Whoosh!!!!!!!!!!
The cheers of the Croatian fans echoed endlessly.
After Šuker's second goal, he didn't stop moving.
He kept relentlessly attacking the defense.
Šuker focused crazily on causing havoc on the left wing!Lahm was unsure of himself, and with Šuker's repeated assaults, Lahm became utterly chaotic.
His mind seemed to freeze; he couldn't predict what Šuker would do next.
Dribble and break through?Shoot?Pass?
Anything was possible.
Lahm was shaken by Šuker, hesitating in defense.
If he tried to tackle, he might get dribbled past.If he didn't, Šuker might shoot.
Šuker once again brought the ball to the flank, stopped, lowered his center of gravity slightly, and lightly flicked his left foot over the ball.
Lahm's body was frozen, stiff as a board.
At first, Šuker was puzzled—this guy had so much patience.
But soon he understood: this wasn't patience. Lahm was just plain stunned!
Since Lahm was dazed, Šuker didn't hesitate.
He suddenly flicked the ball sideways, intending to drive straight into the penalty area.
Lahm reacted a beat late but still turned and charged at Šuker.
This time, Šuker's right leg swung up fiercely.
It had to be a shot!
Lahm was certain and immediately stretched out his leg to block.
But Šuker gently stopped the ball, his body suddenly still.
Seeing this move, Lahm's brain short-circuited, but still, relying on instinct, he threw himself in front of Šuker to block.
However, Šuker calmly watched this, then softly pushed the ball to the left.
Whoosh!!
Srna suddenly burst out from behind.
He scooped up the ball and raced down the sideline, then fiercely crossed into the penalty box.
Petrić rushed in for a sliding shot but missed the ball.
But behind him, Mandžukić appeared perfectly and took a direct shot.
Whoosh!!!
The ball hit the net again!
Croatia leads Germany 3-1!
Boom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
At this moment, the entire stadium was a fiery inferno.
Croatian fans felt like they were going crazy!
At 43 minutes in the first half, Croatia leads Germany 3-1!
They were up by two goals!They never imagined the European Championship was this close.
"Another goal! Another goal!! Mandžukić scores the third goal!"
"Germany's defense has completely collapsed!"
"Under Šuker's constant pressure, Germany's right flank was totally blown apart. The highly promising youngster Lahm looked like a fool!"
"Frings also can't keep up with Šuker's pace. Croatia's overall intensity rose further under Šuker's relentless attack!"
"Two goals ahead! We're two goals up!!"
Kraushvić was so excited he felt his heart might explode.
"Champions!"
"European champions! Within reach!"
"This might be the closest we've ever been! Boys, don't relax, don't ease up. Win this game! Defeat Germany and let's lift the European Championship trophy together!"
The whole of Croatia went wild!
When they saw the third goal, no one could stay calm.
They shouted and screamed.
They hugged and cried!
A massive lead!The dawn of victory was just before their eyes!
Against the formidable German team, Croatia showed an astonishing fighting spirit.
This crazy story was like a rhapsody!This was Croatia's rhapsody!
Dreams were about to become reality!
They were just half a half away from topping Europe.
"Awooooooo!!!!"
"I scored! I scored! I damn well scored!"
Mandžukić tore his jersey and roared.
At this moment, no one could stay calm.
From behind to ahead, now widening the lead—it was like a fairy tale start.
They were so close to the championship.
After the celebration, Šuker's eyes gleamed fiercely.
"It's the last moments of the first half, don't relax. Keep pressing, try to score another!"
Everyone stared at Šuker in shock.
Still scoring?Šuker snarled, "Germany's defense is dumbfounded. If not now, when to press?"
Everyone was energized!Let's go!Press and break Germany down even in the last moments!
The German players were already stunned.
After conceding three goals, they had no idea how to reorganize the defense.
Even Ballack's constant shouting was ineffective.
Croatia kept pressing in the last moments of the first half.
Thanks to this pressure, they earned a corner kick opportunity.
Modrić immediately ran to the corner area's arc.
Šuker, Petrić, Mandžukić, and Šimunić stood together.
This seemed Croatia's strongest aerial contest lineup.
Facing what could be the last attack of the half, Croatia unleashed their full power in the air.
The four players simply assigned running routes.
At the moment Modrić was about to take the kick, Mandžukić, Petrić, and Šimunić surged forward, directly occupying Germany's defense.
Šuker took advantage and dashed fiercely toward the near post.
Modrić found the perfect moment and lofted a high ball.
Šuker squeezed through the crowd to the near post.
The ball hit his chest.
Šuker stepped back slightly, then suddenly twisted his body.
The ball bounced off Šuker's chest and slipped past the near post into the net again.
Whoosh!Goal again!Croatia 4-1 Germany.
"Another goal!!"
Kraushvić felt like his brain was oxygen-starved; he could hardly shout anymore.
This overwhelming happiness slammed his head, making him dizzy.
But the Croatian fans on site were wild.
They celebrated this goal with the loudest cheers.
In the final moments of the first half, Šuker scored again.
"Šuker! A hat-trick!"
"This is Šuker's power! This is the impact of Croatia's number 9!"
"The German machine was crushed by Šuker and Croatia!"
Italian commentator Aldo Serra shouted powerfully.
Beep!
The whistle blew.
The first half ended.
Happel Stadium was filled with Croatian fans' cheers.
Three goals ahead at halftime.
Šuker's hat-trick.
How can Germany turn this around?
At this moment, Croatia had victory in their hands.
Facing their first ever European Championship, they were ecstatic.
Amid fierce applause, Croatian players walked toward the tunnel.
On the other side, German players hung their heads low.
Though they started well, the match turned to shit afterward.
"Lahm should be subbed off in the second half!"
Šuker ate a banana.
He brought up the system panel and used a recovery status card.
Full status—ready to charge Germany's defense again.
This was an extra insurance!
This match would definitely not be allowed to be turned around by Germany.
Inside the German locker room was silence.
Lahm's expression was angry—not just about the score, but about his own performance.
"Captain!"
Lahm suddenly stood up.
He looked at Ballack, who was discussing tactics, and gritted his teeth:
"Don't take me off. I promise, I will shut down Šuker in the second half!"
Ballack frowned.
Under normal circumstances, Lahm really should have been subbed off.
Šuker was tearing him apart.
But Ballack was a nice guy.
He didn't have the decisiveness of Kahn.
Besides, Lahm was very talented, and Ballack hoped the young player could learn from shame and fight back stronger.
"I'll give you ten minutes," Ballack said grimly.
Lahm nodded, "I'll prove it to you!"
After halftime ended.
When players came out of the tunnel, Šuker was surprised to see Lahm still in the lineup.
Soon, he couldn't help but shake his head.
Ballack, the nice guy!
As expected, courting disaster.
This guy was born rebellious.
Tolerating him now would only let Lahm run wild even more.
Also, why not sub him out in this situation?
Do they really think a miracle will happen?
Šuker shook his head.
It was exactly this kind of personality that ruined his career.