"Right from the start, Germany is pressing aggressively. They surround Modrić in the center, preventing Croatia from building up. But then—Suker drops deep, Modrić finds him with a pass, and Suker, back to goal, starts a series of body feints—Oh~~ my god!"
Kraushivić laughed while clutching his head and exclaimed, "Suker just broke Schweinsteiger's ankles! Against the press, Suker stays calm and composed, completes the pass, and sends the ball to a safe zone!"
"This is exactly why Suker is so valuable. When Croatia is under pressure, he can always use his individual skill to safely move the ball forward!"
After the pass, Suker keeps pushing upfield.
At the same time, he watches Germany's positioning. The Germans are quick to drop back and reorganize their defensive setup.
Compared to two years ago at the Euros, this German team is much more proactive.
Perhaps they've learned their lessons from that match. Germany is no longer willing to surrender control so easily.
Rakitić surges forward, sees Olić's position, and sends a cross his way.
Olić leaps for a header!But Mertesacker uses his height and excellent positioning to clear it away.
"That pass wasn't ideal—too low. Mertesacker anticipated it and intercepted!"
Khedira picks up the falling ball and, without stopping, passes it laterally to Schweinsteiger.
Germany transitions quickly, and Suker's pressure is rendered useless.
But Suker doesn't give up—he charges toward Schweinsteiger again.
Schweinsteiger shifts the ball wide, Podolski picks it up and passes across to Özil.
Özil feints, lowers his center of gravity, waits for Vukojević to shift, then bursts laterally with a dribble, switching the play to Müller's wing.
Müller looks toward the box, but eventually sends it back to the supporting Lahm.
Croatia eases off slightly, expecting a slow buildup. But suddenly, Lahm launches a cross into the box.
"Watch out!"
Modrić shouts as he turns his head.
Klose and Šimunić are battling fiercely in the box.
At that moment, Croatia's keeper Pletikosa comes off his line and punches the ball toward Vukojević.
Vukojević makes a diagonal back pass to Pranjić, who continues down the flank and finds Modrić again.
Only now does the ball feel somewhat under control.
"We have to be careful of Germany's sudden long balls. They're good at short passing, but haven't given up aerial bombardment either," Kraushivić said nervously.
On the sideline, Van Stoyak's expression is grim.
This is the essence of Germany.
To him, Germany is a blend of angels and demons.
Since the last World Cup, under Löw's leadership, the team has embraced attacking football.
At this World Cup, their attack is more varied—through balls behind the line, short-passing in positional play, and their traditional strength in aerial duels. It gives Germany multiple attacking dimensions.
It's a combination of beautiful and ugly football styles.
German football embodies the Prussian spirit—rigid thinking, toughness, and relentless perseverance.
They play technical football but also aren't too proud to go for long balls and crosses.
This combination is putting enormous pressure on Croatia.
"Hold steady! Hold steady!"
Van Stoyak gestures down with one hand, saying, "When you receive the ball, look for Suker first. Modrić and Rakitić—keep your heads up and look far. If you can't find Suker, go straight to the strikers!"
That's Croatia's tactic.
Short-passing buildup through Suker.
If that doesn't work, Modrić and Rakitić can go long to the forwards.
Mandžukić and Olić are both strong and tough, perfect for holding up the ball and acting as walls in the front line.
If they control the ball and lay it off to Suker, Croatia's counterattack can launch instantly.
But those chances are rare, so they must capitalize when they come.
The ball goes out of bounds.
Surrounded by three defenders, Suker has no choice but to kick it off Lahm's leg and win the throw-in.
As he turns to receive the throw, his gaze follows Pranjić's to the German bench.
It's hard not to notice.
There, Löw is—digging his nose with his pinky. Finding it too thin, he switches to his index finger.
He's really going at it.
And the worst part? After picking, he sticks his finger in his mouth.
Ughh~~Suker dry heaves in disgust.
"Suker!"
Pranjić calls out in panic.
Suker snaps back to attention—only to realize the ball is dropping right in front of him.
