"Croatia!! Oh my god!! What a counterattack goal!!"
"This is absolutely incredible!!!"
"Only four minutes into the second half, and Croatia scores! They've turned the game around!!"
"This high press and counterattack! So decisive, so powerful!"
"Suker! It's Suker again! No one can stop him!"
BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!——
The entire Durban Stadium erupted.
Croatian fans leapt to their feet, cheering wildly.
They were beyond excited.
With that goal, Croatia had turned the tide.
Just when everyone thought Croatia had lost their ability to counterattack, they gritted their teeth and showed the fiercest response possible.
A total of eight players committed to the counterattack.
Their decision-making was swift.
Their unyielding will was on full display in that moment.
Thud!
Thud!
Croatian players collapsed onto the ground after seeing Suker score. Their chests heaved like bellows, gasping for air.
They were exhausted—completely drained.
But they had earned the most valuable of goals.
Their tireless running...
Their counterattack had opened a clear path for Suker, resulting in the goal that turned the game around.
It was a powerful counterattack.
Whoooo~~~~~Mourinho slowly exhaled.
He was the most excited of all watching that counterattack.
This was exactly the style he had always dreamed of—defense as solid as a rock and a counterattack like a raging tide.
That Croatia could produce such a response under those conditions left Mourinho deeply impressed.
"In football, running is everything."
"You run in attack, and you run in defense!"
"In a high-level 90-minute match, a player runs an average of 8,000 to 12,000 meters, including 2,000 meters of sprinting, and performs hundreds of technical and tactical actions under intense opposition. It requires elite endurance."
"Spain's strengths lie in core tactics and technical footwork!"
"But Croatia has successfully disrupted Spain's tactics through relentless running!"
"So far, Croatia has played extremely well!"
"But now they face a crucial decision."
Mendes turned his head. "A decision?"
"Continue with the high press or fall back into tight defense," Mourinho said.
"High pressing carries risk—it may allow Spain to exploit Croatia's fatigue with decisive counterattacks."
"Falling back would stabilize the match, but they'd give up midfield control. Once Spain starts dominating the midfield, the consequences could be dire."
Mendes: "If it were you, what would you do?"
Mourinho shook his head. "I don't know."
At Croatia's bench, everyone was celebrating—except Van stajak, who was caught in a dilemma.
They had turned the game around, but now changes had to be made.
What to choose?
Maintain the current tempo or fall back and defend?
After a moment of struggle, Van stajak gritted his teeth.
"Krisanac, Depic—get ready to warm up!"
At the 50th minute, Croatia made the first substitutions.
Rakitic and Mandzukic came off.
Krisanac and Depic came on.
"Croatia's making substitutions—removing a midfielder and a striker for two defenders. Looks like they're locking things down!"
Spain also made changes.
Pedro and Xabi Alonso came off.
David Silva and Busquets came on.
The Spanish commentators were clearly unhappy.
"Why not bring on Torres? Or Raul? What is Del Bosque thinking?"
Del Bosque silently looked at the field.
It was a decision he had agonized over.
He knew that bringing on Torres and Raul would satisfy the fans.
But only he knew how poor Torres' form was at the moment.
Raul had ability, but if he came on, he would disrupt the balance of Spain's midfield.
So Del Bosque chose to trust the younger players.
Croatia began setting up a tight defensive line at the back.
For Spain, without the obstruction of Croatia's high press, their midfield passing became more fluid.
Iniesta and Fabregas pushed forward aggressively.
On the wing, David Silva—after coming on—kept creating threats.
Croatia held the line fiercely.
But Spain patiently used their strong midfield to circulate the ball, looking for cracks in Croatia's defense.
"Left side! Left side!"
"Push them out! Push them out!"
The Croatian players shouted urgently.
The entire stadium was tense.
"These lads are struggling to contain Spain's offense. They're clearly exhausted, but they're still holding on!"
Kraushevich clenched his fist. "Come on, boys!"
Italian commentator:
"Croatia—this small Eastern European nation—has shown us time and again their exciting play. After successive tough matches, they've pushed Spain to the edge. Their unbreakable spirit reveals their hunger for victory!"
