"Chile's formation looks a bit unstable in the backline!" the Brazilian commentator questioned.
This formation might be acceptable against weaker teams, as the three defenders allow one player to be pulled out to strengthen midfield control, while also enabling the midfield to drive attacks forward.
But the problem is, Chile's opponent is Croatia!
Croatia, with numerous playmakers and attackers like Suker, Mandžukić, and Rakitić, has the potential to soar against a three-man defense.
Especially Suker on the wing. In Suker's club and National Team matches, any opponent who dared to use a three-man defense against him was severely punished.
Of course, Chile had their own ideas, which the Brazilian commentator was unaware of.
But in his opinion, this formation was indeed not stable enough.
"Chile wants to compete with us for the midfield tempo!" Bešić said, raising his eyebrows slightly.
Croatia had adopted a midfield tempo-controlling formation since the group stage. Compared to counter-attacking, they played more of a possession-based game that controlled the initiative.
Chile naturally assumed that this was Croatia's primary style of play in this World Cup.
After all, ever since Spain swept the World Cup with their possession-based play in 2010, many teams became infatuated with this style, even going so far as to abandon their traditional tactics to imitate and learn it.
Germany in the future would be the best proof of this!
The current Germany was still somewhat restrained, but after this World Cup, Germany would abandon its traditional style and madly pursue possession-based play.
This also led to Germany's unprecedented Waterloo in the 2018 Russia World Cup, where they were eliminated directly in the group stage.
Chile believed that Croatia might also be pursuing this.
But what they didn't know was that Croatia was a cohesive unit of multiple tactics. Their tactics were prepared according to different matches, and they weren't limited to playing only one type of tactic.
This was the reason why they didn't understand Croatia's essence.
"Chile is finished!" Seeing this scene, Kaka, at the hotel where the Brazil National Team was staying, immediately shook his head.
He knew too well how terrifying Suker's impact was when facing a three-man defense.
Once Suker broke through the midfield defense, the three defenders were almost useless.
Suker was a player who could create dangerous attacks even when triple-teamed.
If Croatia focused on the left-wing attack, and Modrić dropped back slightly to primarily organize, with Rakitić responsible for passing and creating opportunities for Suker, then Croatia would play much more easily.
Just as Kaka thought, after seeing this formation, Croatia's players formed a clear idea in their minds: how to play against this formation, how to run, and how to cooperate with teammates. They all had a clear concept.
Rakitić even gave Suker a thumbs-up.
'It's your time to shine!'
Suker also nodded without hesitation. Since the stage was set, he wouldn't hold back his performance.
The players from both teams stood on opposite sides of the field, and the match was about to begin.
Chile was also preparing intensely, especially Sanchez in the center circle, who kept taking deep breaths to adjust his emotions and calm himself down.
There was pressure, and it was immense.
After all, who would dare say there's no pressure playing against Croatia?
But what they needed to do now was to overcome that pressure.
Beep!!!
A sharp whistle sounded.
Sanchez decisively kicked off, then immediately charged towards Croatia's half.
Chile's midfield instantly became active. Vidal received the ball, passed it back, and then ran to the next receiving position.
But during this process, he saw Croatian players bypassing him and starting to press into their own half.
"high pressing!" A concept immediately popped into Vidal's mind.
He didn't think his midfield could withstand Croatia's high pressing.
During the World Cup, many teams used high pressing, but Germany was undoubtedly the best at it.
However, one point needed to be clarified: Croatia was the most skilled at this tactic.
After all, they were once known as the 'Croatian Athletics Team'—they could all run incredibly well!
Indeed, when Croatia began to form a purposeful pressing formation, Chile's passing became very difficult.
It even felt a bit clumsy.
"Pass it out!" Vidal immediately dropped back to receive. He clearly understood that playing with fire in their own half was dangerous and they needed to pass forward as quickly as possible.
Thanks to the large number of players deployed in the midfield, they weren't left without passing options.
Vidal quickly received the ball, but the next second, he was surrounded by Croatian players.
Perisic was eyeing him from the left, Rakitić began to press, and Brozović also blocked his passing lanes.
In an instant, Vidal was isolated.
"Croatia's high pressing. They clearly know that Chile's passes will all go through Vidal. For this reason, their prior runs were very purposeful, to make the Chilean players pass the ball to Vidal, and then immediately form a encirclement. Their target from beginning to end was Vidal!"
In the intense confrontation, Vidal was also struggling.
He could only manage a desperate turn and cross with the top of his foot. The ball was passed, but the quality of the pass was not high.
It was neither high nor low, and the ball speed was not fast.
Modrić seized this opportunity, immediately retreated a few steps, and leaped into the air. He directly intercepted the ball with his chest and headed it to Srna nearby.
Srna calmly controlled the ball with his foot. He wasn't in a hurry to pass, but waited a moment to see if the Chilean players would press. If they did, they would immediately launch a counter-attack.
But Chile seemed to be somewhat cautious. They did press, but the scale of the press was small, with only one player coming forward to interfere.
Seeing this, Srna shook his head slightly in regret. He had already prepared for a direct 45-degree long pass, which was his specialty.
