Beep!
A sharp and long whistle suddenly sounded, striking the heart without any warning, as if a heartbeat had skipped.
Following the sudden action on the field, the cheers and shouts of the fans filled the entire stadium.
"This is the 2014 World Cup match between Brazil and Croatia, and it's the most anticipated showdown in the World Cup so far!"
"As the five-time World Cup champions, Brazil faces their strongest opponent in this World Cup, and for Croatia to climb higher, they must overcome this monumental mountain of the World Cup!"
As the match suddenly began, the entire stadium entered a state of frenzy.
There was excitement, thrill, and some apprehension, but mostly tension.
Neither Brazil nor Croatian fans could guarantee a victory against their opponent, and thus, the tension in their hearts was indescribable.
On the field, both teams' players entered into fierce confrontation the moment the match began.
Brazil passed the ball backward, while Croatia immediately initiated high pressing.
However, Brazil could maintain possession through their excellent ball control and passing ability, constantly moving the ball and keeping it at their feet.
Croatia had anticipated this; their high pressing wasn't a sudden all-out effort but rather a change of rhythm, suddenly applying pressure, then withdrawing, waiting for the opportune moment.
Croatia was quite experienced in this regard, knowing how to strike where it hurts.
They knew that Brazil had more players in the ball control area, so even if they pressed intensely, they might not achieve significant results. Thus, they decided to move their defensive line back a bit.
In the gaps between passes, Kaka also noticed Croatia's movements.
They were all seasoned veterans of the football world; some things were clear at a glance. Since Croatia intended to retreat slightly, they would push forward.
"Pato!"
Kaka roared, realizing that now was the time for a desperate, spirit-rousing attack.
Compared to Neymar's dribbling and breakthroughs, Pato's speed and explosiveness were undoubtedly more impactful.
The moment Kaka called out, Pato had already turned and started to move.
Kaka also simultaneously launched a long pass, a precise through ball behind Ćorluka, aiming to exploit his slow turning speed.
He had precisely pinpointed Ćorluka's slow turn as a weakness.
"Brazil launches the first attack, a long pass from Kaka!"
Pato surged forward, almost forcing his way through the outside, getting ahead of Ćorluka to nudge the ball inwards, while simultaneously pushing diagonally. Ćorluka's footwork was disrupted, and Pato took advantage to complete the inside cut.
"Pato! A chance for Brazil!"
Pato hadn't yet stabilized the ball to connect with his second move.
But at this moment, Lovren had already arrived, intending to clear the ball before Pato.
However, at this crucial moment, Pato hurriedly poked the ball towards the center with the tip of his foot.
In the center, Vida and Fred were engaged in a fierce physical confrontation.
Fred stood in front of Vida, barely touching the ball, but failed to hit it accurately, and the ball flew over the crossbar and out of bounds.
"Oh~~~ Brazil's first attack resulted in a threatening shot, with Kaka's long pass helping Pato complete a breakthrough."
"From this attack, it's clear Brazil's attacking desire is very strong, and they have no intention of testing Croatia; instead, they chose to launch a direct attack!"
Modrić and others were a step late in retreating, and their expressions were quite solemn.
He hadn't expected Brazil's first attack to be so decisive.
And it wasn't through ground passes, but directly with a long pass behind the defense.
But it had to be said, it was truly threatening.
"No testing? Direct start?"
Suker grinned. Brazil was telling them that they were determined to win this match.
At the very least, in terms of momentum, these guys were indeed playing with a 'Manchester United' spirit.
"Is it necessary to strengthen the defense on the left wing?"
Modrić inquired.
Ćorluka thought for a moment, pursed his lips, turned to glance at Neymar on the right, then shook his head.
"I can hold my own. Once both of Brazil's wings get going, it will be even harder for us!"
Modrić nodded, patting Ćorluka's shoulder: "Good luck!"
At times like these, you have to trust your teammates.
At the same time, Modrić also understood that they needed to exert themselves.
Since Brazil had no intention of testing and actively started to speed up the tempo, Croatia also needed to adapt to the rhythm.
In fact, Brazil was trying to seize the tempo.
They hoped to deliver a warning to Croatia with this attack, and then connect to the next attack, continuously eroding their midfield rhythm until they firmly controlled the tempo.
It must be said, Kaka thought very well in this regard, and also acted upon it.
But Modrić would not be manipulated!
"Forwards, charge!" Modrić shouted forward.
Suker and the others immediately nodded.
They knew this meant contending with Brazil for the rhythm.
Don't let Modrić's small stature fool you; he has a very fiery temper.
He doesn't want to yield an inch, doesn't want to lose at all.
Otherwise, how could this guy be a captain at Manchester United?
Even during Manchester United's most dominant period, he still held significant influence in the Manchester United locker room.
This was not just a reflection of his strength, but also a part of his resilience and mental fortitude.
Manchester United doesn't acknowledge just any player!
The match restarted.
After Croatia took the kick-off again, they successfully passed the ball to Modrić's feet.
