Bang! Bang! Bang!During warm-up, Šuker was practicing his shots.
One kick after another, hitting the goal accurately from different angles.
Backup goalkeeper Subašić tried his best to save, but with no real pressure, his save rate was pitifully low.
Even though it was just warm-up,
every shot from Šuker stirred wild cheers from Croatian fans.
On the other side, the Italian players were also warming up.
They tried to stay focused but couldn't help being drawn to the other side of the pitch.
Especially Gattuso, who kept glancing toward Croatia's half.
Gattuso was under huge pressure.
As the defensive midfielder, he had to not only defend but also closely mark Šuker.
Gattuso knew better than anyone how dangerous Šuker was.
At their club, they were teammates, so there was no concern, but now, representing their countries and facing off, the pressure intensified.
Moreover, Pirlo's injury hadn't fully healed.
Though he had appeared in the group matches, it was clearly premature, worsening the injury.
Though this wasn't publicly known, many teams realized the key after watching Italy's last group match.
"Don't worry too much. I'll back you up," Ambrosini said to Gattuso.
Gattuso sighed. "I feel Donadoni is being too naive. We need to put more defensive resources on Šuker."
"If we do that, we'll lose counterattack power,"
Gattuso sighed again.
It was the limitation of their squad.
If Italy was at its peak, they wouldn't be so troubled.
One lineup on the field,
another strong lineup on the bench.
Both squads had great strength!
Now it was truly difficult.
Soon, warm-up ended, and both teams returned to their locker rooms.
Passing each other in the player tunnel, Šuker and Gattuso exchanged no words.
After all, this was a national team match. No matter the personal relations, now was no time to show closeness.
Back in the locker rooms, the starting lineups were confirmed.
Final pre-match motivation speeches took place.
"This is the 2008 Euro quarterfinal: Italy vs. Croatia, played at Happel Stadium in Vienna, Austria!"
"After three group matches, our players have finally reached the knockout stage, facing a tough opponent led by Šuker's Croatia!"
"This is a test: can we withstand Croatia's offense and Šuker's impact? Especially without Pirlo, how will we handle Croatia's midfield?"
Italian commentator Aldo Cerella's tone was very serious.
Looking at the starting lineups, Pirlo was indeed absent.
Italy (4-3-2-1):
Goalkeeper: Buffon
Defenders: Zambrotta, Panucci, Chiellini, Grosso
Midfielders: Gattuso, De Rossi, Ambrosini
Forwards: Perrotta, Toni, Cassano
Croatia (4-4-2):
Goalkeeper: Pletikosa
Defenders: Srna, Simunić, Konezević, Pranjić
Midfielders: Kranjčar, Vukojević, Modrić, Rakitić
Forwards: Mandžukić, Šuker
Seeing this lineup, Šuker squinted slightly.
A Christmas tree formation—
Ancelotti's specialty.
Šuker knew this formation very well.
But he was surprised to see traditionally steady Italy choose this formation here.
Originally, Ancelotti had abandoned the Christmas tree because it was unbalanced between attack and defense, putting too much burden on Gattuso.
Later, after Šuker joined, the two attacking midfielders (Šuker + Kaká) greatly improved offensive impact, alongside Shevchenko, prompting Ancelotti to bring back this formation.
But now it was Cassano + Perrotta instead of Šuker + Kaká.
That would tire Gattuso out!
And Gattuso was no longer at his peak.
Combined with Croatia's defensive formation, Italy was unintentionally being restricted by Croatia.
Italian coach Donadoni looked at Croatia's lineup in shock.
Damn!They played so aggressively in the group stage, but suddenly changed formation in the knockout?
And this formation effectively countered them.
Donadoni was worried.
Their Christmas tree depended heavily on the defense and Gattuso as the defensive pivot.
Now, he could only hope Gattuso's knowledge of Šuker would successfully contain him.
Meanwhile, Bilic was beaming.
He kept glancing at Van Stoyac, who looked surprised.
"See? I told you defense is right!" Bilic said proudly.
Van Stoyac was speechless.
But he was also somewhat relieved.
Though accidental, they managed to restrict Italy; at least tactically, they had a slight edge.
Of course, everything depended on the players' performance.
Cheers in the stadium grew louder.
Wearing white undershirts and red checkered jerseys, Croatian players stood opposite Italy's blue home kits.
The match was about to begin.
"Be careful with positioning at the start. Always know where Šuker is. Don't let him disappear from view,"
Gattuso shouted loudly before kickoff.
He spoke in Italian, so Šuker definitely understood.
But Gattuso didn't care if Šuker understood; they needed to mark him tightly.
Beep! —
The sharp whistle blew, and Šuker immediately kicked off.
Mandžukić passed the ball back, then both charged forward into the midfield.
Italy's players immediately pressed to find interception opportunities.
But Croatia's passing was very stable; Italy couldn't find a chance to intercept.
Seeing no interception openings, the Italians took their positions, occupying key spots.
"This is the 2008 Euro quarterfinal, Croatia versus Italy,"
Croatian commentator Klaušić loudly introduced the lineups and key points.
His eyes remained on the pitch.
"The ball remains under our control. We're patient, passing wide to the wings and fully using the field's width to find chances."
"Šuker isn't playing as a classic forward but slightly deeper. But Gattuso is closely marking him."
Croatia's passing in midfield formed a U shape, centering on Modrić, probing left and right.
Šuker roamed widely in the opponent's midfield area.
Gattuso doggedly followed Šuker's footsteps.
When Šuker moved to the right side, Ambrosini immediately started marking him.
Šuker glanced at Ambrosini, then drifted left again.
This time Šuker slowed his pace.
He was looking for a spot between the two markers.
Ambrosini followed for a while.
When Šuker entered the left half, Ambrosini was about to retreat to his position.
Suddenly, Šuker stopped and stepped right a few times again.
Ambrosini frowned and approached.
Šuker stepped right again.
Ambrosini wanted to retreat, but Šuker dropped back.
Ambrosini closed in again.
Šuker ran right again.
Ambrosini left him.
Šuker continued to retreat.
After several repeats, Ambrosini finally caught on.
"You're doing that on purpose, aren't you?" Ambrosini whispered through clenched teeth.
Šuker glanced back and pointed to the flank.
Rakitić suddenly pulled the ball, turned, and sprinted down the wing.
Ambrosini was drawn to the center by Šuker, leaving Rakitić facing the opposing fullback one-on-one.
Šuker's runs exposed Italy's defensive line to Croatia's attackers.