"Ballack is constantly pushing forward, attacking Croatia's defensive line!"
Seeing Ballack shoulder-to-shoulder with Vukojević and Modrić, somehow still managing to pass the ball to Podolski before crashing to the ground in a full face-plant, the German commentator couldn't help but exclaim:
"Ballack is really giving it everything!"
No one could question Ballack's professionalism. He had the hunger and fighting spirit of a champion.
Though his era didn't align with Germany's strongest period, there was no denying—he carried the team during one of its weakest phases.
Now, once again, Ballack was playing with sheer ferocity.
"He's one tough guy."
Vukojević glanced at Ballack, who got up off the ground and continued sprinting forward—even though he'd already lost the chance to contest the ball in the air, he was still chasing the second ball.
BANG!Šimunić cleared the ball.
Modrić received it and had just turned when Ballack came crashing in and knocked him to the ground.
"Damn it!"
Modrić cursed under his breath. If not for that foul, Croatia could've immediately launched a counterattack.
But Ballack's foul came at just the right moment.
Whistle!The referee immediately showed Ballack a yellow card.
The foul was blatant—tripping Modrić from behind.
Ballack didn't complain. As long as it stopped a break, it was worth it.
Germany quickly regrouped in defense, while Croatia lost the counterattack opportunity.
At this point, Modrić began to manage the midfield, slowing the tempo and shifting the ball wide to waste time.
Croatia was excellent at using the full width of the pitch, never wasting a single inch near the sidelines.
By stretching Germany's back line horizontally, they forced extra German players to cover wide—leaving inevitable gaps in midfield.
Modrić was simply waiting for those moments.
However, under Ballack's leadership, the German players gradually started ramping up their efforts.
They were running with full intensity.
Even though it was already the 70th minute, there was no let-up in their pressure.
"Press up!!"
Ballack suddenly shouted as they attempted to swarm Kranjčar.
But Kranjčar reacted fast—almost at the same moment Ballack shouted, he passed the ball back to Modrić.
Germany's fullbacks had just pushed up and couldn't recover in time.
Modrić, meeting the pass head-on, immediately switched it to the open space.
And there, Šuker had already drifted wide, took it down, turned in one fluid motion.
He lifted his head—Germany's defenders were only now arriving.
Šuker had the ability to take them on 1v1, but Kranjčar was now drifting into the half-space. Šuker passed it back, then sprinted inside.
His horizontal movement pulled defenders with him, disrupting their shape.
Kranjčar returned it to Šuker again—who then laid it off centrally to Dujmović.
Then Šuker accelerated diagonally into the box.
The sudden change confused Mertesacker, who instinctively followed Šuker—only to realize he had just vacated the central zone.
Dujmović took a heavy touch forward, eyes locked on Germany's goal.
Then swung his right foot forward—a missile of a shot.
"Another long-range strike from Dujmović!!"
shouted the Croatian commentator Krašivić.
The Croatian fans held their breath.
The ball rocketed toward the goal, skimming just above the ground—a goalkeeper's nightmare.
But Germany's keeper Lehmann was no pushover.
He immediately dropped into a split, his foot grazing the ball just enough to deflect it upward—
The ball popped into the air near the penalty spot.
"Clear—"
Lehmann just opened his mouth to shout when a shadow stepped in and struck it mid-air—
SWISH!GOAL!!
Lehmann froze.
So did the German fans in the stadium.
Another goal...?
That was three goals conceded!
"What the hell is going on?!"
Lehmann's expression was one of pain and disbelief.
No offside flag. No whistle for a foul.
The referee pointed to the center circle and blew the whistle—
Goal stands.
Croatia now leads Germany 3–0!
"Three goals! THREE GOALS!!"
Krašivić screamed with excitement.
Against mighty Germany—a three-goal lead. What kind of madness was this?
Sure, Germany had been poor, but they were still GERMANY.
If they were out of form, that was on them. That too was part of football.
With a three-goal cushion, Krašivić was beyond satisfied.
Croatia, historically, would score one goal and then retreat into full defense.
But now—six goals in two EURO matches!
This kind of attacking power had him ecstatic.
In the stadium, Croatian fans were singing loudly.
"The match is over!""It's already over!""With a three-goal lead, what could Germany possibly do to come back?"
The Croatian boys wouldn't give them any chance.
On the touchline, Löw's face was grim. His fists clenched and loosened repeatedly.
He was raging inside—but powerless to do anything.
As much as he didn't want to admit it, he had been outsmarted by the opposing coach.
"Just clever tricks..."Löw muttered bitterly.
But those clever tricks worked, just like now.
Germany had walked into Croatia's trap—and now had no way back.
76th minute – Croatia made another substitution.
Šuker came off.Šimić came on.
This was the signal: full defense mode activated.
They also kept one final substitution in reserve—
Partly as insurance for emergencies,And partly to keep Germany guessing.
Since Croatia grabbed the lead in the first half, everything—from tactics to tempo to substitutions—had been under their control.
"Šuker's coming off!"
"So far in this EURO, he's scored three goals in just two group stage matches—he continues to defy logic with his form!"
"With this momentum, I believe Croatia will go much further."
Šuker exited to thunderous applause from the crowd.
Tens of thousands of Croatian fans gave their hero a standing ovation.
Sure, they used to boo him when he played for Dinamo Zagreb—but now, he was their national hero.
Three goals in two games!
Šuker's red-hot form was the foundation of Croatia's entire attacking success.
"Let's go!"
He high-fived Šimić fiercely.
Back on the bench, Šuker dropped into his seat.
With a three-goal lead, a German comeback was nearly impossible.
Germany tried everything they had, throwing themselves forward.
But Croatia repelled every wave of attack.
Then—minute 89.
Ballack suddenly struck a long-range shot from outside the penalty area.
The surprise move caught Croatia off guard.
Their keeper Pletikosa had his line of sight blocked by Šimunić and couldn't react in time.
By the time he dove, the ball was already flying past him—
GOAL.
Ballack scored a world-class goal, clawing one back.
But it was only one goal.
Germany was still down by two.
After that, they fell back into the same frustrating cycle:
Attack, cross, aerial duel, frantic pressing.
But time flew by—and the final whistle blew before they realized it.
Full-time.
Germany had played the full 90 minutes tense, frantic, and disorganized.
Bad tactics, locker room division, poor form—everything combined to result in a second-round loss in the group stage, to Croatia.
If Germany had been at full strength, they might've had a chance.
But this version of the team just wasn't good enough.
At the final whistle, the German players hurried back to the locker room.
They didn't even dare face the fans.
And they didn't need to.
Because the fans were furious.
They had come to this match full of excitement—only to watch their team get smacked 3–1.
Who could possibly accept that?
And it wasn't just a loss—it was a complete defeat.
Had it been a balanced fight, maybe fans would chalk it up as bad luck.
But the truth was simple:
Germany just played like garbage.