"I'm already starting to get nervous!" Kovacic clasped his hands together, his legs shaking.
The atmosphere of the World Cup is different from the European Championship.
The European Championship is fiercely competitive, but it hasn't reached the level of the World Cup yet.
Perhaps it's a psychological factor making him more sensitive.
Of course, besides nervousness, there's also excitement and agitation, even an eagerness to get on the field.
But he wasn't named in the starting lineup.
In the era of Modrić and Rakitić, no matter how talented you are, you have to wait your turn.
Wave after wave of cheers already echoed throughout the stadium.
Fans from both sides were using their loudest voices to boost their players' morale, accompanied by various whistles, musical instruments, and other noises interweaving, making the entire stadium even more hot.
When the players from both teams entered the field, the atmosphere reached its peak.
After the respective national anthems, the team captains conducted the coin toss, and then the teams moved to their respective halves.
The first half would start with Croatia kicking off!
"Welcome to the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for this match of the 2014 World Cup."
"Nearly 200,000 fans have packed this stadium today. Playing in front of such a massive crowd must put immense pressure on the players from both teams."
"But the match is about to begin; the arrow is on the string and must be released!"
"Group D of the World Cup is a highly competitive group. The outcome of any match will determine the subsequent fixtures and qualification prospects. Therefore, the Croatian lads must be fully focused!"
Klausović vigorously pumped his fist: "Let's win this opening match!"
Whoooooooooooooooooooooosh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! –
The stadium erupted in cheers once again.
The reason was simple: Suker's close-up appeared once more on the big screen.
Croatia's iconic red and white checkered home jersey, the emblematic number 9.
Every time Suker appeared on screen, it sparked waves of intense cheers and shouts from the crowd, demonstrating his immense global popularity.
Those watching this match weren't just fans; even teams aiming for the World Cup trophy, like Germany and Brazil, were also keeping an eye on this formidable opponent.
On screen, Suker's expression remained relaxed. Although he was actively preparing for the match, he didn't seem anxious, rather very composed.
He even looked around the stadium, a hint of novelty in his eyes.
Suker did find this Maracanã Stadium special.
The Bernabéu and Camp Nou are already huge!
With a capacity of 100,000 each, they are definitely world-class stadiums.
But this stadium can hold 200,000 people, which is truly astonishing.
The roar of the crowd alone was enough to be shocking, sometimes even making the ground feel like it was vibrating.
Playing in such a stadium requires immense mental strength.
Fortunately, for this match, Croatia fielded experienced veterans, so stage fright wasn't an issue.
Besides Suker, others were also actively communicating before the match.
Srna was repeatedly boosting morale, reminding the players to do their jobs.
Mandžukić stood on the center spot with the ball at his feet. Suker moved slowly and finally came to stand beside him.
"Gerrard and Lampard are both starting. Their midfield is a bit..." Mandžukić didn't know how to describe the feeling.
It looks strong, but not that strong.
Suker: "Let's just play our own game well!"
In fact, England's performance in this World Cup wasn't outstanding; they didn't even make it out of the group stage, so Suker wasn't particularly worried about this match.
Moreover, Suker felt his own form was very hot, and that alone was enough to cause trouble for England's defense.
Soon, the referee began pressing his earpiece for final adjustments.
At that moment, the entire stadium became tense.
Even the cheers and shouts died down considerably.
On screen, the referee retreated from the center circle, the camera pulling back to show a bird's eye view of the entire stadium.
At the same time, the whistle blew, and Mandžukić decisively kicked off.
"The match is underway! The match is underway!"
"This is the first match of Group D in the 2014 World Cup, Croatia versus England. The outcome of this match is crucial for both teams."
"Facing the formidable Croatia of today, England must also be fully focused!"
Commentators from various countries were providing their pre-match reports.
Meanwhile, on the field, Croatia had already started passing the ball fluidly.
Croatia isn't a possession-based team, but they have many technical players, allowing them to control the ball steadily.
Moreover, Suker didn't press too high up but maintained closer contact with the midfield.
This kept Croatia in a very stable state regarding midfield control.
"Croatia with consecutive passes, the passing is very fluid, the rhythm feels smooth!"
"This is thanks to Modrić's orchestration in midfield. As a current world-class midfielder, Modrić is absolutely key to Croatia's midfield stability!"
"At the same time, Suker is constantly drifting and making supporting runs in the half-spaces..."
At that moment, Modrić played a through ball to Suker.
England pounced immediately, with multiple players closing down.
Coincidentally, Suker had his back to goal, in a blind spot.
