"The match is over—Croatia has cleanly and decisively defeated Germany 3–1!"
"Looking back at the entire game, Croatia's control was simply superb. This young team is full of vitality—their aggression, resilience, fighting spirit, and hunger for victory were all fully displayed throughout the match."
"In this match, Šuker, Mandžukić, and Rakitić each scored a goal. After two games, Croatia becomes the first team from Group B to advance to the knockout stages of the Euro Cup!"
"Of course, whether they advance as the group winner is still uncertain—but it's not very likely they'll lose the top spot."
"Croatia has beaten Poland 3–0 and Germany 3–1. Austria, despite being the host nation, only holds a slight advantage. That advantage becomes meaningless when faced with such a strong team."
"We can now look forward to the next match: Poland vs. host nation Austria—who will battle Germany for second place in the group?"
Commentator Krašivić wrapped up the broadcast with a broad smile.
He was practically floating.
Both of Croatia's first two matches had been exceptional—especially the crucial win over Germany. That result meant more than anything else.
Four years ago, Croatia was eliminated in the group stage.
Now, four years later, with a fresh squad of young, star-studded players, Croatia had just delivered an emphatic victory.
"That was amazing!""Let's go! We'll support you always!""Score more! We'll cheer even louder!""Come on, boys! I can't wait for the knockout rounds!""Go, go, go!"
During the post-match celebrations, when the Croatian players stood in front of the stands, the Croatian fans shouted in delight.
Their voices were wild with excitement.
This match had thrilled them completely.
But as with all games, no matter how thrilling, it eventually comes to an end.
As the players exited the field, the Croatian fans began to leave too.
But they didn't head straight to their hotels—instead, they went to bars and restaurants.
The match had been far too exhilarating—their hearts were still pounding. They needed to vent. They needed to celebrate more.
That entire night, Croatian fans partied until dawn.
They weren't just celebrating beating Germany—they were celebrating advancing early from the group stage.
These young Croatian players had restored national pride on the big stage!
At this point in the Euro group stages, only one other team had shown performances to rival Croatia's—Spain, the matadors.
With the Germany vs. Croatia match wrapped up, two national teams had already qualified for the knockout stage:
Portugal
Croatia
Both teams secured their spots with two straight wins.
Now, their pressure was significantly reduced. However, they still had to fight for the group's top spot.
That same night, Germany became the center of attention in Switzerland, Austria, and across Europe.
Germany, a team highly favored by many media outlets, looked completely helpless against Croatia—a performance unworthy of the name "Germany."
Though Germany had a tradition of underperforming in second group matches, their performance here was just too awful.
"Germany 1:3 Croatia – The Eastern European Knights Dethrone the German Tank!"
"An Explosive Victory – Delivered by Croatia!"
"In '98, Šuker composed a rhapsody for Croatia. Ten years later, that melody plays again across Europe!"
"A Most Successful Inheritance – Šuker's Legacy!"
"No. 9! Šuker! A Name and Number Croatia Can Always Trust!"
Šuker's standout performance in this Euro Cup once again made him the center of attention across Europe.
At this point, many realized: Šuker hadn't declined—it was AC Milan that simply couldn't bring out his best.
Šuker was playing ferociously in the Euros.
But just as the media heat was focused on him, another bombshell took over the headlines:
"Explosive! Locker Room Fallout in Germany – Ballack Leads Players in Mutiny Against the Coach!"
No one knew where it came from, but the report caused a massive stir online and in the press.
At first, German fans were confused—but it didn't take long for them to connect the dots.
The report specifically mentioned Ballack's dissatisfaction with Löw's tactics in the second match.
And if fans recalled the game, Ballack's expressions and behavior early on did seem odd.
As more and more details were pieced together, the public started believing the report was true.
The German national team quickly issued a denial, calling it slander and insisting the loss had nothing to do with a locker room rift.
But people only believe what they want to believe.
Besides, Germany had played so strangely—it was hard to imagine there wasn't something shady going on.
After that first statement, the German national team made no further comments—probably hoping a win in the next match would shift attention.
"A mutiny? No wonder they were so disjointed."
On the bus heading to the next match, Mandžukić grinned and said:
"Actually, a mutiny could be good news—Germany might completely fall apart."
Šuker rolled his eyes.
He didn't think that was a good thing at all.
In fact, in the original timeline, there was a mutiny—Ballack and several players halfway sidelined Löw.
That fallout would eventually lead to a rift between Ballack and Löw.
But ironically, Ballack's rebellion helped Germany reach the finals of the Euro Cup—that was just a fact.
If they had stuck with Löw's original tactics, they likely would've been eliminated by Portugal in the quarterfinals.
Klagenfurt, capital of Carinthia, Austria.
This was the site of Croatia's third group match.
So after their second match, the team immediately relocated here.
When they arrived at their hotel, a figure suddenly approached them.
"Coach, can I borrow Šuker and Modrić for an hour?"
Agent Zorančić smiled at coach Bilić and made the request.
Bilić frowned slightly—but Zorančić was a top Croatian agent, representing Šuker, Modrić, Rakitić, and other national players, so Bilić had to give him some face.
"Just one hour. We've got training afterward."
"Of course, of course!"
Zorančić beamed and dragged Šuker and Modrić up to the 11th floor.
There, a pile of jerseys waited for them, along with a stack of Sharpie markers. Zorančić handed them over and picked up a camcorder.
"Alright, start signing!"
Šuker and Modrić exchanged helpless glances.
They began flattening out jersey after jersey and signing them.
At first they were awkward, but soon they got the hang of it and their efficiency skyrocketed.
Šuker's signature was basically a scribble—one stroke, done.
Modrić, on the other hand, signed very carefully, writing neatly and with personal messages.
"Come on, that's too slow. At this rate, you'll miss training."
Hearing that, Modrić nodded and began copying Šuker's squiggly style.
An hour later, the two of them shook out their sore wrists and asked:
"These are for local fans?"
"Actually, they're for fans in Vienna," Zorančić replied with a grin."You guys are hot right now—we've gotta ride this wave and do some PR."
Zorančić was doing his job well.
Wherever Šuker and Modrić went, he followed them with promotional efforts.
In every region, he tailored the marketing to fit the local customs and audience.
"Okay, Luka, you're free to go. Šuker, stay and shoot a video!"
"A video too?" Šuker groaned."Let's make it quick!"
"Just read this—it's in German."
In the end, under Zorančić's coaching, Šuker recorded a short message:
"Hello everyone, I'm Šuker. I'm very happy to be in Austria. This is a beautiful city with passionate fans. I love it here and hope to come back in the future!"
The lines felt awkward to Šuker.
But he understood: if you want to make money, you have to put in the effort—even if it's just a few words.
And one thing Šuker knew for sure:
In football, the fans are everything.
Quoting the legendary Manchester United manager Sir Matt Busby:
"Without the fans, football is nothing."