Chapter 340: Slaughter Show

Andorra—Group E's absolute points provider in the European Championship qualifiers.

This is a country nestled in the mountains between France and Spain.

Its official language is Catalan.

Andorrans speak the same language as people in Barcelona, yet they belong to different countries.

With a population of just over 77,000, Andorra ranks as the 11th smallest country in the world. Its football environment, as one can imagine, is quite underdeveloped—the Andorran Football Federation was only established in 1994, and its top league began in 1995. Currently, it has only 8 teams. Though there's a league, it's essentially amateur football—every player has a day job.

Andorra FC, however, stubbornly refuses to participate in the domestic league. Since its founding in 1942, it has played in the Spanish league system, much like how Monaco competes in the French league.

Andorra only has around 500 registered FIFA players. If you exclude non-Andorran nationals, that number drops to under 150.

In soil like this, how can you expect to grow a strong football team?

Andorrans aren't exactly football-crazy, either. In fact, football isn't a major sport in the country.

That's evident in the turnout of their away fans.

For this match, Maksimir Stadium allocated 300 seats for Andorran supporters—but only half were filled. Many were the players' parents, friends, or relatives.

Some fans even wore club jerseys of Croatian players, as if they were there to see the stars, not support their own team.

The atmosphere was incredibly relaxed.

This was the first time Suker had experienced such a vibe.

During the warm-up, the Andorran players twisted their waists and shook their hips like they were in a dance class—not like professional footballers.

Well… most of them technically weren't professional players.

Modrić sighed,"This won't help us test our new tactics."

Suker replied,"Just play our system properly. Don't worry about the rest."

Modrić nodded.

When warm-up ended and Suker entered the player tunnel, an Andorran player approached him and, in broken Italian, said:"After the match… can I have your jersey?"

Suker was stunned.

Pre-booking a jersey already?

The Andorran added quickly, "Not for me. For my teammate."

He gave a thumbs-up to Suker."I'm your… fan."

Suker couldn't help but laugh.

Really? It's an international match and you're already asking for jerseys?

What about the result? Does no one care?

Coach Bilić rallied the squad,"This opponent is a bit special, but we can't take it lightly. The goal of this match is to test our new formation. Keep the pressure on!"

"First win!—"The team roared in unison as they marched down the tunnel.

Soon, both teams stood in the tunnel.

Croatian players were mentally locked in, while the Andorran side looked disorganized—chatting, pointing at the Croatian lineup, whispering to each other.

Vukojević grinned,"Feels like we're animals in a zoo to them."

Modrić:"Forget it. Focus on the game."

The teams entered the pitch.

The Croatian fans erupted in cheers.

Andorra's previous performances gave them every reason to believe a win was coming.

Both teams took their positions.

Croatia lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation:

Goalkeeper: Pletikosa

Defenders: Srna, Šimunić, Kovač, Pranjić

Midfielders: Rakitić, Vukojević, Modrić, Kovač, Suker

Striker: Mandžukić.

"High press right after kickoff. Everyone run!"Captain Srna shouted to his teammates.

"This is Round 2 of the 2008 European Championship qualifiers: Croatia vs. Andorra!"

"As the home team, we're looking forward to a great performance from the Croatian lads."

Andorra kicked off the first half.

Whistle!

Suker shouted,"Charge!"

The Croatian players surged forward.

Mandžukić, Suker, Rakitić—Croatia pressed high as a unit.

Under pressure, the Andorran defender panicked and launched a long ball…

Out of bounds.

Croatia's throw-in.

Suker dropped back for the ball. An Andorran defender stuck to him like glue.

Too close. Suker gave him a little hip-check and pulled away to receive the ball.

He turned, faced the fullback.

"Suker receives the ball—switches it to Rakitić with a wide pass,"said Croatian commentator Klaušević.

Rakitić was eager.

He looked at the opposing left-back, then cut inside with a quick feint.

He tricked the defender's balance and tried to drive inward.

But—he slammed into the defender.

The ball was poked away.

Another Andorran midfielder came in and hoofed it clear.

Rakitić rubbed his nose and stared at the bewildered defender.

This guy… has surprisingly good positioning.

The ball was fed back to Suker. He tried a similar move, but the defender didn't even react.

Suker used a simple feint, then really cut across. Shot!

The ball flew low and hard, drilling into the near post.

Only 3 minutes in—and Suker scored.

"Goal!! Suker! Brilliant dribbling. The moment he accelerated, the Andorran defender had no chance."

The Croatian fans roared with delight.

They expected goals—but not this fast.

As Suker celebrated and jogged back, he shouted:"Skip the feints—they can't keep up!"

"They can't?"Rakitić glanced at the defender.

So… it wasn't good awareness. He just never moved—accidentally blocking the cut.

Rakitić: "…"

"You okay?"Mandžukić asked.

Rakitić cleared his throat:"I'm fine!"

Suker's goal opened the floodgates.

From that moment on, Croatia relentlessly attacked Andorra's goal.

9th minute:"Modrić with a knife-through-butter pass—Mandžukić scores!"

Croatia 2–0 Andorra.

15th minute:"Modrić switches to Rakitić—cuts in—crosses—Suker slides it in!"

Croatia 3–0.

22nd minute:"Modrić chips it—Mandžukić controls on the chest—volley!"

Croatia 4–0.

39th minute:"Modrić long pass—Rakitić volleys it—ohhhh, what a screamer!"

Croatia 5–0.

40th minute:Modrić is subbed off.

"Alright, that's enough. Stop feeding passes!"Bilić groaned.

Andorra was already outclassed, and Modrić was still going hard.

If he stayed longer, Croatia might score double digits.

51st minute:Suker weaves past three defenders and chips it in.

Croatia 6–0.

52nd minute:Suker is subbed off.

Bilić shook his head—Andorra's already mentally crushed, and the Croats are still hungry for goals.

77th minute:Mandžukić chips the keeper—7:0.

He too is substituted.

But even that couldn't stop the scoring spree.

88th minute:Šimunić heads in from a corner—8:0.

90+1 minute:Šimunić again—long-range shot—goal!

Final score: Croatia 9–0 Andorra.

A complete massacre in 90 minutes.

Even the Croatian fans started feeling bad.

As Andorran players walked off, they were met with applause—perhaps a small comfort.

The Andorran players had heads down, eyes hollow.

They expected a loss—but not like this.

"Here."

Suker walked into the tunnel and awkwardly handed over his jersey.

He, too, had gotten caught up in the thrill and lost control.

The Andorran player looked at the crowd, hesitated.

It was a choice between pride and a jersey.

Eventually, he accepted it and walked off silently.

Suker scratched his head, embarrassed, and returned to the locker room.