Just as everyone thought Suker would be surrounded, he elegantly flicked the ball with the outside of his boot, turned away from Gerrard's challenge, and, facing another English player's press and the dropping ball, lightly tapped it sideways to the advancing Modrić.
The entire sequence was very graceful and relaxed.
No tension causing stiffness, just easy and natural.
"Suker is really calm!" Klausović watched delightedly. As Croatia's star player, Suker's performance was linked to the team's overall state.
Seeing Suker so relaxed made him very happy.
It indicated Suker was in excellent form and daring to try things.
Like this turn with the flick – it might seem simple, but there are so many details to handle during the contact and touch. A slight mishap could lead to a turnover.
Therefore, many players would choose a safer stop-and-pass approach.
But Suker, after just a few touches early in the game, immediately started making moves.
And this kind of performance would put more pressure on England.
Similarly, soon after Suker's attempt, Rakitić followed suit.
Facing a double team, he swiftly performed a single-footed outside drag-inside cut, somewhat resembling an elastico, but done while moving, making it highly entertaining.
"Oh~~ Rakitić!! Croatia is starting to have fun!"
Rakitić's successful dribble boosted Croatia's morale another notch.
In contrast, England looked rigid and clumsy.
Moreover, having been skillfully beaten twice in a row, they were now somewhat mad.
Coincidentally, the ball came to Mandžukić's feet.
Mandžukić's feet were itching, and he planned to show off a bit too.
But before he could make a move, Gerrard came in from the side and tackled him, taking both man and ball.
Mandžukić fell flat on his back, his head somewhat dazed.
Gerrard, still angry, even roared at Mandžukić.
Mandžukić looked bewildered!
Wait!
It wasn't me who showboated against you, why tackle me?
However, Mandžukić won Croatia the first set-piece of the match.
The free-kick was in a good position, not far from the edge of the box and centrally located.
Suker stepped up to take it.
Now calmed down, Gerrard probably regretted it.
The position was indeed dangerous, but what's done is done; he could only focus on organizing the wall.
"Croatia's first set-piece comes in just the 4th minute. Suker will take this free-kick. Let's see the quality..."
All fans in the stadium, except the English ones, were looking forward to the quality of Suker's kick.
In the stands, Croatian fans watched nervously.
They didn't dare make too much noise, afraid of disturbing Suker's preparation.
Oripe nervously rubbed his hands: "I don't know why, but I have a feeling this might go in?"
"I have that feeling too!"
"Suker has scored quite a few free-kicks from this position, right?"
Mrlinar and Bakić were also very tense.
Just then, following the whistle, Suker started his run-up.
"Suker starts his run-up, left foot curving it..." Pausing briefly, watching the ball's trajectory, Klausović's eyes widened, and he roared, "This ball...!"
The ball described a beautiful arc, sweeping in a large curve towards the far corner of the goal.
English goalkeeper Joe Hart his body stretched out, jumping high.
But the problem was, the angle was too tight, almost the theoretical top corner, and it had a dipping trajectory.
The ball slipped through Hart's fingertips and nestled into the corner.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! –
At that moment, the entire Maracanã erupted.
Fans all around the stadium burst into cheers and shouts.
Especially the Croatian fans, who jumped up to celebrate the moment the goal went in.
"It's in! It's in! Oh my god, what did I say!"
"A direct free-kick goal in the fourth minute! A perfect start!"
"The angle was just too tricky. Hart reacted, but it was useless!"
"God! We actually used to play with this guy!"
Oripe and the other three hugged each other, celebrating excitedly.
The Croatian fans around them went even wilder.
Commentator Klausović also jumped up from his chair, practically shouting into the microphone:
"Goal! Goal! Goal! Suker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! –"
He shouted loudly,
At that moment, his heart was pounding wildly, adrenaline pumping, making him extremely excited.
"A goal in just the 4th minute, an absolutely perfect start!"
"Suker is on fire! He's scored Croatia's first goal of this World Cup!"
"Faced with that curve, Hart had no chance; he did his best to save it, but still couldn't reach the ball!"
"Croatia 1:0 England!! –"
After shouting, Klausović covered the microphone, waving his arms, a string of curses leaving his mouth.
This was his way of venting excitement!
If he didn't let it out, he felt his heart would explode.
A goal in just the 4th minute – it came much earlier than anyone anticipated.
England's defense was breached from a single set-piece.
This was very bad news for England.
"Ooooh~~~~~"
Inside the Brazilian team's hotel.
Neymar couldn't help but let his mouth form an 'O' shape.
