After a successful interception, Croatia launched a swift counterattack.
Modrić immediately switched the ball to an open space on the left. Šuker sprinted at full speed, getting there before Lahm and meeting the dropping ball with a sudden cross into the box.
The pass came out of nowhere—and the angle was perfectly calculated.
Mandžukić charged into the penalty area, dragging defenders with him, while Rakitić rushed in toward the ball.
"Shoot it!"
Šuker shouted.
But Rakitić took an extra touch. That small hesitation gave Metzelder enough time to slide in and challenge, deflecting the ball to Marcel Jansen, who cleared it with a long kick. Croatia, however, quickly regained possession.
"Rakitić! Looks like he wanted to set up his shot with a touch, but that hesitation allowed Metzelder to recover!"
"In top-level battles like this, chances vanish in the blink of an eye. The tempo is faster than usual. Rakitić's lack of experience showed here. If that were Šuker, he would've fired immediately!"
Croatian commentator Kraušević shook his head regretfully.
Beside him, Bešić smiled.
"Still, we're in control. That's the good news. Germany's beginning to look overwhelmed. They probably came in expecting a cautious defensive game, but the Croatian coaching staff clearly anticipated this—hence what we're seeing now."
Kraušević nodded.
"Bilic has excellent tactical acumen. He already showed that during the Euro qualifiers."
Bešić simply smiled, not responding further.
Back on the pitch, Croatia continued to dominate possession.
The German players were clearly struggling.
The entire German formation was being pulled and stretched by Croatia.
Rakitić and Kranjčar crisscrossed their runs. As Kranjčar dribbled centrally, he slipped the ball into open space on the right.
Rakitić immediately followed up.
Now one-on-one against German fullback Marcel Jansen, who lowered his center of gravity to defend carefully.
Rakitić feinted inside, making it look like he was going to cut in. When Jansen bit, Rakitić used the outside of his foot to explode down the line—forcing a breakthrough to the byline before sweeping a cross into the box.
"Mario!"
Mandžukić was a step late due to being held up, and the ball rolled to the far post where Lahm collected it and passed to Ballack.
Ballack finally got the ball—but just as he was turning, a roar exploded near him.
"Get him!"
Šuker, Modrić, and Kranjčar immediately swarmed.
Before Ballack could even turn, the trio took him down.
Tweet!The referee's whistle blew, calling a foul on Kranjčar and verbally warning him.
Kranjčar accepted it calmly—he knew it was a heavy challenge, and didn't argue.
After the tactical foul, all three players quickly retreated.
"No card? Looks like the referee's letting them play!"
"Don't rely on fouling, or you'll provoke the ref!"
"I know. Even if I get a yellow, I'm not one of the key defenders."
Šuker and Modrić chatted casually while jogging back into position.
The match was unfolding exactly as planned.
Germany was steadily falling into Croatia's rhythm. With the formation they had chosen, the Croatian players understood: Germany was slowly suffocating.
Unless Croatia made a massive error, Germany wouldn't find any joy in this game.
By the 17th minute, Germany had only one shot—a long-range effort from Ballack.
It posed no threat.
Germany was clearly frustrated.Tactically, they were being outplayed.Croatia had boldly opted for attack, while Germany took a conservative approach.
As a result, Croatia had the initiative and more attacking responsibility—but they were handling it well.
Germany earned a set piece.
"Hey Ballack! Pass it forward!"
"Gomez—get that goal!"
"Klose! Over here!"
German fans were urging their team forward, desperate for some momentum.
The pressure on the field was suffocating—and the fans could feel it too.
German players wore grim expressions.
They knew the tempo had slipped out of their hands. Now, their only hope was to capitalize on any rare chance they got—to score and shift the momentum.
But Croatia's defense wasn't easy to crack.
Vukojević and Modrić were patrolling the midfield with endless energy.
The backline was well protected. Even when Germany forced their way in, they were swallowed by Croatia's midfield-and-defense press.
Bang!Klose stumbled into the box, managing to get a weak shot off before Kovač could fully challenge him.
The shot lacked power—Croatia's keeper easily deflected it to the left.
Srna picked it up and, despite Podolski's immediate press, burst forward along the touchline.
A powerful sprint—Srna burned past Podolski and continued to drive forward.
His incredible speed was one of the reasons he played fullback.
At his club, Maicon had more offensive freedom, so Srna usually stayed back. But for Croatia, he had no restraints.
"Šuker!"
Crossing into the midfield line and faced with another defender's pressure, Srna slipped the ball into the channel for Šuker.
Šuker touched it once, then sent it behind the fullback.
A simple one-two—Srna sprinted around and kept driving to the byline, delivering another dangerous cross.
This time, Mandžukić didn't jump immediately—he first bumped into Mertesacker.
He knew exactly how to handle German defenders.
Earlier, he had struggled to get into rhythm, but now he'd found it.
That little bump knocked Mertesacker off-balance, giving Mandžukić room to leap.
Super Mario!This nickname was born from Mandžukić's signature headers.
Šuker had great heading ability—but Mandžukić was no slouch either.
Soaring into the air, Mandžukić stretched out and powered a header toward goal.
Boom!A solid thud from his forehead—the ball flew toward the left post.
Too close.Lehmann couldn't react in time.
He could only watch as the ball rocketed into the net.
Whoosh!Goal!
24th minute—Croatia finally broke through Germany's defense and scored.
"ROOOAAARRRRR!!!"
Mandžukić tore toward the corner flag, pounding his chest with both fists.
It was his second goal of the tournament.
And it came against Germany.
"Ohhhh—Super Mario!!!"
Croatian commentator Kraušević screamed with excitement:
"What a leap! Mertesacker couldn't recover—Germany's defense was exposed. Srna's surging run was key, and the one-two with Šuker sliced Germany wide open!"
"Croatia leads! One foot is already into the knockout stage!"
BOOMING CHEERS!!!!!!!
Croatian fans erupted with joy.
They were beating Germany!
Just like in the 1998 World Cup, when Croatia stomped Germany to reach the semifinals.
Now, once again, they were dominating the German team.
In resilience and fighting spirit, Croatia was every bit their equal.
And Croatia's football was far more refined and skillful.
Germany had focused too much on Šuker, which left Srna wide open on the overlap—and gave Mandžukić freedom in the box.
Croatia's left-side corridor was now wide open.
That goal meant Šuker would continue pulling wide into the half-space, Srna would keep overlapping, and Germany would be left scrambling.
Unless they adjusted, Croatia would keep hammering the weak spot.
German fans held their heads in despair.
This goal had taken an already bad situation and made it worse.
Šuker, Rakitić, Kranjčar were already hard enough to deal with.
Now, even the fullbacks were joining in.Croatia's diverse attacking threats were starting to show.
On the sideline, coach Van Stoyak pumped his fist hard after the goal.
"It worked!"
Planning was one thing—but if the players couldn't execute, it was meaningless.
Truthfully, Van Stoyak had been a bit concerned.
Germany's defense was strong, and he worried his tactics wouldn't work.
But now, he could finally exhale.
Croatia's boys had performed beyond his expectations.