"Another breakthrough by Šuker! Facing a pincer from Frings and Ballack, Šuker somehow squeezed through the tiny gap between the two! Šuker threads a through ball! Can Mandžukić seize the chance? Ah~~~ Lehmann's timely charge! He beats him to the ball!"
Three minutes later, Croatia's attack surged back.
Seeing Šuker move to the right side, Ballack rushed over to mark him closely—no relaxation in guarding Šuker allowed.
But Modrić, spotting this, swaggered boldly forward from the left.
As the defenders closed in, Modrić suddenly accelerated, cutting out half a body length in a single step.
Approaching the defensive line, he chipped the ball over.
"Petrić with an outside-foot shot! Ding! Oh~~~~ another post! In this match, both Germany and Croatia have hit the post, but the post saved Germany's skin this time!"
After Šuker's goal, Croatia's overall morale and tempo seemed to transform instantly.
They no longer played with a slow, dragging rhythm, but boldly surged into Germany's defense.
The German machine was frustrated and overwhelmed.
On one hand, there was the highly threatening Šuker.
On the other, Modrić continuously fed deadly "bombs" forward.
Sometimes they aligned along the central axis to launch attacks directly.
"Push them out! Push them out!" Mertesacker shouted anxiously.
Watching Šuker rush at him, when the ball came near, Mertesacker booted it forward forcefully.
The ball brushed past Šuker's outstretched right leg and sped ahead.
Seeing Šuker didn't clear it, Mertesacker sighed with relief.
Though just once, that moment made Mertesacker realize: as a bulky defender, he was destined to be beaten one-on-one by Šuker.
When matched one-on-one, the outcome was clear—he'd get destroyed.
So he needed the ball as far from himself as possible.
Stable ball progression?That was the midfielders' and forwards' job. He was just the defender.
Therefore, whenever Germany tried to slow the tempo with passes back to the defense, Mertesacker would clear it with a long kick—no chances given to Croatia's press, nor to teammates seeking a safer pass.
Ballack was extremely frustrated.
He understood Mertesacker's pressure, but he couldn't rely on long clearances every time.
But it wasn't just Mertesacker—Lahm and others did the same.
They resolutely refused to let the ball circulate in the back.
Germany's conceded goals against Spain had been a warning—playing with fire in the defense line could be deadly!
"Boys, we're gradually gaining control of the game and tempo—this is the football we should be playing!" Kraushvić's heart leapt with joy as he watched Croatia take charge on the field.
After several fierce attacks, Croatia finally slowed down their pace.
German defenders cleared decisively; while pressing hard brought pressure, the results were limited.
"Take it slow."
Modrić kept the ball and signaled teammates to lower the pace.
He passed to the flank and moved slightly forward.
Šuker and Modrić—one ahead, one behind—became the main passing hubs.
Centered on these two, Croatia formed various triangles, continuously circulating the ball.
Germany's initial momentum was being worn down.
Facing the formidable Šuker, they struggled to mount attacks.
Conversely, once the situation stabilized, Croatia's two fullbacks were freed.
Srna and Pranjić began frequent forward runs.
Using their crossing skills, they constantly lofted balls into the penalty area.
Petrić and Mandžukić's aerial battles began to show effects.
Mertesacker was an excellent central defender with precise positional judgment.
But under pressure from two strong attackers, his stress soared.
Every jump, every duel—one mistake could mean conceding a goal.
"Block them! Don't let them shoot!"
Landing, Mertesacker angrily shouted at the fullbacks.
Was he going to wear himself out?
But the fullbacks were also troubled.
Wherever the attack went, Šuker was always lurking in the half-space.
They had to defend crosses and cover Šuker.
Because one player alone simply couldn't contain Šuker.
This led to Croatia repeatedly launching crosses.
That was the core of Croatia's superstar threat.
Šuker frequently shifted between left and right flanks.
He saw Germany's defense line gradually erode, growing disorganized.
Amid the tug-of-war, Šuker kept watching.
Watching the defense crumble, watching gap after gap appear.
When attacking down the right side, Šuker didn't charge into the half-space.
Instead, he casually cut diagonally to the left side.
"Frings!"
Hitzelsperger signaled to a teammate, indicating Šuker was moving into their half.
Frings was puzzled.
Croatia's attacks were on the right, so why was Šuker moving left?
Still, he followed.
Everyone's attention was on Pranjić on the right.
Pranjić saw the middle and didn't hesitate to pass.
Petrić and Mandžukić jumped up like two battering rams, contesting Mertesacker.
But maybe due to fatigue or pressure, Mertesacker missed the header.
The ball bounced off Mertesacker and Petrić, falling toward the far post.
"Lahm!"
Lehmann immediately turned and shouted, warning Lahm to clear.
But next moment, his eyes widened.
At the drop point, Šuker had ghosted into position.
Frings chased anxiously but was still a step too slow.
Šuker met the descending ball and blasted a shot.
Lehmann flinched, reaching out desperately.
The ball brushed his arm and slid into the net.
An assassin's strike—lethal and decisive!
"Oh~~~ Šuker!! When did he get to that spot?!"
"God!! Šuker! Šuker! His ghostlike positioning gives us the second goal!!"
"37th minute—Croatia takes the lead!"
"Šuker scores his second goal! Two goals, two completely different styles!"
"In the first, Šuker showed unmatched power breaking through the defense. The second showed his ghostlike runs and sharp goal-sense!"
"A versatile and skilled striker like this—can Germany stop him?"
"They can't!!"
Kraushvić's voice rang with power.
At this moment, the entire Happel Stadium was a sea of Croatian joy.
Conceding first, they thought it would be a tough fight.
But with Šuker's explosion, the match reversed in just 19 minutes.
Two goals in quick succession—Šuker turned the game around.
Šuker scored a brace.
German fans held their heads, staring at Šuker in disbelief.
How can they defend this?
Lahm was breathing heavily, his eyes full of confusion.
Both goals came from Šuker exploiting the left side—his responsibility undeniable.
Although Lahm's defense wasn't always stable, it wasn't supposed to be completely blown apart like this.
And it wasn't just him—Frings as well.
In this game, the defensive midfield and fullbacks were tasked with marking Šuker and limiting him.
But they failed.
Yet there was nothing they could do!
Two goals.
Two wildly different goals.
The first goal conceded might have been a lapse in concentration.
But for the second goal, they guarded Šuker's dribbling advance carefully.
Who could've imagined, this guy would sense the second ball drop with such accuracy and score directly?
Frings looked at Šuker in shock.
At first, when Šuker ran left, Frings had no clue what he was doing.
But he still followed.
Then, at the header contest, Šuker suddenly sprinted and left him behind.
Most shocking was Šuker's run direction—
It was as if he knew exactly where the ball would land, and dashed straight there.
How the hell do you defend that?