Modrić didn't rush to pass, even when Pato ran over to press him. He still withstood Pato's harassment, completed a turn, and stably passed the ball to Suker.
Suker retreated to receive the ball, with a large space still ahead of him.
However, the moment he received the ball, Alves and Casemiro immediately closed in, applying fierce physical pressure and constantly extending their legs to press.
Suker dribbled the ball back and forth, while also having to withstand the challenge from these two guys.
This was not an easy task.
Even Suker found it a bit overwhelming.
Just as he was about to be jointly pushed by the two, Suker lightly tapped the ball with the outside of his foot, slipping it through Casemiro's legs and passing it horizontally to Rakitić.
Casemiro was slow to react; he instinctively closed his legs, but it was still a step too late.
"Damn it!"
Casemiro cursed under his breath, then turned and lunged towards Rakitić.
He was like a bulldozer in Brazil's half, constantly crashing about; any player who dared to threaten their half was his prey.
As Real Madrid teammates, Suker also knew Casemiro's style and ability.
But in this match, Casemiro's form was much better than usual.
Or rather, the entire Brazil was in excellent form!
"I can't hold it! I can't hold it!"
Rakitić kept talking; he really couldn't hold it.
Casemiro's physical confrontation ability was very strong, and his small frame simply couldn't withstand it.
Suker immediately moved closer to receive the ball.
Seeing Suker approaching, Casemiro stepped towards the left, first blocking Rakitić's passing lane.
But at that moment, Rakitić suddenly pulled the ball in the opposite direction, and with a backheel, he smoothly turned and broke free.
"He held it!!—"
Rakitić suddenly accelerated, charging towards Brazil's penalty area.
He knew these Brazil players, once Suker came close, they would definitely cut off his passing lane to Suker first.
And this was his best chance to break free!
Sure enough, Casemiro was outmaneuvered!
Racing forward, Rakitić continuously turned his head to observe both sides as he dashed towards the penalty area.
Suker, due to a later start, despite his speed, hadn't reached a favorable position.
Perisic's position on the right was actually quite good.
Thinking of this, he immediately slipped the ball diagonally forward.
Perisic accelerated and was the first to catch up to the ball.
Marcelo was playing to cut off the inside and leave the outside open.
Because of this, Perisic suddenly cut back, gently nudged the ball again with his left foot, and then immediately followed with a left-footed cross.
The entire sequence of movements was fluid; although Marcelo reacted, he still couldn't keep up.
Bang!
Unfortunately, Mandžukić in the center was caught between David Luiz and Thiago Silva, failing to touch the ball.
The ball was headed clear by David Luiz and flew to Kaka's feet in the penalty area.
After Kaka received the ball, he immediately turned and passed it forward.
"Counterattack!!!"
"Brazil's counterattack! As soon as Croatia completed their offensive phase, Brazil immediately launched a counterattack!"
The Brazil commentator was parched.
Since the start of the match, his mouth had not been idle, not even having a moment to breathe.
The two teams launched wave after wave of attacks, one after another, going head-to-head, which was thrilling to watch but also dizzying for the commentator.
But he could only endure this discomfort and continue commentating.
"Brazil passed the ball to Neymar; this time, it's Brazil's right-wing attack."
Neymar was very excited after getting possession of the ball.
In this World Cup, Neymar's performance was much better than in the original timeline.
It wasn't about the statistics being good, but rather his performance in the match.
His breakthroughs and dribbling were a major weapon for Brazil's offense, and his success rate in breakthroughs was also very high, which allowed Brazil to continuously launch attacks from the right wing.
As soon as Neymar had the ball, he received the same treatment as Suker.
A combined high pressing from Vukojević and Srna.
In terms of defensive choices, the two teams were surprisingly consistent.
"Neymar is tangled up; what will he choose?"
Croatia's defense was still very solid; facing the sudden counterattack, their response was extremely calm and swift.
Modrić and Rakitić were both moving closer, and everyone else was also retreating.
If Neymar delayed any longer, the chance for a counterattack would be gone.
Just then, Pato unexpectedly crossed the field and ran to the central position.
"Pass it here!"
Pato roared.
Neymar immediately passed the ball.
Pato feigned receiving the ball with his back to goal, deceiving Vukojević into following him, and at that moment, he suddenly passed the ball behind him.
Kaka immediately followed up to receive it, gently chipping the ball.
The ball flew over Vukojević's head, heading towards the open space behind him on the right side.
Neymar and Srna were both sprinting at full speed; they both wanted to control/destroy the ball as soon as possible.
But someone was a step faster than them.
Vida suddenly broke out horizontally, and at the moment the ball landed, he executed a decisive and fierce slide tackle, directly kicking the ball out of bounds.
Roar!!!!
Vida got up with the momentum, clenching his fists, and let out a furious roar, releasing the tension in his heart.
At the same time, the Croatian fans in the stands also cheered for Vida's brilliant clearance.