German commentator:
"That's how they beat us. As bitter as it was to lose, we must admit how strong this Croatian side really is."
British commentator:
"If they'd been given a fairer schedule, or just a bit more time to recover, they'd have shocked the world!"
"With disciplined tactics, terrifying resilience, and boundless desire to win—can Croatia still create a miracle?"
Minute 74 – Xavi looked toward Iniesta.
Vukojevic felt dizzy—he saw what was happening but couldn't react fast enough.
By the time the ball reached Iniesta's feet, his body jolted.
"Damn it!"
Vukojevic lunged, but with his trademark move—la croqueta—Iniesta slipped past him and chipped the ball lightly with his toe.
The ball soared over Simunic's head.
And there, Villa surged forward and volleyed the falling ball.
Bang!
The ball deflected off Pletikosa's ankle and into the net.
"Goal!!! David Villa equalizes for Spain!!!"
"A priceless goal!! A beautiful finish!!"
Minute 78, Croatia conceded.
Spain 2:2 Croatia
"Damn it!"
Van stajak clenched his fists and shouted:
"Tomi! Get warm!"
Everyone looked at Dujmovic.
He silently got up to warm up.
Under the pressure of Croatia's final substitution, Dujmovic had the weight of the nation on his shoulders.
"Can Tomi handle the pressure?"
"Trust him," said Mandzukic softly. As Dujmovic stood at the sideline, Mandzukic shouted:
"Tomi, if you score, I'll call you boss!"
Dujmovic turned and mouthed something back.
Mandzukic froze—then exploded in anger:
"Idiot! Bastard! In your dreams! Screw you!"
Perisic, seeing Mandzukic lose it, asked curiously:
"What did Tomi say?"
Srna paused, then said:
"If I'm not mistaken, he said… 'I want to be your daddy.'"
Perisic: "…"
Minute 80, Croatia made their final substitution.
Kranjcar off, Dujmovic on.
"Tomislav Dujmovic—he was Croatia's key player against Germany, helping them turn the match. Will he reward the coach's trust again today?"
Suker gave him a thumbs-up from afar.
"It's all on you now!"
Dujmovic: "I'll just hang up front for any scraps!"
Suker paused, then gave him another thumbs-up.
From this point, Croatia's counterattacks depended on Suker's surges and Dujmovic's long-range shots.
But with Spain dominating the midfield, opportunities were few and far between.
Spain's attack continued.
After equalizing, their momentum surged.
Their midfield kept rotating and distributing the ball.
Minute 87, Spain struck again.
Iniesta dribbled through, and as he neared the penalty area, Vukojevic had to foul him.
Spain earned a dangerous free kick.
Xavi stepped up to take it.
Croatia pulled everyone back.
This free kick was extremely dangerous.
Suker and others formed a wall. Villa tried to squeeze in, but the Croatians wouldn't budge.
The whistle blew.
Xavi took the shot immediately.
The ball curved over the wall, heading for goal.
"Watch out!" Suker shouted.
BANG!
Ramos jumped and headed the ball.
It flew toward the far post.
Simunic desperately rushed to intercept, but both he and the ball ended up in the net.
Tweet!!The ref pointed to the center circle—goal counted.
Spain 3:2 Croatia
Suker stood at midfield, hands on hips, glancing at the clock.
Stoppage time had begun.
3 minutes left. Croatia's final chance.
He exhaled and gestured to Modric.
Modric nodded firmly.
"Three minutes left for Croatia—can they turn the tide? Can Suker give Croatia one last chance?"
Tweet!The whistle blew—Suker kicked off immediately.
He charged forward.
Modric faked a backpass, spun, and launched a long pass.
He aimed for space on the left—Suker dashed into position.
"Modric sends a long ball—Suker's sprinting for it!"
The ball flew fast—Suker calculated the drop.
"That might be too long!"
But just as it dropped, Suker leapt and controlled it beautifully with the top of his foot.
"Oh!! Suker!! He controls it!"
He and the ball landed. Spanish defenders rushed over.
Suker tapped the ball sideways, blasted through the gap with explosive force.
BANG!BANG!
He collided with Puyol and Busquets—but they couldn't stop him.