In the current situation, he could only transfer the ball horizontally to the center-back Vida.
"Switch sides!" After passing the ball, Srna didn't forget to direct.
Vida immediately passed the ball to his partner Lovren, and Lovren passed it to Pranjic with one touch.
Pranjic pushed the ball forward along the sideline, Modrić arrived at the position, and once again controlled the ball.
At this moment, there were almost no Chilean players around Modrić.
"Croatia's stolen the ball, but more crucially is their choice after the steal. Seeing that Chile didn't press, they immediately switched the ball to the other side. The speed was very fast, and the tempo was very fluid. More importantly, Suker has already dropped back to receive!"
Seeing Suker drop back to receive, Modrić also passed the ball to Suker.
Suker received the ball on the wing, with his body turned, so he quickly completed the turn.
Seeing Suker receive the ball, Díaz and other Chilean midfielders immediately gathered around.
Chile's formation was said to be 3-4-3, but the actual positioning was 3-2-2-1-2.
The four midfielders were positioned in a square, forming two receiving points. Vidal was in the '1' position, which was key to the entire offensive and defensive transition.
The actual attackers were Sanchez and Vargas.
Mena and Díaz on the right simultaneously pressed Suker, and signaled Jara behind them to calm down; they would interfere with Suker first.
Seeing the two approaching, Suker surprisingly moved forward instead of retreating.
Seeing Suker's move, Díaz felt his head was about to explode.
He looked ferocious, as if he was going to tackle Suker to death, but in Suker's eyes, this was just bluster.
He might look aggressive, but in reality, he was scared to death.
Suker dribbled the ball along the sideline, and Mena was the first to follow.
At this point, Suker pushed the ball horizontally, feigning to go inside.
When Mena and Díaz both shifted their weight horizontally, Suker directly cut the ball and quickly accelerated towards the sideline again.
Suker's acceleration was very fast. Mena reacted, but still couldn't keep up.
Fortunately, Díaz was positioned slightly behind. He directly grabbed Suker around the waist—no, to be precise, he directly hung onto Suker, like in wrestling, and brought Suker down.
"Goddamn it!" Suker couldn't help but curse, glaring at Díaz.
Is this a move for football?
Why don't you go wrestling?
Díaz's expression was also a bit awkward. This was his subconscious action.
He understood that once Suker broke through this defensive line, the backline would be in danger, so he instinctively resorted to a direct tackle and hold.
And his action came at a cost.
Just 4 minutes into the match, Díaz received a yellow card!
"Díaz successfully stopped Suker, but it cost him a yellow card. Getting a yellow card in just 4 minutes means that Chile has no better way to deal with Suker's impact than to foul him. But with a yellow card already in hand, Díaz's actions will certainly have to be more restrained, which will greatly increase the defensive pressure on Chile's right side!"
The Brazil commentator shook his head, just as he had thought before the game, Chile could not withstand Croatia's left-side attack.
Croatian commentator Krauchivich, on the other hand, looked excited.
"Suker's first attacking attempt resulted in a Chilean player getting a yellow card, which means our attack is very effective, and Chile's subsequent defense will only become more frantic!"
He was indeed angry at Díaz's action, but it was just the beginning, and it was an effective attack that yielded a benefit. He could look forward to Suker's even more brilliant performance next.
"If there's still danger coming up, I'll make the tackle!"
Mena proactively approached Díaz and said.
He knew that Díaz had already been targeted by the Referee, and that tackle was indeed too dangerous.
However, he also understood Díaz; if it were him, he might have made the same decision.
They could not let Suker break through the defensive line; this was a strict order from the coaching staff.
They had to stop him by any means necessary.
But the problem was, they paid a heavy price for it!
Croatia's free kick in the attacking third, due to its distance from the goal, was taken by Modrić.
Suker and others ran to the edge of the penalty area arc.
However, Modrić did not loft the ball into the penalty area, but instead gently tapped it horizontally.
With no one marking him, Brozović quickly surged forward and unleashed a powerful shot as the ball came to him.
The ball, like a cannonball, smashed towards the goal, almost grazing the crossbar before flying out over the byline.
"That shot... so dangerous!"
The Chilean commentator felt his heart skip a beat; that shot was too close. If it had dipped slightly, it might have been a goal.
Brozović's first long-range attempt threatened the goal.
Brozović stomped his foot in annoyance; he hadn't hit that long-range shot well, failing to create a dipping trajectory, or perhaps the dip came too late.
But Suker and others still gave Brozović a thumbs-up, indicating to keep trying.
"That's a proper shot!"
On the bench, Šimunić grimaced with regret.
Dujmović, beside him, said proudly, "Well, who do you think he learned from!"
"You taught him?" Šimunić turned to ask.
Dujmović nodded as a matter of course: "When this guy first joined the National Team, he kept pestering me to learn long-range shooting skills. I got annoyed with him and just casually showed him a few times. This guy's talent is good; this shot is quite decent."
His tone was somewhat dismissive, but his face was full of pride.
Šimunić couldn't help but laugh: "And then he solidly kept you on the bench."
