"Croatia's goal has given them even greater initiative. With the situation already leaning towards Croatia, this goal will certainly tip the momentum in their favor!"
As the match progressed, Costa Rica was undeniably suppressed too severely.
They could barely organize a single effective attack.
Although it was believed before the match that they could rely on defense and counterattacks to create a few threatening opportunities, so far, there hasn't been a single one.
Croatia's control over the midfield was also very decisive, not giving their opponents any chances at all.
Most critically, Costa Rica's No. 10 player, Ruiz, who had performed excellently before, completely lost his presence in this match. Since the game began, he seemed to have vanished.
In fact, Ruiz also played very uncomfortably, or rather, very confused.
He could do very little. As the pivot for offense-defense transitions, he needed to act as an attacking engine and also handle ball distribution during transitions.
But Costa Rica's speed in offense-defense transitions was clearly not as fast as Croatia's.
Just as they were starting to turn to launch a counterattack, Croatia had already retreated at full speed and set up their defense one step ahead.
In this situation, Ruiz's efficiency in delivering threatening passes was greatly reduced.
What's more, in normal circumstances, Modrić was already pressuring him.
Ruiz couldn't hold the ball; once he did, he would face Croatia's intense pressing.
But if he wanted to pass, his forward passing options were too few.
The resulting situation was constant back passes or lateral transfers, and the tempo was dragged out repeatedly.
It could be said that, so far, they have been playing according to Croatia's rhythm.
Whatever Croatia wanted to do, they would react belatedly and then try to compensate, but this compensation always resulted in a disadvantage, and the gap in the situation only widened.
"The first half is almost over, but so far, Costa Rica still hasn't managed to create any threatening attacks. They are always scrambling, playing at Croatia's pace!"
"I think they must make some changes to break free from this passive rhythm."
The Brazil commentator shook his head and said, "This match can't get any worse, so why not give it your all?"
If it were him, he felt he would go all out against Croatia.
Even if he lost, he would still advance, there was nothing to be afraid of!
Costa Rica was already playing with a challenging mindset, so why not be more extreme? If the normal tactics aren't working, why not look for other methods?
Dying by slow fire is death, and being stewed by fierce fire is also death!
The latter would be quicker, at least it would have been intense!
After Costa Rica kicked off, the rhythm remained unchanged. They also realized that they should be more proactive.
Or rather, if they continued to play like this, they would eventually be worn down by Croatia.
In terms of squad, Croatia already had an advantage.
Although it was hard to admit, these guys were indeed world-class players.
Moreover, their experience in major tournaments and other aspects were much richer than Costa Rica's. If they continued to play methodically, they might really be worn out.
Bang!
Campbell, looking a bit frustrated, attempted a long-range shot from outside the box, but the result was obvious; it didn't even hit the goal frame.
An angry Campbell couldn't help but stomp his foot and curse in frustration, and at this moment, the Referee decisively blew the whistle for halftime.
The cheers of the Croatian fans in the stadium soared, although there were also cheers from Costa Rican fans, they weren't as intense as at the start of the match.
Both teams' players walked towards the player tunnel; they were heading back to the locker room to prepare for the second half.
Inside Costa Rica's locker room.
"There's no point. If we continue to play like this, we won't find any chances for a counterattack at all."
Ruiz said loudly, "We should be more proactive!"
"But being proactive might mean conceding more goals!"
Center-back González said.
Ruiz turned his head: "Are we afraid of conceding goals? We came into this match with a challenging mindset. To be honest, the chances of losing are higher than winning, and I believe you all know that. The situation is already like this, why not try to play more proactively?"
The first half had exhausted Ruiz and Campbell, as well as other attacking midfielders.
For defense, they had to actively track back.
And every time they ran back, then had to restart for a counterattack, they simply couldn't keep up with the rhythm. Also, their offense-defense transitions were simply not as quick as Croatia's.
This was also the reason why their repeated counterattacks were ineffective.
The entire 45 minutes had proven that the first-half tactics were useless, so why persist?
"I agree with Ruiz!" Campbell raised his hand and said, "If we lose the match like this, I really won't be happy with myself."
Without even one threatening shot, he was unwilling to end the match like this.
He had entered the match full of passion, but after half a game, he felt completely lost.
If only there had been one or two threatening attacks, it wouldn't have been like this.
For 45 minutes, they were suffocated.
Defended, counterattack failed!
Continued defending! Then the counterattack failed again!
The entire first half was a loop of this pattern; it would be strange if their mentality didn't suffer.
Of course, as defenders, González and others also had their concerns.
Even with the attacking midfielders tracking back, their pressure was so immense. If only part of the team retreated, their pressure would only increase.
They also understood that increasing attacking efforts meant increasing the probability of winning.
But once the defensive line was completely breached, or directly collapsed, there would be no point in playing the match anymore.