Busquets grabbed at him.
But Suker powered on, dragging him two meters.
"Let go!!"
Suker roared.
Busquets instinctively let go.
Suker lightened, and shot.
"Block him!"
"Don't let him shoot!"
Four Spanish defenders swarmed.
Suker drew the entire defense—leaving the right side wide open.
Suker tapped the ball right.
"TOMI!!!——"
At his roar, Dujmovic burst forward and took control.
"DUJMOVIC!!!"
Kraushevich jumped up.
"Chance!!!——"
Dujmovic stared at the goal—he knew what this shot meant.
But just then, a blinding light hit his eyes—he instinctively blinked and flinched.
Suker turned to the stands, furious.
"You filthy bastard!"
A laser pointer had been aimed directly at Dujmovic's eyes.
In that moment of hesitation, Piqué swooped in and cleared the ball.
BANG!
Dujmovic collapsed, dazed.
The Croatian fans fell silent.
Spain's danger was cleared.
Dujmovic missed the shot.
Croatia may have lost their last chance.
Three minutes later—the final whistle blew.
Spain 3:2 Croatia.
After a fierce 90-minute battle, Spain earned their place in the final.
"It's a pity we lost, but these Croatian boys showed tremendous fight."
"The miracle of Euro 2008 didn't continue, but no one can say Croatia played poorly this World Cup."
"From the group stage to now—we beat Argentina, beat Portugal, fought Germany and Spain for 90 minutes. We gave everything, and showed Croatia's toughness!"
"And this was just their first World Cup."
"Don't cry, boys. You did more than enough."
"We have time—we'll wait. Four years from now, these Croatians will be in their prime."
"And so ends the story in South Africa. Croatian fans, don't cry. Four years from now, in Brazil—in Rio, São Paulo, Brasília—we'll see an even stronger Croatia!"
Kraushevich exhaled and clapped slowly.
"Let's give these boys some applause—they deserve it."
Spanish commentator, clutching his chest:
"It's finally over. These 90 minutes put us through the wringer. Croatia's resilience was suffocating. Thankfully, we won."
Italian commentator:
"Croatia lost—but someone must answer for this. What forced such a strong team out? Dirty, disgusting fixture manipulation!"
British commentator:
"If they had a gentler schedule, or just a breather in between, this wouldn't have happened."
He sneered.
"Some people didn't want Croatia to win. They didn't lose to Spain—they lost to rats hiding in the sewers."
French commentator:
"Find them. Punish them. Croatia's tragedy must end."
Commentators around the world defended Croatia.
On one hand, they'd earned global respect for their play.
On the other, they were clearly being targeted and exploited.
In the coming days, this match could spark serious investigations and cleanups.
Perhaps those people never expected Croatia would win the world's respect in just a few games.
Huff! Huff! Huff!
Suker knelt on the pitch, panting.
He shook his head helplessly. The match was over. They'd lost.
Thud!
Someone patted his back.
Suker turned—it was Ramos, Alonso, and other Real Madrid teammates.
"What's with those looks?" Suker muttered. "You think I'm gonna cry? You think you can make me cry?"
They were speechless.
That logic was absurd!
Still, they had come to comfort him.
Suker patted their shoulders.
"Good luck in the final. Don't let us lose to the runners-up!"
They nodded firmly.
As Suker walked off the pitch—
Clapclapclapclapclapclapclap!!!
Tens of thousands of fans—Spanish, Croatian, neutral—stood and applauded.
Though Croatia lost, Suker—who scored twice—had not.
His performance was still dominant.
But Croatia's defense couldn't withstand the pressure.
Spanish commentator sighed:
"Suker's getting scarier with every match. What will he and Croatia do at the next World Cup in Brazil? That's the question the world will be asking!"
As he left to thunderous applause—
The system suddenly popped up—summoning the draw screen.
After the familiar animation—
Four diamond cards appeared in a flash of brilliant light.
Two of them stunned Suker.
Diamond Card (Special): Kaká's Vision
Diamond Card (Special): Ronaldinho's Ball Sense
Suker stood in shock, muttering:
"I'm going to be unstoppable!"