"Let's congratulate Croatia! Despite some twists and turns in the match, we successfully won it and advanced to the knockout stage a round early!"
Krauchivich was extremely pleased. Croatia's performance in this World Cup had been remarkably steady.
There were no signs of slacking off; it was a smooth ride. From the very first match, they played steadily and secured their ticket to the knockout stage in the second round.
This victory meant Croatia could relax a bit, but to secure first place in the group, Croatia still needed to be somewhat cautious.
Now, Croatia only had one last group stage match left, which was against Costa Rica.
As the dark horse team of this World Cup, Costa Rica's second match against England would determine what tactics Croatia would adopt.
The moment they left the stadium, fans were still gathered around.
This had become a habit; fans were reluctant to leave for a long time, and the team bus could only enter the road under the escort of security personnel.
Back at the hotel, the players returned to their respective rooms to put away their luggage, then reassembled in the conference room.
They naturally needed to watch Costa Rica's match against England, as it was a way to scout their opponent in advance.
Suker arrived a bit late; since he hadn't showered at the stadium, he took a shower upon returning.
When he entered the conference room, the entire room was quiet.
Suker looked at the screen and saw that the score was already Costa Rica leading 1:0.
"Who scored?"
Suker walked over and sat next to Modrić, asking.
"Ruiz!"
"The number 10?"
Modrić nodded: "Costa Rica's forward line is efficient, and their penetration ability is very strong. Plus, with a stable defensive line and Navas's excellent performance, there's a good reason why they've become this World Cup's dark horse!"
Suker looked at the big screen, just as Costa Rica was in an attacking phase.
To be honest, they didn't look like a dark horse team.
Most dark horse teams play passionate football, attacking fiercely without much room for maneuvering.
But Costa Rica's situation was different; not only could their forwards drop back to link up with the midfield, but their central and defensive midfielders could also coordinate to improve defensive quality, and Goalkeeper Navas's command from the very back was also crucial.
The Goalkeeper's position is at the very back, and his vision is also the best, allowing him to see the entire field.
Therefore, after many of Navas's instructions were given, Costa Rica quickly executed them, which significantly improved the quality of their defensive line.
Such a Costa Rica team truly had the potential to defeat Uruguay and England; at the very least, compared to the two teams in poor form, Costa Rica was indeed in red-hot form.
The World Cup is never short of upsets, and Costa Rica's dark horse status added a lot of color to the World Cup.
Moreover, both Uruguay and England were former World Cup champions, and two major World Cup champions being defeated by a dark horse team would naturally make the atmosphere even more fervent.
If Costa Rica won this match, they would definitely qualify.
Leaving two former World Cup champions in disarray.
Before the tournament, they were considered pushovers, but after, they defeat two former champions. How could such a performance not be called a dark horse?
However, for their match against Croatia, they were still not particularly favored.
From a metaphysical perspective, Croatia had no World Cup titles, so there would be no BUFF bonus.
But for Costa Rica, simply advancing to the World Cup knockout stage would be a huge success for them.
"Are we late?"
The conference room door opened, revealing Davor Šuker and other former National Team teammates walking in one after another.
It was still the same few people: Davor Šuker, Boban, Jarni, Štimac, and Ladić, among others.
Davor Šuker walked in smiling, and he plopped down next to Bešić.
Bešić didn't even lift his head, concentrating on the television, constantly jotting down various data in his hand.
Seeing this, Davor Šuker didn't disturb him.
He turned to Suker and said, "The first two matches were fantastic!"
Davor Šuker praised him.
Although he couldn't watch it live, he still watched the entire process on television, and he had to say, it was incredibly satisfying.
The first match against England was a clean and decisive win.
In the second round against Uruguay, Croatia also maintained stable pressure.
This was much more satisfying than an offensive battle.
While offensive battles are exciting, for Croatians, they still preferred to see matches with stable pressure.
Whether it was a South America powerhouse or a European giant, they were all suppressed. After these two matches, Croatia already showed initial signs of being a champion.
"Why are you only just arriving now?"
Suker asked.
Davor Šuker: "There are still some things to deal with back home, and I also need to cooperate with FIFA. I can't just leave whenever I want. It delayed me for a while, but now I can watch the whole thing, so it's not too late."
With that, Davor Šuker looked at Srna to Suker's left, pointed at his shoulder, and said, "How is it? Not bitten badly, I hope?"
In an era of highly developed self-media and the internet, the Suarez biting incident quickly escalated and spread throughout the world.
It could be said that the whole world knew that Srna had been bitten.
"No big deal, it won't affect the match!"
Srna waved his hand; "The team doctor also gave me a simple treatment."
Davor Šuker nodded: "You still need to be careful at this time; none of you can get injured again."