At this moment, Costa Rica clearly had many reservations, making it difficult for them to make a decision.
Costa Rica's Head Coach watched this scene, slowly exhaled, and said, "Children, let's make sure we have no regrets in this match!"
"In the second half, we will sacrifice some defense to increase our attacking efficiency."
Upon hearing this, Ruiz and the others showed surprise.
González frowned slightly; "But if that's the case…"
"I know!"
The Head Coach waved his hand, signaling them to let him finish.
"We need to attack, and the pressure on our defense will inevitably increase, and the risks will also increase. But we also need to understand that if we keep going like this, we will only be slowly worn down!"
"What is our goal in this match? No one believes we can win now, even we ourselves are questioning ourselves, and at such a time, it's even more important to strengthen your beliefs!"
"Come on! Children, let's believe in each other, and believe that you yourselves can create a miracle!"
Inside Croatia's locker room, Bešić was also methodically arranging tactics.
"The second half will continue the tactics from the first half. In midfield, pay more attention to control. Vukojević and Ćorluka are warming up, ready to come on as substitutes!"
After Bešić finished discussing tactics, when he turned around, he saw Van Stoyak waving at him.
"What's wrong?" Bešić walked over and asked.
Van Stoyak pursed his lips: "I feel that Costa Rica will change their tactics in the second half!"
Bešić raised an eyebrow slightly: "Are you saying they will attack proactively?"
"Exactly!" Van Stoyak nodded: "Costa Rica has no promotion pressure, they will play more freely. Also, if I were Costa Rica's Head Coach, they would let the players attack in the second half, to gain initiative through offense!"
"To be honest, with our current lineup, we have too few interception points in midfield. Brozović and Modrić are not players known for their defense. So, shouldn't we consider bringing on Vukojević directly?"
Bringing on Vukojević would mean having a buffer in midfield, which could alleviate some pressure on the defensive line and also increase the defensive solidity.
This would make Croatia more secure.
Bešić stroked his chin in thought.
Van Stoyak also didn't rush him. This was his feeling; he believed Costa Rica wouldn't just sit back and wait to be defeated.
After a moment, Bešić suddenly said, "Call Vukojević back!"
"You're going to put him on?" Van Stoyak asked.
The latter immediately nodded.
He hadn't expected Bešić to be so decisive in implementing it.
"This won't do us any harm, right? What we need is stability, eliminating all unstable obstacles, and winning the match smoothly. Although it will sacrifice some opportunities for young players to gain experience, our goal in this World Cup is very big, and our ambition is very strong, so sometimes we have to make appropriate adjustments."
Bešić was never a rigid person.
Many people felt that he advocated defensive counter-attacking tactics, and therefore thought he was not passionate enough.
But in fact, Bešić rarely used this style of play in matches, or rather, he adopted different tactics depending on the game.
From this point, one can see that his style is very flexible.
Many people, when leading, are unwilling to make substitutions first, preferring to make changes later.
Bešić, however, dared to make such adjustments based only on speculation.
Moreover, as Bešić stated, what they wanted was stability; even with substitutions, there wouldn't be much problem with overall control.
At worst, it would just involve Suker dropping back more to increase midfield control.
Bešić wanted to secure the win without any surprises.
A complete victory in the group stage was enough to give them more confidence and better form in the knockout stage.
"Halftime is over, and we've received news from the front: Croatia has made a substitution first?"
The Brazil commentator spoke with a puzzled tone; clearly, making a substitution first while leading was very rare.
However, this could also be Croatia's choice to increase their defensive capability.
After all, they sent on Vukojević, a defensive midfielder!
As for the other side, Costa Rica's Head Coach's face paled when he saw this substitution.
"They guessed it!"
Costa Rica's Head Coach looked terrible. They made a bold decision, but Croatia seemed to have anticipated it, making an adjustment in advance.
This meant their attacking tactics for the start of the second half would not be as easy to implement.
Costa Rica's players also looked at each other; this substitution was a bit too critical.
They all turned to look at their Head Coach, who nodded firmly.
At this point, there was no turning back.
Since they had already made a decision, no matter how Croatia changed, they would have to endure it.
"Caught them!"
Seeing Costa Rica's positioning, Van Stoyak couldn't help but clench his fist.
Bešić also grinned, turning his head to say, "You can always guess what tactical changes the opponent will make."
It wasn't just this time; Van Stoyak's prophetic tactical analyzation always put Croatia at an advantage.
And this time, Costa Rica's formation change was also caught by them.
Currently, Costa Rica, despite no changes in player selection, had a drastic change in their positioning.
From the initial 5-4-1 formation, it had now become a 4-3-1-2, a more offensive formation.
Among them, Ruiz was naturally the best choice for the attacking midfielder role.
