie A!
At Juventus and Inter Milan, he had been trained by veterans and knew well how to foul and apply pressure.
The referee rushed over and immediately showed Srna a yellow card.
"Damn it!"
"What the hell?"
Croatian players immediately surrounded the referee.
Suker, Modrić, and others pressured the referee while Srna pulled people away.
The scene became chaotic.
From this call, they realized the referee was biased.
It wasn't necessarily that Argentina had a deal with the referee.
But maybe FIFA didn't want to see Argentina eliminated easily, so they tripped up Croatia.
On the sidelines, Bilić shouted at the fourth official.
In the stands, Croatian fans booed while Argentine fans cheered, mixing into chaos.
In the end, the decision was unchanged.
Srna got a yellow card.
Argentina got a good-positioned free kick.
"Damn! Even a home referee doesn't do this!"
Suker rubbed his aching ankle.
He'd been kicked many times with no problem.
When Croatia fouled, it was an immediate yellow card.
No tricks here—who would believe that?
"Wall! Wall! Set up the wall!"
Suker called his teammates to form the wall.
Messi stood at the free kick spot, ready to take the kick.
The spot was dangerous—right near the edge of the penalty arc on the right side, within Messi's shooting range.
Under the eyes of countless fans, Messi started the free kick.
Bang!
The ball flew with an arc toward the near post.
Approaching the goal, it dropped sharply.
Croatia's goalkeeper Pletikosa tried his best to save, but couldn't stop the shot.
Swish!
The ball hit the net.
At the 31st minute, Argentina finally equalized.
All the Argentine fans cheered wildly.
The Argentine players celebrated.
But Croatian players' eyes blazed with anger.
Suker squinted toward Argentina's goal.
"Give them face, they don't want it? Then we'll make sure you lose yours!"