Croatia was not like other European or South America powerhouses, with abundant substitute resources.
There was still a gap between the starters and the substitutes.
For example, Suker, Modrić, and Srna, these few players were completely irreplaceable.
These were also the positions where Croatia could least afford to have problems.
"How many goals are you away from Ronaldo's scoring record now?" Štimac asked Suker.
Suker: "Only two more to tie the record!"
Upon hearing this, Štimac exclaimed, "You can tie the record in just two World Cups"
When Ronaldo set the World Cup scoring record, they were already amazed.
The difficulty of scoring in the World Cup is so high that three goals in one tournament are already considered a top scorer.
Ronaldo's incredible scoring efficiency at the time had already shocked many people, including Štimac.
But he never imagined that in their next generation, an even more terrifying scorer would emerge.
Of course, Suker couldn't be called a pure scorer either.
"You guys, quiet down!"
Bešić suddenly turned his head and shouted.
Upon hearing this, Davor Šuker, Štimac, and the others smiled and remained silent.
In the National Team, Bešić was the ultimate authority; even Davor Šuker, the president of the Football Association, could not interfere with Bešić.
Time passed bit by bit, and England on the television was also making a desperate struggle.
Their situation was similar to Uruguay's; both were facing elimination.
But they didn't expect to play so passively in the match against Costa Rica.
As time entered the 80th minute, the conference room also fell silent.
Modrić and the others were somewhat surprised.
They had seen Costa Rica's lead, but they didn't expect them to maintain the lead throughout.
They thought England would score a goal to equalize in the very end of the first half, or at the beginning of the second half after adjustments, and then re-engage in the match.
But none of that happened; they played terribly!
Or rather, it was a mess!
They couldn't organize any effective attacks; even if they pushed forward stubbornly, they would be blocked by Costa Rica's defensive line and ultimately thwarted.
Costa Rica had switched to an all-out defense mode starting from the 65th minute, intending to hold onto this score until the end of the match.
And from the current situation, it seemed they could actually achieve this.
"England can't organize an effective attack; are they really going to end their World Cup journey here?"
The Brazil commentator spoke, sounding somewhat disbelieving.
World Cup Group D was truly in chaos!
The pre-tournament prediction was that Croatia would secure one qualification spot, England and Uruguay both had hopes of qualifying, and as for Costa Rica, they were just pushovers.
But the current situation was that, apart from Croatia's stable performance, the other two favored teams had all stumbled.
During stoppage time, England pushed all players forward, intending to seize one last opportunity.
They were also frantically lofting balls into the penalty area, hoping to score by winning headers.
But each time, Costa Rica precisely disrupted their efforts with pinpoint clearances; Costa Rica showed no signs of disarray, perhaps they were also feigning composure, but at least they stabilized the situation.
The final few minutes of the match were extremely intense, and England was clearly very agitated.
However, no matter how much they attacked, they couldn't score, and they even started taking shots from long range.
But shots of that quality would either be disrupted or saved by Navas.
"This Goalkeeper is really good!"
Modrić commented.
Suker didn't speak; after all, this guy was set to replace Casillas and become Real Madrid's new Goalkeeper.
Navas's performance was indeed excellent and could be considered world-class.
Beep beep beep!
The moment the whistle blew, it signaled that England had completely lost all hope of advancing.
They, along with Uruguay, exited the World Cup stage with two losses in two matches.
Croatia and Costa Rica, on the other hand, advanced hand in hand to the knockout stage; the third round would be crucial in determining who would finish first in Group D.
"Let's congratulate Costa Rica! From being completely underestimated to now defeating Uruguay and England consecutively and advancing early to the knockout stage, they have delivered an astonishing performance in this World Cup, and at the same time, they have added a lot of color to the World Cup!"
"We can see that the players of Costa Rica are also very excited!"
"In this group of death, they were originally an underestimated team, but through their excellent performance, they secured a spot in the knockout stage!"
The commentator was also quite excited, as this was completely different from their predictions, but precisely because of this, he was so thrilled.
If the World Cup were always predictable, it would be too boring.
The emergence of dark horses is like a spice, making this tournament full of surprises and excitement.
After all, before the tournament, who could have predicted that traditional powerhouses like Uruguay and England would be eliminated after just two rounds?
And the elimination of these two teams will undoubtedly make the upcoming matches even more intense.
So far, four teams have left the World Cup.
Spain, Cameroon, Uruguay, and England!
These teams are all considered world powerhouses, but their poor form and performance led to their early elimination.
This also shows that the World Cup is not about the roster, but about tactical choices and current form.
Even weaker teams have the possibility of upsetting stronger ones!
Clap!
