"Return pass!"
Inside the training base, Suker received a return pass from Olić. With a shoulder drop feint, he threw Duimović's balance off. Then, with a quick step he moved laterally to shake off his marker and smoothly took the ball away from the danger zone.
"Slow down! Slow down!"
Suker ran again to the wing to receive the ball, signaling his teammates to slow the pace and control the rhythm.
Perišić passed to Suker again.
This time, Duimović pressed aggressively, leaving Suker no time to react.
But Suker still managed a response: he stepped on the ball and pulled it diagonally forward, sliding the ball through Duimović's legs while turning closely.
Oh~~~~~~!!Nutmeg!
Teammates on the sidelines burst out laughing.
Duimović's face flushed red. He immediately spun and charged at Suker again.
Suker flicked the ball with his instep—another nutmeg.
Oh~!!!!!!!
This time, the mocking laughter was even louder, and Duimović was so faked out he fell straight to the ground.
"Damn it! Can't even win the ball, what the hell are you kicking for!"
Duimović sat on the ground like a spoiled child.
His defense wasn't that bad, but Suker's ability to shake off defenders was too strong.
The connection between real and fake moves was seamless, and his ball control was excellent.
This caused Duimović to repeatedly misjudge and even be toyed with by Suker.
"Standing in the attacking midfield role, Suker can put enormous pressure on the opponent," Bilić admired. "If they can't get the ball, there's nothing to do. Plus, Suker's movement space is bigger; he can also drop back to receive the ball, so he's not easily marked."
Of course, that wasn't all.
With Suker as the attacking midfielder, cooperating with Modrić and Rakitić, the midfield control strengthened, increasing possession and initiative.
They could also better protect the defense.
In attack, Mandžukić partnered with Olić up front.
Two tall, strong men standing there like walls gave Suker even more space to operate.
Thinking of this, Bilić turned to Van stoyac.
Croatia usually plays 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formations.
Suker had played many positions: striker, winger, central midfielder, wide midfielder.
But in the next game, Croatia would change formation again.
4-3-1-2!
A formation highlighting the attacking midfielder.
The three midfielders: Modrić, Vukojević, Rakitić — possession, breakthrough, defense.
The midfield and defense could connect smoothly.
The attacking midfield would be the super-strong link—Suker.
This was Croatia's overall tactical plan.
"That was inspired by Real Madrid," Vanstijack said, occasionally jotting notes. "Pellegrini once designed this formation to maximize Suker's abilities. Madrid lacked the system support but still showed great strength. For the national team, with tactical cohesion and teammates' chemistry, Suker's core attributes would be greatly enhanced."
"We tested this tactic in a World Cup warm-up, originally for tactical preparation, but unexpectedly we really used it."
Bilić nodded in admiration. "So, having a variety of tactical options is crucial."
"The key isn't the tactics!" Van stoyac shook his head. "It's the people executing them. We can use so many tactics only because of Suker's versatility and strong attributes. Without these two, it's hard to perfect this tactic with our squad!"
Just then, Ćorluka on the flank passed to Suker at the half-space.
Suker flicked the ball sideways, looked up, aimed at goal, and curled a shot.
The ball traced an arc in the air, accurately hitting the far corner.
Bilić grimaced.
Van Stoyac snapped his notebook shut loudly and shouted, "Change the training group!"
Suker and the others started to walk off the pitch.
"You nutmegged me twice, no compensation?"
Duimović complained plaintively.
Suker smiled, "Then compensate me by treating me to Chinese food!"
"Get lost!"
Duimović cursed loudly.
The others nearby couldn't help but laugh.
"The Germans probably didn't expect you to play as an attacking midfielder!"
"They are too rigid, trusting data more than threat possibilities. Suker is a striker—they would definitely put him up front!"
"If the German team assigns a man-marking midfielder, that'd be interesting. That guy follows Suker into our half—just dribble him to death!"
"Hahaha!!!"
Everyone burst out laughing.
Although Germany performed well in the World Cup, Croatia was not afraid of them.
Perhaps their victory over Germany in the Euros boosted their confidence.