Dujmović waved his hand: "Without him, I'd still be a substitute. Don't forget, I'm the 'Mr. Clutch'. I don't play in regular games; when the team is in danger, they'll remember me."
"To let you go up and take a wild shot?"
"What do you mean 'wild shot'?" Dujmović glared: "That's called skill!"
Šimunić smiled brightly: "There will be plenty of opportunities coming up, for example, the next game."
"Brazil~~" Dujmović frowned slightly; "Let's play this game well first!"
Brazil was indeed a formidable opponent. In every World Cup, Brazil was an opponent that required full effort.
Moreover, from the first few matches of this World Cup, Brazil's form was also very good.
The defensive line was very stable!
The midfield was supported by Kaka!
Up front, Neymar, Pato, and others were shining, and their squad strength was no weaker than Croatia's!
Bang!
Another long-range attempt, this time by Modrić, using his preferred outside of the foot.
However, the Chilean Goalkeeper made a diving save, barely tipping the ball over the byline.
"Croatia's continuous attacks, Chile is struggling to cope!"
Since Chile's defensive line was willing to drop deep, Croatia began to attempt long-range shots from outside the box.
Coupled with the forward runs of Suker and others, with repeated impacts, it was only a matter of time before they scored.
Croatia's first corner kick.
After Modrić took the kick, Mandžukić successfully won the header, and the starting Goalkeeper haphazardly slapped the ball out.
Rakitić made a second attempt, and a Chilean center-back made a diving block, the ball hitting his chest and flying out again.
Perisic on the wing made a third attempt, but due to aiming too much for the angle, the ball hit the goalpost and flew out over the byline.
Three consecutive shots made Chile break out in a cold sweat, and from this moment on, Croatia's siege had taken shape.
"The situation is getting worse!"
The Chilean commentator was also full of worry.
Anyone could see how passive their situation was.
Sanchez and Vargas in the attacking third barely got any attacking opportunities, and the midfield failed to create any chances for them to make forward runs.
The midfield, which should have been contesting the tempo, was instead suppressed by Croatia. Forget about ball possession; now they were all dropping back to join the defense, running ragged.
And their forward passes, rather than being passes, were more like clearances.
The ball was kicked high and far.
Either it was headed back by Croatia's center-backs, or it was collected by Goalkeeper Subašić.
Croatian Goalkeeper Subašić was already standing on the edge of the penalty area line, and the defensive line was pushed up to the halfway line. Croatia was bombarding the starting lineup, and the situation was gradually becoming one-sided.
"Kick it out! Kick it out!"
"Don't pass the ball in the back!"
Vidal constantly shouted loudly.
But every time a Chilean player kicked the ball out, Croatia either won the first touch and attacked again, or headed it directly back.
They simply couldn't get out of their own penalty area!
The only fortunate thing was that the game had reached 25 minutes, and they hadn't conceded a goal yet.
But the problem was, they still had to hold on for another 20 minutes to end the first half.
The most crucial issue was... they had absolutely no chance to counterattack!
Hope Croatia makes a mistake?
These guys were like machines, making no mistakes at all, let alone exaggerated errors.
Thwack!
Srna gently cushioned the ball with the top of his foot. This clearance ball went straight up and down, requiring precise judgment of its landing spot.
And Srna made a perfect prediction and showed exquisite ball control skills.
The dropping ball seemed to stick to the top of his foot, easily brought down.
After controlling the ball, Srna was not in a hurry to pass, but instead looked up at the penalty area.
At this moment, he saw Suker pointing to the position at his feet.
Srna immediately understood and directly lofted the ball into the penalty area.
"Drop back and contest the header!"
Silva loudly directed them to drop back, and others also strenuously rushed into the penalty area.
But just then, Vidal saw that Suker had not made a forward run, but was standing in place.
When he looked up again at the ball's flight path, his heart sank.
Oh no!
"Careful..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Suker suddenly jumped on the spot.
His movement attracted other Chilean players who were retreating; a few stopped and tried to rush towards Suker.
And Suker seized this opportunity, suddenly flicking his head.
He directly flicked the ball into the penalty area.
The ball's landing spot just cleared the defensive line, landing in front of Mandžukić.
And the latter strenuously rushed forward, meeting the ball with a sudden diving slide tackle.
Mandžukić could clearly feel the top of his foot strike the ball, and the ball traveled along a straight line on the right, grazing the goalpost and going in.
Swish!
The ball hit the net.
At this moment, the entire Maracanã Stadium erupted.
Tens of thousands of Croatian fans instantly rose to cheer.
Commentator Krauchivich's cheers echoed throughout Croatia.
"Goal!!!!!—"
"Mario Mandžukić's forward run and brilliant slide tackle!"
"In the 29th minute, Croatia broke through Chile's goal. Suker's flicked assist was perfectly angled, Mandžukić's run was also excellent, and Srna's pass was extremely precise!"
"This is the chemistry of this generation of Croatia!"
"This is the cooperation forged through ten years of shared growth!"
"This is the Croatia squad that is about to create new history!"
"Cheer! Shout! Enjoy! For this wonderful goal, and for the excellent young men who performed so well!"