He hid behind the two forwards and also stood in front of the three midfielders, playing a linking role. With teammates supporting him, he wouldn't face the awkward situation of not finding an outlet for the ball, as he did in the first half.
If it were according to Croatia's first-half formation, Modrić and Brozović would each occupy half of the defensive area, but there wouldn't be a clear defensive point.
This would allow Ruiz to be in a more free state.
But the problem was, their change was caught by Van Stoyak.
Vukojević's appearance meant that even if Ruiz hid behind, he would still be disturbed by Vukojević.
"They really ran right into it!"
Suker said, somewhat surprised.
He truly admired Van Stoyak's tactical prediction ability. When coaching in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Van Stoyak was known for his wild tactical imagination.
Of course, there were also situations where some special operations led to awkward situations, but more often, he caught tactical changes.
"Costa Rica is going all out!"
"They have to go all out, otherwise they won't gain the initiative, let alone victory."
"Vukojević will mark Ruiz!"
Suker turned to look, and his eyes met Vukojević's. The latter gave a thumbs-up, as if saying, 'Don't worry.'
Just that gesture made Suker couldn't help but smile.
This guy always gave Suker a great sense of security!
On camera, Ruiz's expression at this moment was excruciatingly painful.
The first half was already bad enough, but now he was being targeted again in the second half.
He wasn't sure how Croatia guessed their tactical changes, but it certainly hit the mark.
But just as the Head Coach said, the arrow was on the string and had to be fired; they had to attack even if it meant biting the bullet!
Whoosh!!!!!!!!!!!!—
The cheers from the crowd grew louder.
The Referee, after confirming the signals from both Goalkeepers, immediately exited the center circle and blew his whistle.
The second half began with Costa Rica kicking off.
"Take it slow! Pay more attention to my position!"
From the start of the match, Ruiz showed a positive attitude.
He knew clearly whether the second half could open up depended on whether he could make an impact in the game.
Although Vukojević's appearance put pressure on him, what if Vukojević wasn't targeting him?
As he thought about these things and slowly moved towards Croatia's half, he suddenly felt an impact from behind.
The impact wasn't strong, but it was like a wall, not letting him pass.
Ruiz turned to look, and he saw Vukojević standing right beside him. At this moment, Ruiz's hanging heart finally died.
Damn it!
He was here just to target him!
Bang!
Ruiz's first touch was very uncomfortable.
As soon as he tried to control the ball, he was interfered with by Vukojević and subjected to intense pressing. Although he managed to pass it out, he was still struggling.
However, Costa Rica's tactics were clear: to launch attacks relying on Ruiz.
Campbell was also receiving the ball in the front field.
Compared to the first half, Costa Rica indeed had more options for forward passes and a more aggressive attacking mindset.
But the problem was, their offense wasn't smooth.
"Are you sick?"
Suker watched Ruiz's several dribbling choices and couldn't help but complain.
Ruiz, similar to Suker, was an agile player with a higher technical component.
When this type of player tries to evade, they don't think about creating space but rather about their first touch, then shielding the ball, and finally looking for an opportunity to break through.
This simply delighted the defenders.
This meant that defensive players could freely use their large physiques for challenges and pressure.
If it were Suker, he would have either passed the ball immediately or actively dropped back to receive the ball, created distance, and then found a way to get past the opponent.
But Ruiz chose to go head-to-head, using his weakest weapon against the opponent's strongest physical advantage.
But this also precisely proved that Ruiz's thoughts were chaotic; in the intense match, he couldn't make calm judgments.
Not only Suker, but most of the players on Croatia's side had noticed it.
They were all players who had competed in top-level matches for many years, and they were very sensitive to information in the game, especially these kinds of mental changes.
Vukojević was naturally the first to notice this, and he continued to put pressure on Ruiz for this reason.
His goal was to make him uncomfortable, to make him miserable.
Once Ruiz couldn't perform, Costa Rica wouldn't gain any advantage.
"There's basically no change!" the Brazil commentator grimaced.
There should have been a change, but Croatia caught it.
Vukojević was clearly playing as a man-marking midfielder!
Wherever Ruiz ran, he followed!
The main goal was to make Ruiz uncomfortable, gradually disrupting Costa Rica's overall rhythm.
In the first half, Croatia demonstrated their steady ability in ball control.
And in the second half, they showed stable defensive ability!
At the same time, this defense was also a high-level tactic.
Don't look at Croatia being on the defensive; the situation was actually controlled by Croatia.
Costa Rica's passes weren't going wherever they wanted them to go.
Instead, they could only pass to where Croatia allowed them to!
In other words, Croatia clearly didn't have possession, but they still controlled the rhythm.
Conversely, Costa Rica seemed proactive but was in a passive situation.
It was just that one counter-attack from Croatia could directly finish Costa Rica off!