They had beaten Germany before, so if anyone should be afraid, it should be Germany.
With this mindset, Croatia's preparation was relatively relaxed.
There were supposed to be public interview training days, but to keep tactics secret and prepare for the next game, Croatia refused.
Refusing the organizer meant refusing FIFA.
But Croatia wasn't giving FIFA any face now.
FIFA made this terrible schedule and still wanted to exploit Croatia's popularity—dream on!
FIFA thought Croatia was too easy to bully, so they kept squeezing Croatia's heat.
If it were other strong Western European teams, like England—
The British media would mercilessly bash FIFA with conspiracy theories and blackmail, making FIFA suffer backlash.
But Croatia had too little influence.
Their media wasn't worth much.
That's why FIFA kept exploiting Croatia's popularity.
In short, no FIFA personnel, no strong media influence, a weak national power but a handful of star players and high heat—who else to target?
The World Cup Round of 16 was ending.
Teams qualified: Brazil, Germany, Croatia, Netherlands, England, Spain, Paraguay.
The last spot was between Ghana and the USA.
Bosnia-Herzegovina lost to Spain 2-0 in a clean victory.
Reaching this stage was already beyond their strength, especially against Spain.
That night, the last quarterfinal finished.
Ghana beat the USA 2-1, entering the quarterfinals.
Ghana was now Africa's last hope and the continent's only remaining team.
World Cup quarterfinal:
Upper half — England vs Ghana, Brazil vs Netherlands.
Lower half — Germany vs Croatia, Spain vs Paraguay.
For Croatia, the schedule was tough.
After playing Germany, likely Spain would be next.
And this was peak Spain!
Suker once thought Raul's return would cause problems.
But Bosque didn't know how to convince Raul and kept him on the bench.
So far, Raul hadn't played a single match.
El Niño Torres just had surgery, in very poor condition.
But Villa's form was on fire.
With strong defensive support, this Spain was even harder to play than at the Euros.
That's if they won.
For now, Croatia's big challenge was Germany!
A fierce, powerful, and well-oiled German machine!
"This match is crucial for us. Croatia is a tough team with Suker, Modrić, Srna, Vukojević, and many excellent players. We must be cautious,"
Rumm told the camera seriously. "Germany's World Cup mission isn't over. We want revenge this game and advance to the semifinals!"
The scene switched to Suker.
"Revenge? Fine, I understand their mood. But it won't be easy. We don't have Germany's World Cup experience, but when united, our power is enough to win any game!"
"Germany's World Cup mission isn't finished, and for Croatia, our rhapsody is still playing worldwide. No one wants to turn it off—let it keep playing until summer ends!"
Suker clenched his fist slightly: "Victory belongs to Croatia!"
Oh~~~~~~~~~
In Germany's hotel meeting room, Müller shouted, "The captain's right—it's not as good without Suker!"
Rumm rolled his eyes, ignoring Müller.
Schweinsteiger rubbed his chin, clicked his tongue: "Indeed, not as good as Suker said. That's the truth!"
Rumm glared. Which side are you on?!
"Come! High five!"
Müller held out his hand.
They slapped hard.
Rumm shook his head helplessly.
Schweinsteiger was almost being assimilated by this guy.
"Whether it's good or not, this is what we face. Our World Cup task isn't finished. We're not satisfied with the quarterfinals. We have to beat the opponent and march proudly to the semifinals!"
Rumm said in a low voice.
In Croatia's hotel, Suker's room.
"Lost! Lost! Rumm lost in momentum!"
"He's really not as good as Suker!"
"Beautiful! No one wants to turn off that rhapsody—that's a great line!"
"But we only have one rhapsody to show!"
"Nonsense!"
Everyone talked excitedly.
This was the pre-quarterfinal hype, with each team sending representatives.
Originally, Srna would do it, but he was injured, and Simunić's fame wasn't enough, so Suker took his place.
"Alright, stop arguing. The game is about to start!"
The quarterfinals would last two days.
Today was the upper half's games.
England vs Ghana.
Netherlands vs Brazil.
The first match was a warm-up. Ghana and England took advantage of the draw to reach this stage.