Bešić closed his notebook and stood up, saying, "The match is over. We should prepare to go to Brasilia. Get some early rest tonight; we'll leave here first thing tomorrow morning."
With that, Bešić and Van Stoyak left early, clearly intending to further study tactics.
However, the Croatia players did not leave; instead, they gathered to chat, including Davor Šuker and others.
"This Costa Rica team feels very dangerous. If we don't play well, we could also lose!"
Modrić said, stroking his chin.
"Uruguay lost due to underestimation, and England lost in the midfield. We lack none of these things." Suker waved his hand, saying, "We won't lose."
Srna laughed, "Can't you show some tension?"
"Now is not the time." Suker turned his head and said, "The knockout stage hasn't started yet, why are you all so unnecessarily nervous? Our opponents aren't strong enough yet. In the future, we might face top teams like Brazil, Germany, Netherlands, and Argentina. For now, let's just adjust our form well; there will be plenty of time to explode later!"
Everyone nodded. Davor Šuker, who was beside them, spoke up: "Brazil is indeed very tricky. I hope we don't encounter them early!"
Suker turned to look at him.
"What's wrong?" Davor Šuker asked.
Suker shook his head; "Nothing!"
He believed that Davor Šuker was still operating under a habitual mindset.
After all, in his era, the Brazil Team was indeed excessively strong.
However, even though this Brazil Team is much better than in the original timeline, it hasn't reached that level.
Furthermore, among these teams, Brazil might be the least threatening.
On the other hand, Germany and Argentina, whom he had overlooked, were the key.
Argentina's attacking power is very strong, especially their frontline's penetration and breakthrough ability, which will pose a threat to Croatia's defense.
Germany and Croatia are in a similar situation; they are both very balanced.
Therefore, Suker did not want to meet Germany too early!
His 'too early' referred to the quarterfinals!
According to the situation of these teams, they will likely all finish first in their groups. As long as Croatia secures a victory in their next match, they will also be group winners, thus avoiding meeting them in the Round of 16.
By avoiding the quarterfinal draw, the rhythm would be perfect.
However, Suker also had one concern: their draw luck had always been poor.
They chatted for a while longer, returning to their rooms to rest a little later.
The next day, Croatia was set to start moving in the morning!
World Cup matches are held in different cities and on different stadiums, so they need to constantly travel.
For example, the third match will be held in Brasilia, the Capital of Brazil.
Croatia also needed to travel during the morning hours.
"I feel very excited and thrilled. We have secured our World Cup qualification, which makes our World Cup meaningful, and for me personally, I am about to play on the same field as the world's best number 9, which is also a treat for me!"
On the bus moving from the airport, the in-car broadcast played an interview with Costa Rica's number 9 player, Joel Campbell. Since he was interviewed in English, the Croatia players could all understand.
Born in 1992, Campbell was having a very outstanding performance in his first World Cup.
His brilliant performance not only brought him fame but also finally ended his loan spell, earning him a place in Arsenal's first team.
It seemed everything was moving in a good direction, and what's more, Campbell would be playing alongside his idol.
In the interview, Campbell unreservedly bestowed the title of 'the world's best number 9' upon Suker, and from this statement, it's not hard to tell that he is one of Suker's fans.
"The whole world is your fan!" Srna said, smiling at Suker.
Mandžukić even looked at Suker with envy.
The moment they arrived at Brasilia Airport, a group of Brazil fans presented Suker with a TIFO show.
Although it wasn't very large, it showed their affection for Suker.
Given that there were so many fans in a land Suker rarely visited, one can imagine his worldwide fame.
Even in professional football, Suker's fans' adoration for him is inescapable!
In the retrospectives and videos of newly emerging young talents and prodigies, one can see posters of Suker filling various spaces.
Campbell is not an isolated case; many talented players strive with Suker as their goal.
And there will be many more such cases in the future!
The local fans in Brasilia are enthusiastic.
When Croatia arrived, even though it wasn't their team, they still gave them enthusiastic applause and cheers.
Compared to other cities, the security here should be better; one doesn't see too many heavily armed soldiers on the streets, or perhaps they are blocking other entry and exit points.
But there wasn't that awkward feeling!
The bus traveled from the airport to the hotel without any hindrance.
The hotel was located about one kilometer from the stadium, and their training ground was two kilometers away, making it very convenient.
Upon arriving at the hotel, checking in, and having a quick lunch, the players began their daily training.
With the upcoming World Cup third round, perhaps due to their early qualification, their own pressure wasn't that great.
The most stressful match should have been the first one, as that game required a strong start, and they completed that task very well.
Now everything is on track: adjusting their form, waiting for matches, and winning them one by one – this is Croatia's next goal.
As for goals too far in the future, they still don't think about them!
It's still too early!