"Tomislav Dujmović!"
"A crucial goal! A precious goal! A historic goal!"
"Croatia's head coach Bilić made a stunning substitution in the second half! Just before the end of the match, Dujmović's world-class strike pierced Spain's goal!"
"Oh my God! What an absolutely breathtaking goal!"
"Spain had placed all their attention, all their defensive focus, on Šuker. They thought if they cut off Šuker's offensive line, if they neutralized him, then Croatia would have no hope of winning!"
"But Croatia is not just Šuker. In this decisive moment, the substitute Dujmović became our savior!"
"A goal in the 85th minute! Spain won't have a chance now! They won't! We absolutely won't give them any!"
Klausić roared into the mic.
"In 1992, a fairy tale came to life — Denmark performed a miraculous championship run at the Euros!"
"In 2004, Greece cut through every obstacle — they too created their own mythical story at the Euros!"
"And now in 2008, four years later, the miracle continues — and this time it belongs to us! It belongs to Croatia!"
"Who would've imagined it?! Who could have foreseen this?! It's the first-ever European Championship for this group of young Croatian players, yet they're about to defeat the mighty Spain — and make it to the Euro final!"
"This is madness! This summer! The summer of 2008 — a storm from Eastern Europe is sweeping across the continent, and Croatia's rhapsody echoes throughout Austria!"
"Cheer! Shout! Brothers and sisters! This moment belongs to us — let your throats scream until they break, let our voices reach every corner of the world!"
"We are from Eastern Europe!"
"We are a small country of only four million people!"
"We are Croatia! And we are stepping into the final of the European Championship!"
Klausić's voice rang out with strength and passion.
His thundering words carried through TV screens to the Croatian homeland.
Every home, every bar, every public square exploded in cheers.
The entire nation surged with excitement and emotion.
The roar rose into the sky, like a rolling thunderstorm, echoing again and again.
"Dujmović!!!Dujmović!!!Dujmović!!!"
In the corner area, Dujmović stood and looked around.
From all directions, tens of thousands of Croatian fans were chanting his name.
This was a hero's moment!
That priceless goal had brought Croatia to the edge of the Euro final.
Bang!Šuker leapt and tackled Dujmović to the ground.
Quickly, one by one, Croatian players piled on.
They shouted and celebrated with uncontainable emotion.
At that moment, the only way to release their feelings was through wild, triumphant roars.
On the sideline, Coach Bilić stood motionless, eyes wide with shock.
The Dutchman was right!Dujmović had indeed become the key!
If he hadn't subbed Dujmović on in the second half, that goal might never have happened.
This match — the Dutchman had predicted nearly every detail.
Perfectly timed substitutions, tactical adjustments, combined with the players' soaring morale — and now they were on the verge of the Euro final.
At that moment, Bilić felt a bit dazed.
If he had insisted on his original plan, they might truly have been eliminated.
One decision — could have meant eternal regret.
"DEFEND!! DEFEND!!"
After the celebration, Šuker and the others retreated with fierce determination in their eyes.
They were ahead!Ahead once again!
And this time, they would not give up the victory.
Even if they had to run themselves into the ground — they would block any goal from Spain!
"Last stretch! Push up! Push up!"Spain's players were getting anxious.
Spain's style was always elegant and composed —but now they looked nervous, even desperate.
Their passes lost fluidity, their breakthroughs lacked sharpness.
Bang!Šuker and Modrić double-teamed Torres and brought him down.
Torres tried to get up, but Šuker kicked the ball far away.
"Hey!"
Torres shouted in frustration.
Šuker didn't even look back — at this point, time-wasting was everything.
Iniesta quickly ran over and kicked the ball back, but the counterattack was already gone.
Spain had to regroup.
"Push forward! Get in there!"Spanish commentators were yelling in frustration.
If not now, when?!
"Spain is still looking for a chance, they haven't given up — but Croatia has fully retreated. Almost every player is inside their own penalty box. Forget Spain's players — they wouldn't even let a fly sneak through!"
Klausić clenched his fists:"Just a few more moments! Hold on, boys!"
Spain attacked like a storm.
But Croatia stood like a lone island against a raging sea —battered, but unbreakable.
Wave after wave smashed into their defense —but they gritted their teeth and fought back.
"I got it!"
Šimunić leapt into the air, powerfully heading the ball away.
It glanced off his forehead toward the wing. Šimić dashed over, turned, and cleared it hard.
The ball slammed into Torres and bounced out of bounds.
"Slow down! Slow down!"Šimić yelled as he turned — then leisurely went to pick up the ball.
A ball boy behind the ad board held out a ball — but Šimić ignored it, insisting on fetching the one farther away.
He even jogged a couple of steps before finally kicking it back toward the penalty area.
Every second counted.
The fourth official held up the board.
Injury time begins!
Croatia took the kickoff and booted it far downfield.
Spain's offense surged once again.
Croatia rushed back into their box and set up a turtle-shell defense.
Three minutes of added time.
Spain had been pushed to the brink.One step back — and they'd fall into the abyss.
No retreat. Only forward.
Iniesta, Fàbregas, Torres, Villa — they charged again and again, their attacks turning increasingly aggressive.
Even with little space, they forced their way through.
Using sheer dribbling ability, they tried to crack Croatia's wall.
Once. Twice… Three times —their threat level kept climbing.
Two minutes of stoppage time gone.
Iniesta finally found an opening.He did a "rainbow flick" to try and get past Rakitić.
Rakitić was tense — in that position, any successful breakthrough could be fatal.
Even if it meant fouling — he couldn't let Iniesta through.
Rakitić stuck out his leg and shoved hard with both hands.
A clear trip-and-push foul.
BEEP!The whistle blew.
The referee rushed over and flashed a red card.
"A red card? Isn't that a bit too harsh?"
Klausić protested: "That wasn't a straight-red offense!"
But regardless, the ref stood firm and didn't even consider changing his call.
Rakitić's protest was in vain.He could only walk off slowly.
Every second helped now.
"Get off the pitch!"Xavi snapped.
Rakitić turned and snarled: "Screw you!"
Then he looked like he might lunge, but Šuker hugged him from behind.
"Keep cussing him out," Šuker whispered.
Rakitić launched into a wild rant.
Xavi's face turned purple with rage.
He wished he could slap himself —shouldn't have said anything.Now Croatia had even more excuse to waste time.
Eventually, Rakitić was warned and ordered off.But by then, stoppage time had already expired.
This might be Spain's last chance.
Xavi stood at the free-kick spot.
His expression was tense. His heart pounded.
He knew — this kick would decide Spain's fate.
All of Spain's fans held their breath.
Croatia's fans unleashed a barrage of boos to shake Xavi's nerves.
Xavi began his run-up.
"Xavi takes the kick — oh~~ he lobs it into the box!! Šimunić!! Brilliant clearance! Šuker boots it out again!!"
As Klausić finished shouting, the camera zoomed in on the referee.
The ref raised his whistle.
BEEP!!BEEP!!BEEP!!
Full-time!
2008 European Championship Semifinal: Croatia 3–2 Spain.
Croatia becomes the first team to reach the Euro final!