Lahm is already charging in.
Crap!
Suker jolts into motion with a burst of speed.
That explosive power—just insane. He reaches the ball first.
Lahm comes in hard, but Suker flicks the ball through Lahm's legs and hops aside to evade the challenge.
As they pass each other—
Lahm grabs Suker's jersey, and Suker pushes him back with both hands.
"Let go!"
"No!"
"You damn midget, let go!"
"Never!"
Lahm ultimately prevents Suker from breaking free.
Tweet!
The whistle blows. Suker points at his stretched shirt, protesting, "He held me!"
The referee nods and gives Lahm a verbal warning.
One more foul, and Lahm's getting a yellow.
Lahm nods quickly—he's relieved to escape a card.
Internally, he's a bit helpless.
If it weren't Suker—any other player wouldn't have reached that ball.
That explosive acceleration… it's unreal.
One minute later—
Suker races for a 50-50 ball with Schweinsteiger, wins it, and blasts it out of bounds.
Bang!
The ball smashes right above the German bench—right over Löw's head—causing him to duck, abandoning even his nose-picking.
Löw looks up, stunned.
Suker gives him a cold, casual glance.
It feels weird—like Suker just retaliated for something?
As Suker retreats, he takes deep breaths to refocus.
The stamina-restoring card heals physical injuries, but not mental fatigue.
After intense battles, it's easy to lose focus.
This is a wake-up call—stay sharp.
And not just for Suker—the whole team is struggling.
"Focus! Let's go!!"
Suker shouts.
His roar jolts the team. Their previously glazed eyes now sharpen with determination.
"The match has passed the 10-minute mark. Both sides are attacking, but the fiercest battle is clearly in midfield!"
"Both teams are dead set on controlling the midfield. Neither will concede the tempo easily."
Suddenly, Kraushivić yells:
"Schweinsteiger—surprise through ball—Müller's onto it!"
Near the penalty area, Müller sprints after the ball.
His sharp run finds a gap in the defense.
Just as he's about to reach it—a sliding tackle comes flying in.
Müller quickly evaluates—he won't make it.
He jumps aside as Šimunić slides the ball out for a corner.
"Midfield, don't lose focus!"
Šimunić gets up and roars.
Vukojević is gasping for air. Still recovering from injury, he's not at 100%.
Before the injury, he'd have cut off that pass much earlier.
Germany corner.
They're deadly in the air.
Klose is leading the charge, constantly repositioning.
Müller and Schweinsteiger are ready for rebounds. Even Mertesacker moves up to contest.
Seeing this, Suker retreats into the box to help defend.
"Mark your man!" Suker shouts, then adds bluntly, "Hold him!"
Bang!Özil launches the corner.
The ball arcs into the box.
"Near post!"
Suker reads it.
Šimunić leaps—heads it out!
Bang!The ball falls outside the right side of the box.
Lahm rushes in, controls it, and immediately lobs it back into the danger zone.
"Germany continues to bombard the penalty area—can Croatia survive this wave?"
Bang!Suker and Mertesacker clash—ball slips between their shoulders—Pletikosa swats it with a palm.
It bounces toward the penalty spot.
Suddenly, chaos erupts in the box.
"Shoot! Shoot!"
"Hit it!"
"Don't hesitate!"
The Germans scream.
"Block it!"
"Hold your ground!"
"Push out!"
Croatia's defenders are panicking.
Amidst the scramble, Schweinsteiger pokes the ball toward the near post.
Not fast, but cunningly placed.
Bang!Kovač charges in and clears it out of bounds—onto the stands.
"Kovač saves the day! Schweinsteiger didn't strike it cleanly, so it lacked power. Germany missed a golden chance, and Croatia narrowly escapes!"
Croatia's hearts are racing.
Germany is even stronger than they'd expected.
Without that clearance, it would've been 1-0.
And at this stage of the match, conceding could be fatal.
Germany's form improves as the game progresses—they're getting better.
"We need to attack more!"Suker's eyes gleam.
