Chapter 629: A Strange Match, Spain's Opponent
Even though both Lin Quan and Guardiola favored Croatia, it was Denmark who scored first.
And Denmark's goal came incredibly fast!
Just 50 seconds into the match, Denmark won a throw-in.
Denmark's left-back, Knudsen, used one of his trademark powerful throws, launching the ball directly into the box. It was a throw-in with the effect of a corner kick!
Denmark's center-back, Simon Kjær, jumped high but missed the ball, deceiving the nearby Croatian players.
With no one touching the ball, it landed at the far post, where Denmark's central midfielder, Delaney, got to it just before the Croatian defenders could clear it. After dribbling a few steps to the right, he passed it to a nearby teammate.
Denmark's other center-back, Jørgensen, took the pass and immediately shot. The shot wasn't particularly tricky, but luck was on his side.
As Jørgensen took his shot, two defenders and the goalkeeper stretched their legs to block it, but the ball somehow slipped through their legs and rolled into the net.
With just one shot, Jørgensen managed to break through three lines of defense—an impressive display of marksmanship!
This lightning-quick goal left the crowd stunned. Some fans who had just arrived at the stadium, not yet seated, were utterly confused.
"What happened? I haven't even sat down yet, and there's a goal?"
Once the crowd realized what had happened, the stadium erupted into cheers.
Denmark's fans were ecstatic, thinking that this match was now in the bag.
Denmark's defense had been particularly strong during this World Cup. In the group stage, they had only conceded one goal in three matches.
With such a solid defense, Denmark's fans were confident they could win, believing that not even defending champions Spain could easily break through their brick-wall defense.
Croatia's players and coach looked worried. They had thoroughly studied their opponents and knew that Denmark was a team with strong defensive capabilities.
Letting them score first would be a huge problem for Croatia.
"What a way to concede…" Guardiola said, shaking his head with a wry smile, surprised by the early goal.
He didn't know what else to say—the arm strength of Denmark's left-back was truly remarkable.
According to throw-in rules, the player must throw the ball over their head with both hands, and this guy managed to hurl it over 30 meters! He must have some serious strength!
For teams that rely on scoring with headers, having a player who can throw like that would be a huge advantage.
Imagine a throw-in being as effective as a corner kick. Such a team would have at least a dozen more chances to attack during a match.
"Falling behind so early, Croatia has to pick up the pace," said Guardiola, who had initially favored Croatia. Now that they were down from the start, he felt uneasy.
The early goal put Denmark in a strong position, and if they decided to play defensively and focus on counterattacks, Croatia would be in real trouble.
But surprisingly, Denmark didn't seem to plan on sitting back and defending. Perhaps even they hadn't expected to score so quickly.
As it turned out, going toe-to-toe with Croatia wasn't a smart move.
In the 4th minute, Croatia regained possession and launched a counterattack. After Rakitic carried the ball into the penalty area, he passed it to the left.
It wasn't a great pass, as Denmark's defender had already anticipated the passing lane.
But just when everyone thought Croatia's attack was neutralized, Denmark's defender made a huge blunder.
His attempted clearance hit a teammate, and the ball bounced back, landing right at the feet of Croatian striker Mario Mandzukic.
Even Mandzukic looked stunned for a second, as if he couldn't believe the gift he'd just been given.
He quickly snapped out of it, though, and without even checking where Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel was positioned, he half-turned and scooped the ball up off the ground, curling it into the goal just inside the post.
Schmeichel had already moved to cover the near post, but there was nothing he could do to stop the shot. The distance was too close, the speed too fast, and the angle too sharp. Trying to block the shot might have even sent him crashing into the post.
In just 3 minutes, Croatia had tied the game.
The match was back on level terms, and the crowd's cheers grew even louder. This game was turning out to be exciting—two goals in just 4 minutes!
At this rate, there could be six, seven, or even eight goals by the end of the match!
"This game is really interesting—both goals have been unexpected," Guardiola laughed, entertained by the chaotic nature of the game.
Neither team had scored through traditional plays; both goals came from unusual circumstances.
Could this game really come down to luck?
120 minutes later, Guardiola was shaking his head with a mix of amusement and disbelief.
"So, it's come down to a penalty shootout after all. Was my prediction really that accurate?"
After 120 minutes, the score was still 1-1, just as it had been at the start.
Both teams played brilliantly, combining for 30 or 40 shots, but no one could find the net again.
During extra time, Croatia even had a penalty kick, but Modric's shot was saved by Schmeichel, and Croatia missed their chance to win.
Now, the match was in the dreaded penalty shootout phase.
Denmark's Christian Eriksen went first—and missed.
On the pitch, Denmark's players and fans in the stands were horrified. Seeing their star miss the first penalty felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on them.
It's over, they thought. We're doomed. How can we possibly win now?
On the other side, Croatia's players erupted in cheers, acting like they had already won the match.
But just as Croatia's fans began to celebrate, their first penalty taker, number 19 Badelj, had his shot saved by Schmeichel too!
Now it was Croatia's turn to be shocked.
What was going on? Was Denmark's goalkeeper playing out of his mind?
In just a few minutes, Schmeichel had saved two penalties.
On the sidelines, Peter Schmeichel, Kasper's father, was visibly emotional, his face turning red as he cheered for his son, clapping so hard his hands turned pink.
"This game is amazing!" Lin Quan and Guardiola, two neutral fans, couldn't stop laughing.
