Chapter 347: From Three Lions to Three Cats

The England players stared blankly ahead—this match had been awful.

It seemed they had nothing to do besides fouling.

From the start of the game, everything slipped out of their control.

To quote five-star General MacArthur:

"At first, they thought they knew everything, but in fact, they knew nothing."

The situation was passive.

The momentum was unfavorable.

Morale was low.

Although Croatia only scored two goals, it wasn't about the number of goals.

They lost utterly and completely!

"The full-time whistle has blown!"

"Croatia beats England 2-0 in this match."

The Sky Sports commentator held back his urge to swear, letting out a long sigh.

England played too passively!

It's not even about passivity—it was a total defeat!

From the post-match statistics, aside from committing more fouls and their goalkeeper making more saves, everything else was dominated by Croatia.

Match stats comparison:

Croatia (left) / England (right):

Possession: 74% — 26%

Shots: 14 — 8

Shots on target: 9 — 2

Corners: 3 — 1

Fouls: 5 — 13

Yellow cards: 1 — 3

Passes: 431 — 297

Pass accuracy: 85% — 70%

Goalkeeper saves: 6 — 7

The Sky Sports commentator couldn't stand it anymore; he hurriedly finished and quickly switched to another topic.

Meanwhile, the Croatian commentary box was jubilant.

"What a fantastic match! The Croatian lads played brilliantly, they controlled the game, and showed no fear against England!"

Krohosvić was very excited.

It wasn't just a win—it was a brilliant victory.

Croatia dominated the midfield in this match.

They made England stars like Lampard and Gerrard look dull.

Most importantly—they got revenge.

In the 2004 European Championship group stage, they lost 2-4 to England, ending their Euro journey.

But two years later, they won in such a thrilling way.

How could they not be excited?

Sure, England's overall team was slumping, and players like Rooney were suspended.

But even if they had played, would it have made a difference?

Given Croatia's performance, they didn't think they would lose despite some troubles.

This match gave Croatian fans great confidence.

They had effectively bypassed the Euro qualifiers, setting sights on the European Championship.

Counting from 2008, they had missed top national tournaments for six years straight.

But now, Croatia—the Eastern European Iron Cavalry, the Checkered Army—was ready to make a comeback!

They had a group of young players capable of miracles.

On the field, Suker and the others celebrated hard.

"You're such a madman!" Suker laughed, patting Tomi's shoulder.

Tomi said, "This small scene doesn't require my best. When you're in a desperate situation, watch me score."

"Flying the plane?" Mario Mandžukić teased from the side.

"You bastard, Mario!"

The two started chasing and joking again.

Suker clapped towards the stands when Beckham walked over.

"Congrats to you guys!"

Beckham approached, extending his hand.

He spoke in Italian.

Suker was surprised but smiled and shook his hand.

"Here!" Beckham took off his jersey and handed it over with a smile. "This time, I'm the one initiating the jersey swap."

Suker quickly took off his jersey and handed it back.

They draped the jerseys over their shoulders, chatting casually.

Beckham seemed relaxed, but Suker knew Beckham was really struggling during this period.

He was being oppressed by McClaren in the national team.

Stripped of the captain's armband and the number 7 jersey, he also lost his influence in the locker room.

At the club, things were even worse—Capello's sweeping reforms were underway, and his blade was aimed at Beckham and Ronaldo.

Though it hadn't happened yet, Capello was about to issue a "ban" on Beckham.

Suker admired Beckham greatly.

Or rather, players from Manchester United at that time all had outstanding professionalism.

Even when Beckham was banned, he repeatedly scored as a substitute, eventually moving Capello to lift the ban.

Old Rooney's sprint in the MLS to save the team and launch counterattacks was impressive too.

Players trained under Ferguson were all very professional.

"By the way, Ronaldo said he'll come to Milan in the winter transfer window to be your backup," Beckham joked.

Suker blinked and patted his chest, laughing:

"Tell him not to worry—I've got his back!"

Beckham smiled, nodding and sighed:

"Time flies so fast. So many things haven't been done, but I'm already running out of steam."

Beckham patted Suker's shoulder: "Make sure to seize every opportunity."

Suker smiled and nodded.

Finally, the two turned and walked back to the locker rooms.

After two rounds of Euro qualifiers, Suker and the others planned to rest a day before returning to their clubs.

However, the post-match discussion was extremely hot.

Euro qualifying Group E clash:

Croatia 2-0 decisively defeated England.

Though the score was not wide, the stats clearly showed how passive England was.

Even other teams in the group were puzzled:

Was England too weak, or was Croatia too strong?

Thanks to this victory, Croatia ranked first in the group with a 2-1-0 record.

Israel also had the same record but was second due to goal difference.

Croatia had piled up the stats heavily against Andorra.

Meanwhile, Suk again became a hot topic in Europe.

In three rounds of Euro qualifiers, Suk had netted seven goals.

His scoring efficiency and performance shocked everyone.

Not just in qualifiers—

In five league matches, four goals.

In two Champions League matches, three goals.

In total, across all competitions, Suker had scored 14 goals in 10 games this season.

This terrifying scoring rate shocked all of Europe.

Previously, Suker was already hard to contain on Milan's wing.

Now that Milan had moved him to striker, his goal-scoring exploded even more.

Once he secured the attacking core role and tactical importance, Suk became unstoppable.

If last season Shevchenko was Milan's goal machine, this season Suk was stepping into that role.

Two consecutive super strikers emerging made the Italian media praise Milan's midfield passing ability.

"Milan's midfield—terrifying cannonball delivery!"

Suker read the article, his eyes nearly popping out.

"No way! No way!" he shouted, holding the paper in frustration.

"Last season, I assisted so many times but media never hyped this much. Everyone was all about Shevchenko, but now it's 'Milan midfield is awesome' for me?"

Šimić laughed on the plane and teased:

"Think about how many of your goals are 'bread and butter' ones."

Suker turned and glared:

"Shevchenko didn't score easy goals?"

Šimić shrugged: "He's not as good at easy goals as you."

"You don't know shit!" Suker grumbled. "A striker has to know how to finish easy chances!"

Suker sadly looked at the article.

Damn it!

Even scoring easy goals got criticized.

On October 12, Suker returned to Milan.

Just after landing, club staff took him straight to the medical center.

After a series of tests and the results, he was finally sent home.

It was clear Ancelotti was really afraid of Suker getting injured.

Suker was in peak form.

This surge in form was not only a blessing for Ancelotti, but also eagerly watched by the other Milan players.

Others could get injured, but Suker must not!

Suker avoided injury, but Pirlo and Inzaghi got hurt, causing worry for Milan's coaching staff.

Meanwhile, Gilardino's injury worsened.

He had rushed back for Euro qualifiers before fully recovering, causing relapse.

In the end, in the huge AC Milan squad, only Suker remained available upfront.