They can't keep defending—if Germany gains momentum, Croatia is in trouble.
Germany again builds on the flank—another cross into the box.
Damn it!Suker curses.
So many damn crosses?
He grumbles but sprints back into defense.
Vukojević jumps—clears it before Klose can reach it.
Boateng receives the ball, ready to lob it back in—Mandžukić comes flying in with a crunching slide tackle, taking both ball and man down.
Tweet!
Whistle blows.
The ref flashes a yellow card at Mandžukić.
Mandžukić says nothing. It was intentional.
He had to break Germany's rhythm. If they kept pumping crosses into the box, a goal was inevitable.
"Take your time! No rush!"
Boateng adjusts his socks and stands.
Croatia gets a yellow—decent trade.
Unfortunately, it wasn't a defender who got booked.
No matter. Germany's rhythm is solid, and they're starting to dominate midfield.
German fans are roaring in waves.
Croatian fans are quiet—Germany's pressure has them holding their breath.
It's clear—they're being pressed back.
This might be Croatia's biggest challenge of the tournament.
Suker inhales deeply, glaring at Schweinsteiger, who's about to take the free kick.
They must push them back.
Form a counter!Be fierce!Be ruthless!
Tweet!
Schweinsteiger sends a diagonal long ball to the wing.
Müller leaps and cushions it to the ground.
Next second, Pranjić crashes into him.
Modrić follows up, drags the ball under control.
As he turns, Modrić even uses his body to bump Müller down—preventing a counterpress.
Suker shouts:
"Counter! COUNTER!"
"GO GO GO!!!"
And takes off at full sprint—without even calling for the ball.
Modrić instantly understands.
He looks toward Suker's run and launches a long pass with pinpoint accuracy.
Upfield, Mandžukić shields the ball, bodying Mertesacker.
He looks at the ball, then glances at Suker.
"One-touch layoff!"Lahm yells, rushing in.
Suker slows slightly to avoid being offside.
"Mario! I freaking love you!"
Suker beams with joy.
That pass was perfect.Even Suker can't find a flaw.
Mandžukić used his toe to trap it, flicked his ankle, and placed it right in Suker's path.
No adjustment needed—just push and run.
"Oh no!"
"Crap!"
"Dammit!"
As Suker bursts past Germany's backline, the defenders are devastated.
They chase him—but Suker's not one to catch.
"Noierrr!"
Lahm shouts in desperation.
Only Neuer can save them now.
He rushes out—closing down the angle.
Most strikers panic at this.
But not Suker.
He stays cool.
Now Neuer starts to panic.
As they close in, Suker finally slows.
Neuer smiles—got him?
Suker shapes to shoot with his left, looking at the far post.
Neuer squats, spreads out.
But Suker just gently pushes the ball forward with his left—taking one more touch.
He's past Neuer.
Germany's fans go numb.
With the empty net ahead, Suker slots it in with ease.
19th minute—Croatia scores on a counterattack! Mandžukić assists, Suker finishes!
"GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!——"
"Goal! Goal! Goal! Goal! Goal! Goal!"
Kraushivić screams at the top of his lungs.
This sudden opportunity—this unexpected goal—is pure joy.
For 18 minutes, Germany had Croatia pinned down.
Then boom—one counter, one goal.
Incredible.
"Mario Mandžukić—world-class first touch. The perfect layoff, right into Suker's stride, setting up a one-on-one!"
"Suker stays composed, beats Neuer, and finishes!"
"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"
Suker runs to the corner flag, turns, and points at Mandžukić.
Mandžukić sprints over—they embrace.
"Mario! You beast! That touch was insane!"
Suker keeps smacking his back in excitement.
He doesn't notice Mandžukić's slightly awkward expression.
He actually meant to trap it for himself, then pass to Suker.
But Mertesacker gave him a push—and the ball bounced off awkwardly.
And that awkward bounce became the perfect assist.
Since it was a beautiful misunderstanding, let it stay beautiful.
No way he's admitting that was a fluke.