Chapter 344: The Value of Waiting
Waves of attacks surged repeatedly into England's half.
One after another, the young Croatian players pushed forward with precise passing, shifting, advancing, and retreating.
They didn't launch reckless assaults nor overdo their defense.
Everything was just right.
They controlled the initiative on the field and firmly held possession, steadily suppressing England!
"We vaguely remember two years ago, that Zagreb Dinamo team, with aggressive pressing, stormed through the Champions League, creating a series of brilliant matches!"
"Two years later, they don the national team jersey, fighting for Croatia once again!"
"They charge forward with the same spirit — yes! This is the football of youth!"
"Passionate football, always filled with aggression!"
Krošavić shouted excitedly.
Since the match began, Croatia's performance had been nothing but surprising to him.
Against Russia, they had stumbled a bit.
But within just two matches and a little over a month, they had found their rhythm.
Facing the mighty Three Lions, facing England's challenge, this group of young Croatians showed no fear at all.
Suker held the ball on the wing.
Phillips, under pressure, had dropped back to defend near midfield.
As soon as Suker had the ball, Phillips closed in.
Suker twisted his ankle, tilted his body to the left, then quickly dragged the ball behind him, turning away while shielding.
Several quick changes of direction made Phillips hesitate to press further.
Suker immediately created space and successfully turned.
Facing forward, Suker paused briefly.
"Suker!"
Šrna sprinted forward along the flank.
Suker immediately passed the ball out wide; Šrna took off again at full speed.
Suker pressed on toward the half-space.
He ran forward, realizing—no one was following him!
Suker was surprised.
No one following?
At this moment, England's players were all intently watching Šrna, thinking about how to intercept him.
Seeing this, Suker noticed Kovačić running up behind.
He charged straight toward the penalty area.
Meanwhile, Šrna controlled the ball, skillfully pulling defenders aside, then sent a cross.
Manzukic lunged forward to volley but the ball was slightly high and he missed contact.
The ball bounced off Manzukic's back onto Campbell's thigh, flying toward the penalty spot.
The critical part? It was open!
"Clear it!"
England's goalkeeper Carson shouted urgently.
This was a very dangerous spot!
Campbell rushed forward to intervene.
Suddenly, he saw a figure at his front.
Suker had chased the ball down.
"Suker! He's at the second bounce point, a perfect spot!"
Krošavić slammed the table, standing up in excitement.
The entire Maksimir Stadium fell silent.
Everyone's eyes locked on Suker.
Suker lifted his right foot to shoot.
Campbell, unable to close him down, tried to make himself big to block.
At that moment, Suker flicked the ball slightly.
Just as Suker was about to break through, Campbell, sliding uncontrollably, crashed into Suk's supporting leg.
Both players fell to the ground.
Simultaneously, the referee's whistle blew.
Beep!
A sharp whistle.
The referee ran toward the center circle and pointed decisively to the penalty spot.
"Suker!! Penalty awarded!!!"
"Suker! That run was brilliant; he just arrived at the second bounce point of the ball, putting massive pressure on England!"
England players surrounded the referee in protest.
But the referee didn't change his decision.
Sky Sports commentators shook their heads.
"This is unfortunate for England, but at least no yellow card was given!"
Campbell's sliding was just due to momentum. Though it stopped Suker and caused a foul, there was no malicious intent.
Suker took it in stride.
"Here you go!"
Manzukic threw the ball to Suker.
Suker was Croatia's designated penalty taker.
He hugged the ball, placed it on the spot.
He rubbed his hand on his shorts to calm nerves.
Carson, the English goalkeeper, kept mumbling.
Unfortunately, Suker didn't understand English.
"Scott Carson, Liverpool's starting keeper, stands 190 cm tall with excellent reflexes. In the last round of the European Championship, Carson had blocked many shots against Macedonia. Can he stop Suk's penalty this time?"
Sky Sports commentators sounded tense.
Penalty kicks have a very high success rate, making them nervous.
They prayed the ball would miss.
Beep!
The whistle blew.
Suker began his run-up.
At that moment, the whole stadium held their breath.
Approaching the ball, Suker changed rhythm subtly.
This allowed him to catch Carson's weight shift.
He shot to the opposite side!
Suker calmly pushed the ball to the bottom left corner.
The ball rolled smoothly into the net.
Carson had already leaned right and could only turn his head in frustration.
"Goal!!!!!!!!!!"
"Suk!! Penalty scored!"
"He calmly gave Croatia the lead."
"At 21 minutes in the first half, Suk puts Croatia ahead."
"We hold the advantage at home!"
The stadium DJ screamed loudly.
"This is number 9."
Sukerrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!——
The crowd erupted.
Hands raised high in the stands.
They cheered wildly toward the pitch.
With this goal, Croatia seized massive initiative.
Most importantly, facing England — a European powerhouse — Croatia showed heart.
They didn't retreat into passive defense.
They didn't see themselves as underdogs.
They grabbed the rhythm themselves.
Controlled the ball and the game's tempo.
Who wouldn't love this?
England and Croatia still had a gap.
England had reached the World Cup semifinals several times.
Croatia only once.
There was also a huge gap in European Championships and star players.
This gap made Croatian fans think they were the weaker team.
Weak teams defend.
Weak teams get bullied.
For a long time, they were used to this style.
But now, these young players told them,
"To hell with defense! We press and attack!"
It was like opening the crown of the head and pouring mint inside — the soul was elevated.
One word: Awesome!
At this moment, Croatian fans went wild.
Suker!!!!!!!
Suker!!!!!!!
Suker!!!!!!!
Suker stood before the stands with arms wide open.
Facing him were thousands of fervent faces.
Men, women, old, young — all the same at this moment.
"We're lucky Suker appeared in Croatia!"
"We're lucky these young players were born in this era!"
"Croatia's glory hasn't ended! It continues."
"We're only temporarily down."
"We're waiting."
"We're waiting for these young men to grow up."
"We missed the 2006 World Cup, but I believe in the future, these youngsters will take us further!"
"We'll go to South Africa, we'll go to Brazil, but for now, we must go to Austria and Switzerland!"
On Croatian national TV, Krošavić shouted with passion.
Beside him, Davor Suker kept breathing deeply.
A smile graced his lips.
Yet, tears welled in his eyes.
Watching the young Suker wearing Croatia's number 9 jersey on screen, he recalled his own career.
"I said you should play one more year!"
Bešić suddenly said.
Davor Suker clapped and shook his head.
"Just right."
Suddenly, Davor Suker hesitated to speak.
Bešić asked, "What's wrong?"
Davor Suker shook his head, silent.
But his gaze was fixed on the wildly celebrating young players on screen.
"Maybe… this is my mission."
Davor Suker murmured.