The match was full of surprises, and it was such a thrilling experience to witness it live.
"I feel like both goalkeepers are in the zone. I wouldn't be surprised if they save a few more penalties," Guardiola said, clapping as he spoke.
Even though the chance of saving a penalty is less than 30%, when a goalkeeper is on fire, statistics can be thrown out the window.
Faced with goalkeepers in this kind of form, even the best players get nervous. And penalties are all about composure—if your nerves get the better of you, you're more likely to miss, making the goalkeeper's job easier.
This is why penalty takers feel more pressure the later it gets in the shootout, and the chances of missing increase.
Many fans in the stadium shared Guardiola and Lin Quan's excitement.
Scoring penalties wasn't anything special, but missing them? Now that was newsworthy.
If they could see three penalties in a row get saved, that would be something!
Denmark's captain, Kjær, was next up. Under immense pressure, he went for a power shot aimed at the top right corner.
It was a risky choice—if he missed, Denmark's morale would likely collapse.
But sometimes power brings results, and his shot flew into the net with precision. Croatia's goalkeeper Subasic had no chance.
Now the pressure shifted back to Croatia. Substitute Kramaric took his turn, using a clever change of pace to fool Schmeichel before calmly slotting the ball into the net.
Schmeichel protested to the referee, claiming that Kramaric had clearly paused before his shot, which would be a violation of penalty rules, but the referee didn't agree and allowed the goal.
Both teams were level again, and the pressure moved back to Denmark.
After both teams successfully converted their next penalties, it was time for Croatia's third penalty taker—Luka Modric.
As Modric walked to the spot, a murmur spread through the crowd. Fans worried about whether Modric, who had already missed a penalty earlier in the match, could handle the pressure now.
Schmeichel, who had saved Modric's previous penalty, tried to get inside his head:
"Hey Luka, I've already figured you out. You're going down!"
Modric glanced at him briefly but didn't respond.
When the referee blew the whistle, Modric confidently stepped up and blasted the ball straight down the middle.
Schmeichel dove to the right, missing the ball completely. If he had stayed in place, he could have saved it again.
With this successful penalty, Modric redeemed himself. He breathed a sigh of relief and slowly relaxed, walking back to his teammates and apologizing for his earlier miss.
"If I hadn't missed that penalty, we could have already won," he said.
"Doesn't matter when we win, as long as we win," said his friend from the national team and club rival, Rakitic, patting Modric on the shoulder.
Kovacic chimed in, "Exactly! We said we'd win or lose together, so don't beat yourself up. Besides, we're going for the title—there's no way we're losing here!"
Their words of comfort warmed Modric's heart, and he made a silent vow to give everything in the upcoming matches.
"Let's go. This match is decided," Lin Quan said to Guardiola as they both stood, ready to leave.
"Are you sure? There are still a few more penalties left. Why don't we wait a few more minutes?" Guardiola seemed eager to stay until the end.
But just then, a collective gasp erupted from the stands, followed by even louder cheers.
They turned back to the field and saw Croatia's goalkeeper, Subasic, throwing the ball in the air and letting out a triumphant roar. In front of him, Denmark's fourth penalty taker, Schöne, was standing there, looking dejected.
The reason for the reaction was clear: Denmark had missed again.
"Well, I guess you were right—it's really over now," Guardiola admitted.
Missing the fourth penalty had effectively sentenced Denmark to defeat.
But just as everyone thought Croatia would easily take advantage of Denmark's mistake and secure the win, Croatia's fourth penalty taker missed as well.
Lin Quan and Guardiola were left speechless.
"How many has it been now?"
"That's the fourth penalty that's been saved, right?"
Including the penalty Schmeichel saved during extra time, both goalkeepers had saved over half the penalties so far.
But the surprises didn't end there. Just when Denmark thought they had a second chance, their fifth and final taker, Jørgensen, sent the ball straight into Subasic's arms.
Denmark had taken all five penalties but scored only two, missing three in total.
Denmark's coach looked like he was on the verge of fainting, furious at how ridiculous it was to miss 3 out of 5 penalties.
Croatia's final penalty taker, Rakitic, stepped up to the spot, with all eyes in the stadium fixed on him. Fans back in Croatia were glued to their televisions, silently praying for him to score.
Please score! Please put it in!
If Rakitic scored, Croatia would be through to the quarterfinals.
The tension in the stadium was palpable. Cameras caught Croatia's coach burying his head in his hands, too nervous to watch.
In the stands, many fans covered their eyes as well—both Danish and Croatian supporters alike.
Everyone knew this penalty would decide the match.
Rakitic took a deep breath, steadying his nerves.
After a calm run-up, he slotted the ball into the net, with Schmeichel diving in the wrong direction.
The stands erupted in celebration. Croatian players rushed toward Rakitic, and Modric, skinny as a twig, clenched his fists and leaped high into the air, his joy palpable.
Back in Zagreb, Croatia's capital, fans flooded the streets, waving flags and celebrating wildly.
No one cared about who they'd face in the next round—tonight was Croatia's night to celebrate.
"Looks like Croatia will be your next opponent," Guardiola said to Lin Quan as they stood up, preparing to leave the stadium.
Before heading out, they turned one last time to watch the Croatian players celebrate on the pitch.
This match had left a deep impression on them.
"Yeah, they'll be a worthy opponent—and a good test for us."
(End of Chapter)