"Gatekeeper" Neuer!
The term "gatekeeper" was popularized by Neuer, describing a goalkeeper's exaggerated control range.
Watching Neuer play, you'd often see him charging out of the penalty area for all kinds of defensive actions—slide tackles, interceptions, and even executing feints after receiving the ball. Compared to traditional goalkeepers who stay on the goal line, Neuer's passionate style drew lots of attention.
Suker originally thought Neuer only started playing like this after Guardiola took over Bayern Munich. But from the current scene, it's clear this guy had a natural instinct for risk-taking—this was always his style.
Of course, there are pros and cons.
A goalkeeper positioned high up increases their defensive range, but it also leaves the goal dangerously exposed—an obvious weakness.
A dangerous glint sparked in Suker's eyes.
"This guy hasn't been lobbed yet, has he?"
Neuer stood confidently off his line. After pulling off a brilliant save earlier, he had ignited the German fans' enthusiasm.
At the same time, it left the Croatian players feeling incredibly frustrated.
That was exactly the effect Neuer wanted.
Even if you get a one-on-one, scoring won't come easy.
But what he didn't know was—someone had already started eyeing that so-called "advantage" of his.
Croatia's final attack of the half didn't lead to a goal. Two minutes later, the referee blew the whistle for halftime.
"That's the end of the first half. Right now, Croatia is tied 1–1 with Germany. The Germans had an overwhelming offensive push, but Croatia struck first on a counterattack. Still, they couldn't hold the lead. Germany's aerial assault is a real threat. Hopefully, Croatia can make adjustments during halftime!"
The players returned to the locker rooms.
Inside the Croatian dressing room, voices flew in all directions:
"We can't let them shoot. Our defense is under too much pressure!"
"I've jumped so many times I feel like a rabbit! These Germans just keep leaping!"
"Damn it! We thought Germany would go with ground passes, but these guys keep going wide and crossing!"
"Müller is a nightmare to track—his positioning and movement are so annoying!"
"And Podolski's breakthroughs on the wing are killing us too!"
As everyone voiced their frustrations, assistant coach Van Stoyac entered. He slapped the tactics board and shouted, "Quiet!"
Once the room settled, he began:
"I'll get straight to the point. Here's how we're adjusting in the second half."
"Germany loves to play the ball wide. Their switches rely heavily on Schweinsteiger and Özil. So on the counter, you must track those two. Shut them down, and you shut down Germany's wing play."
"And then there's Müller!"
Van Stoyac turned to Vukojević:
"Ognjen, ever since your injury, you've been playing too soft. Give him contact—pressure him! That's your job. Forget the ball. When Müller starts running, you stick with him. Make him feel someone's always there, pushing him."
"And Luka—you need to step up! Be confident! Stop always passing. You can beat your man, so do it. Then pass. That'll make a huge difference. Got it?"
Then Van Stoyac added:
"And Suker!"
Everyone looked over, surprised.
Van Stoyac rarely called out Suker by name—but this time, he did.
"You're the attacking midfielder. Stop dropping back. Defense isn't your job."
Suker frowned:
"If I don't drop back, we'll have holes in our defense."
"Then we concede!" Van Stoyac snapped back without hesitation, cutting him off.
"Your role is to counterattack!" Van Stoyac said sternly. "You keep retreating, and that gives Germany more license to press. If you stay forward, they'll think twice. You're the threat! Remember: the attacking midfielder's job is to attack, not defend."
"Even if we concede ten goals—that's the defense's fault. You stay up and wait for your chance to strike!"
Faced with Van Stoyac's ironclad logic, Suker could only grin and nod.
"Got it."
"Guys—we need offense. In the second half, bring the fight!"
Van Stoyac's voice boomed.
Bilic opened his mouth slightly but ultimately said nothing.
He felt defense was still important, but given Croatia's limited options, there wasn't much more they could do to turn the tide.
Just like Van Stoyac said—they had to rely on attack, and on Suker's explosive counterattacks.
Meanwhile, Germany was busy setting up their second-half tactics.
Back at the Croatian commentary booth, Kraushevich said gravely:
"This match is incredibly tough. Germany is even stronger than we expected. But we believe our boys will show more grit in the second half and fight for the win!"
The second half kicked off, with both teams switching sides.
55th minute, Germany made the first substitution:Sami Khedira off, Toni Kroos on.
59th minute, the substitution paid off—Kroos received the ball from Schweinsteiger and threaded a sudden through-pass.
The pass was sharp—cutting past Croatia's midfield and slicing open the backline.
Müller made a blazing run down the wing, and even under pressure from Vukojević, he whipped in a low cross.
Klose was right there, finishing it off with a composed tap-in.
59th minute, Germany scores again.
Croatia now trailed 1–2!
"Goal! Germany has now scored twice, completely turning the tide. Croatia is officially in crisis!"
"There's still 30 minutes left—come on, boys!"
Kraushevich turned his gaze to the field—or more precisely, to Suker.
So did every Croatian fan watching.
They were all hoping Suker would rise again, just like before.
On the sidelines, Van Stoyac looked grim.
That goal put Croatia on the edge of the cliff.
He looked over—there wasn't much defensive help left, and no standout attackers to bring on.
Perišić?
Too young. Not ready for the burden.
Then suddenly—
"Bilic," Van Stoyac said, "let's gamble."
"Gamble on what?" Bilic was confused.
He had no idea what to do. His mind was blank.
Van Stoyac suddenly turned and shouted:
"Tomi! Warm up!"
Dujmović immediately stood up.
Croatia's "Blade", the "Miracle Man"—Tomislav Dujmović!
At that moment, German players were still celebrating.
They felt invincible.
They believed they would beat Croatia.