Though the English media hyped England as "Number One in the Universe," fans who watched knew their real strength was a bit lacking.
Compared to the first match, the second, Netherlands vs Brazil, was the main event.
Europe vs South America!
The Orange Army vs the Five-Star Brazil!
This was the real heavyweight clash.
The Netherlands were very strong this season.
Or more accurately, Sneijder was very strong.
In the original timeline, Sneijder scored in every knockout game, helping the Netherlands reach the final.
But in this timeline, Brazil also changed, due to Kaka's transformation.
A stronger midfield Brazil could send more offensive ammo to the front line.
Under intense atmosphere, the match began.
Unlike the first match, the Netherlands started with full attack and defense, fierce pressing.
Brazil was not to be outdone, using exquisite footwork to penetrate.
But a twist came at the 11th minute.
Receiving Robben's cross, van Persie volleyed without controlling, shooting.
The shot hit Brazil's goalkeeper César's body and rebounded out of the penalty area.
At the ball's drop point, Sneijder was there, volleying a low, flat shot.
The ball hugged the ground and slipped into the near corner.
At 11 minutes, Netherlands took the lead.
At 34 minutes, the Netherlands earned another set piece.
Sneijder and Robben executed a tactical free kick.
Robben cut inside for a signature shot.
The ball again hit the net.
By halftime, Netherlands led Brazil 2-0.
At halftime, Brazil made some adjustments.
Kaka moved forward, and Thiago Silva came on as central defender.
After substitutions and adjustments, Brazil started to push hard in the second half.
At 56 minutes, from a counterattack, Kaka dribbled long, faked past two players, and passed to Robinho.
Robinho pedaled, opened angle, and fired a left-footed shot to score.
Brazil pulled one back.
At 60 minutes, just four minutes later, Brazil scored again from a corner—Thiago Silva headed in to equalize.
After conceding two goals, the Netherlands had to adjust.
Van der Vaart came on, forming a duo with Sneijder.
At 87 minutes, after a series of passes, Sneijder was fouled inside the box.
The referee awarded a penalty.
Sneijder calmly scored, putting the Netherlands ahead again.
The 87th-minute goal almost ended Brazil's hopes.
Though they fought to the last, the Netherlands' defense held firm.
Finally, the Netherlands beat Brazil 3-2, advancing to the World Cup semifinals!
The first day's games ended.
England and the Netherlands both advanced to the semifinals.
One of these two would reach the final.
Meanwhile, watching the first day's games, Croatia, Germany, Spain, and Paraguay were gearing up.
The next day, in the lobby of Croatia's hotel.
Krajičić, with staff badge around his neck, stood on tiptoes looking towards the elevator.
Soon, the young Croatians would depart here for Johannesburg stadium to face Germany.
World Cup quarterfinal!
If they advanced one more step, it would be the semifinals—matching the best achievement of Croatia's golden generation.
But because of this, Krajičić was extremely nervous.
After all, Germans are not easy to beat!
"Here they come!"
Someone suddenly shouted.
Krajičić stretched his neck to look.
He saw Croatian players starting to come out.
Instantly, applause and cheers filled the lobby.
This place was full of Croatians—media, staff, commentators.
They all quietly supported the national team.
Before the big battle, they wanted to see the young players' state.
Soon they spotted Suker among the crowd.
Cheers erupted.
Krajičić raised his arms excitedly, shouting Suker's name.
Maybe shouting too loud, Suker noticed and looked over, surprised, then walked over.
"He's coming!"
Krajičić excitedly shouted to the cameraman.
The cameraman was even more excited, speechless.
"Long time no see!"
Suker smiled and reached out his hand.
Krajičić's hands were sweaty nervously. He wiped sweat from his shirt then shook Suker's hand.
"How's the preparation?"
Krajičić thought it was a silly question but was just too excited.
Suker didn't mind and gave a thumbs-up, "Worth looking forward to!"
Hearing this, Krajičić and surrounding Croatians cheered again.
Suker waved in the cheers, then followed the team out of the hotel and got on the bus.
Krajičić's face was full of excitement, "Let's go, time to head to the commentary box!"