"Vida! He cleverly seized the timing of the landing spot; this requires anticipating the passing line and pre-judging the landing spot, but he did it very well, Croatia has averted the crisis in their backline!"
Krauchivich shouted loudly.
From any angle, this clearance, relying solely on the backline, was extremely outstanding.
Not only the frontline and midfield, but in this match, Croatia's backline also performed exceptionally well.
First, Lovren's high pressing clearance!
Now, Vida's destruction after an early judgment.
These all tell everyone that Croatia's backline is not that easy to break through.
The Brazil commentator also shook his head regretfully.
"Kaka handled this ball very well, but Croatia's center-back Vida made a judgment and acted boldly.
If Kaka hadn't passed the ball like that and Vida had still acted, it might have led to a void in the middle, but it must be said, Vida's judgment was very accurate!"
"These also tell us that to break Croatia's defense, continuous pressure is needed, as well as a quicker counterattack!"
It's still Brazil's possession!
The Croatian players also retreated to defend.
Suker's expression was solemn.
Although he had thought before the match that Brazil would be difficult to deal with, only after the match began did he truly understand how difficult it was to stop Brazil's offense.
In these two attacks, if there had been any slight mistake, they might have conceded a goal.
These all told him that if they couldn't score early, Brazil always had a chance to score.
Bang!
Kaka received the ball with his chest, then turned and passed.
After passing, he immediately ran towards the open space.
But this time, he was stuck with Suker.
Kaka turned to look at Suker; there was no surprise on his face.
Suker had defensive capabilities; although he wouldn't do it too frequently, once it came to a dangerous moment, he would do so.
And this precisely proved that Brazil's offense was making Croatia very uncomfortable.
Kaka received the ball again, and Suker was two meters in front of Kaka, his center of gravity slightly lowered, glaring at his opponent.
After observing both the left and right sides, Kaka unexpectedly passed the ball back directly.
"Chicken out? Choosing to pass back?"
Suker started to taunt.
Kaka smiled: "Why did you retreat?"
Don't you know?
Suker knew that if he kept dwelling on this question, he wouldn't win against Kaka.
So he simply played dumb.
But wherever Kaka ran in the center circle area, Suker followed.
Kaka's role in Brazil was too important; he was definitely the key axis connecting the midfield and attack, linking everything together.
Just by pinning this guy down, it would be easy to suppress Brazil.
But the problem also arose: was Kaka that easy to suppress?
If so, he wouldn't be Real Madrid's starting midfielder.
Under Suker's interference, Kaka was indeed somewhat affected, but he was still able to complete his passing duties and link up the midfield and attack.
However, he couldn't, like before, directly pass the ball to Neymar or Pato, or create a good attacking opportunity for them.
Just from this point alone, Suker's goal was achieved.
Of course, Brazil was also under great pressure.
Every counterattack from Croatia would make them tremble with fear.
They had paid a huge price to suppress Suker's performance as much as possible.
But in doing so, other positions started to play more smoothly.
It can be said that both Brazil and Croatia had opportunities to score.
It just depended on who could break the deadlock first!
Bang!
At 21 minutes, Brazil earned their third corner kick.
"Brazil's third corner, Brazil created threats from the first two corners, let's see how they handle this corner kick!"
The Brazil commentator said expectantly.
In 21 minutes, there was almost no wasted time; both sides delivered very exciting performances.
Both in offense and defense, they did very well, which precisely confirmed the saying of a clash between strong teams.
In the eyes of all fans, a World Cup focal match should be like this, not full of errors.
Although there were no goals, every exciting attack and extreme clearance stimulated the fans' nerves, making them incredibly excited.
The Brazil fans cheered and shouted, rooting for their team.
Kaka raised his arm in the corner area, signaling to take the kick.
At the same time, the Brazil players suddenly surged into the penalty area.
But just then, Alves suddenly made a forward run.
Suker also caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye, seeing someone speed past him, which made him uneasy, and he immediately followed.
But he was still slow to start.
Just as Suker was about to catch up to Alves, he lightly tapped the ball.
Kaka moved horizontally from the side and snatched the ball away.
"A tactical corner kick from Brazil, is there a chance!"
Bang!
Kaka unhesitatingly passed the ball into the penalty area.
The entire penalty area immediately turned into a fierce melee.
Vida lived up to expectations, suppressing Fred and clearing the ball.
However, the ball was headed during its descent, preventing him from putting much power into it, and the ball didn't get cleared too far.
The ball landed about two meters from the edge of the penalty area.
And there, Oscar suddenly appeared, immediately taking a stance, winding up his right leg, and fiercely striking the ball!
Bang!
The ball, like a cannonball, slammed towards the goal again.
It was a low shot, kept very well.
After entering the penalty area, the ball then grazed Lovren's heel, deflecting and flying towards the other side of the goal.
Subašić had already judged the landing spot and made a save.
Now, facing this sudden change in direction, he was helpless.
He could only watch the ball enter the goal.
At 22 minutes, Oscar scored with a long-range shot!
Brazil 1:0 Croatia!