As a technical player himself, his free-kick ability is also strong, but the curve on Suker's free-kick truly amazed him.
Not just that; first match, first shot, and he could produce such an outstanding performance made him feel the gap between himself and Suker.
Kaká grinned. "So, you absolutely cannot give him chances within his shooting range!"
"What is his shooting range?" Oscar asked.
Kaká fell silent.
Not just him, Marcelo and Casemiro nearby also fell silent.
Suker seems to have scored all kinds of goals.
Long-range chips too!
In terms of shooting range, of course, the closer the higher the probability, but Suker's long shots are equally threatening.
"When we face Croatia, it might be necessary to assign a man-marking midfielder," the Brazilian coach said.
Kaká nodded in strong agreement. "Absolutely! I think so too!"
Brasília, capital of Brazil!
In the German team's hotel, the moment they saw the goal, the German players also leaned back in their seat grabbing their heads.
"That goal... no chance!" Neuer stated directly. "Couldn't save it!"
As a goalkeeper himself, he knew the threat of that shot all too well.
The power, angle, and trajectory of that ball were practically perfect.
"This guy... does his form never dip? And he doesn't even get injured? It's just..." Götze started, but Schweinsteiger next to him coughed and gestured towards Lahm.
Lahm looked somewhat awkward.
The only major injury in Suker's career, and it was a serious one, was caused by him.
Back then, the incident caused quite a stir, and Lahm bore the 'Butcher' label for a while.
Although a long time has passed, mentioning it still made him feel awkward and guilty.
He was tough but fair!
You have to have the right attitude on the professional field.
But his tackle that time was indeed bad.
"So, is there no way to limit Suker?" Müller changed the subject.
At that, everyone instinctively looked at Kroos. As Suker's teammate, he should know better.
Kroos pondered for a moment and shook his head. "Real Madrid understands Suker, but precisely because we understand, we know there's no truly effective way to limit him."
"Still have to play attacking football!" Boateng added. "Otherwise, the defense will be torn apart by Suker."
The German players couldn't help but sigh. Suker had always been a shadow over them, one they couldn't shake off.
They turned their attention back to the TV.
On screen, Croatia had finished celebrating.
Because of this goal, Croatian morale had peaked.
Scoring in the 4th minute, and with such a beautiful free-kick, not only severely dampened England's spirits but also ignited Croatia's fighting spirit.
One could say that, based on this goal, Croatia's performance would only get better.
On the sidelines, Besić scratched his head.
Plans can't keep up with changes!
He thought about starting steadily, probing England's tactics first, but he didn't expect Suker to score directly.
Of course, it was a good thing, but it also required tactical adjustments.
Now that the goal was in, the probing phase was over.
England wouldn't give them a chance to probe either; because of the conceded goal, England's counterattack would be fierce.
So, next was a real head-to-head fight!
Besić made a hand gesture towards the field, and the Croatian players understood immediately.
He was telling them to unleash!
In fact, after the goal, they were already planning to do just that.
They were all seasoned veterans; they knew very well what kind of play to adopt based on different situations as the match progressed.
The match restarted, and after the kick-off, England's offense became more intense.
They were eager to equalize; they couldn't let this situation drag on too long.
They also increased the pressing intensity in the midfield and attacking third, trying to speed up the tempo.
But the problem was, their midfield was a notch below Croatia's in terms of quality.
Therefore, even when actively trying to do these things, they struggled to control the rhythm.
Modrić seemed to handle the ball leisurely but grasped the pace well.
With Rakitić supporting him, Croatia's midfield was as stable as a rock.
"No chances given!" The English commentator sighed, watching Croatia consistently move the ball out of danger with one-touch passes.
England's pressing intensity wasn't insignificant.
But they just couldn't achieve effective results. It seemed like they were running fiercely, but it was all futile effort, just running for the sake of running, without much positive impact on the game.
Suker could also see it clearly from the front.
England was playing messy!
It was as if the central command was dead, causing the limbs to act independently.
That's the feeling England gave right now.
They played hard, ran actively, but it was useless!
Their pressing coordination was poor; even if they won the ball, it would be won back within five passes.
In attack, they relied mostly on crude long balls.
When trying to play ground passes, the ball often didn't come back once passed out.
Another problem was Sterling!
This guy is really selfish!
Not to say his performance was bad; in fact, he was England's most effective dribbler at the moment.
But the problem was, this guy doesn't pass!
Once the ball reached Sterling's feet, he would just put his head down and dribble until he lost it!
No wonder England was struggling!