They were headed to the World Cup semifinals—or even further.
Beating Croatia would be a massive morale boost.
"Toni Kroos with a brilliant assist. Löw's substitution paid off, and now Croatia responds—Olić is off, and Tomislav Dujmović is coming on!"
"Dujmović plays in the Russian league and has excellent long-range shooting. He's scored key goals before. This is Croatia putting all their chips on Dujmović!"
At the sideline, Dujmović waited, high-fived Olić, and then sprinted onto the pitch.
He first ran toward Suker and whispered a few quick words.
Then he went to Modrić and exchanged another few lines—before jogging to his position.
"Let's go, boys! It's not over yet! Look—your savior is here!"
Dujmović said with cocky confidence.
Suker, Modrić, and the others just cracked up.
They were trailing, with 30 minutes to go.
It was still enough time—but every counterattack had to count.
Suker looked at Dujmović—Van Stoyac wanted to exploit his long-range shooting.
Clearly, he'd noticed Neuer's habit of leaving the box too.
Regardless, they had to try.
Croatia didn't have many tactical cards left to play.
"The match resumes—Croatia is still pressing hard, constantly moving, constantly running. Even in the second half, their pace hasn't dropped!"
In the stands, even German fans had to admit—
"These guys just don't stop!"
Since kickoff, Germany had been launching wave after wave of attacks, tossing in cross after cross. For over 60 minutes, the Croatian players hadn't stopped running.
Any other team would've seen serious fatigue from this kind of high-tempo battle.
But the Croatians just kept going—like machines.
Dujmović kept scanning the pitch.
Van Stoyac's instructions were clear—look for opportunities to arrive late into space.
That would help him avoid German markers and capitalize on his long-range weapon.
He kept observing Suker.
Clearly, Suker was the focal point of Germany's defense.
Yet despite the intense pressure, Suker still found ways to slip the ball through narrow spaces.
Seeing that, Dujmović couldn't help but smile.
If it were him, he'd have tripped long ago trying to keep up with Suker's dazzling footwork.
Having teammates this good—victory had to belong to them.
Suker was already doing more than enough—but others needed to step up too.
There wouldn't be many chances.
Dujmović had to seize the moment.
When Suker found himself surrounded again, Dujmović immediately moved into space to create an opening.
"Suker!"
Hearing the call, Suker poked the ball out.
As Dujmović received the ball, he noticed the German players eased up.
"You've got to be kidding me. They're underestimating me?"
It pissed him off, but Dujmović still calmly returned the ball.
Let them underestimate him—that worked in his favor.
If they marked him like Suker, he'd never find space.
After passing, he drifted out wide—again, no one marked him.
He took a few probing steps inward—still no marker?
Finally, as he pushed up again, a German defender began to react.
That told Dujmović all he needed to know.
And now—he was in range.
This could work!
Germany's full attention was still on Suker.
They couldn't afford to ignore him.
"Germany is tightly marking Suker, making it hard for him to break through!"
Suker received a pass from Modrić, shifted laterally, then leaned into Kroos before slipping the ball sideways—to Dujmović.
Then Suker spun and began a furious sprint into the box.
"Watch out!"
"Suker's making a run!"
"Prepare to defend the cross!"
"Neuer, eyes on Suker!"
The German players shouted in panic. Neuer instinctively looked toward Suker to track his run.
And then—BANG!
A deafening thud.
As he turned his head, the ball was already screaming toward the far post like a cannonball.
Neuer's pupils contracted.
He shuffled across and crouched to dive—but in that instant, the ball dipped sharply, plunging into the back of the net.
The entire stadium fell silent.
Swish!
The ball hit the net with a crisp snap.
The once-roaring Fußballstadion was momentarily frozen in silence.
Dujmović slowly landed from his shot, feeling as though the world had entered slow motion.
At some point, his childhood friend group had started to drift apart.
All of them now played in Europe's top five leagues—except for him.
He'd been cast out, forced to join the Russian league.
He always put on a carefree front—but no one knew the quiet sorrow he felt inside.
Whether in the sunrise of morning or under stadium lights at night—he kept working.
His talent was limited, and he didn't have much to rely on.
So he practiced just one thing—long shots.
He believed—someday, this would help his friends.
Because if it couldn't—he'd never catch up to them.
But when that ball hit the net, his whole body trembled.
He'd done it!
He finally did it.
A goal to level the score.
In a World Cup quarterfinal.
Against Germany.
At the most crucial moment.
Dujmović finally screamed the words he'd long wanted to shout:
"I'm f***ing amazing!!!!!!!—"
BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The stadium exploded!
Croatian fans leapt from their seats—stands shook violently.
They were ecstatic!
They were stunned!
What a stunning goal!
A long shot is already exciting—but Dujmović scoring one?
Nobody expected it.
Everyone assumed he'd loft it into the box—after all, Suker was making a run.
But instead, he chose to shoot!
And smashed open Germany's goal!
"Tomislav Dujmović! He's brought back our hope of reaching the World Cup semifinals—my God, this is insane!"
"Bilic's substitution worked wonders."
"Dujmović—among Suker's generation, he may not be the most famous, but he's definitely the most special."
"Just like this goal—he always delivers in the clutch!"
"Let's give him the ovation he deserves! For Tomislav Dujmović—the hero of Croatia!"
Dujmović stood in the center of the pitch, basking in cheers from all around.
Then Suker, Mandžukić, and others rushed over.
"You beast!!"
"Tomi! I freaking love you!"
"That shot was insane!"
"Hahaha! We've tied it! The semifinals—there's still hope!"
"Let's knock Germany out!"
The goal ignited Croatian morale.
Mandžukić even knelt on one knee and patted it.
"Come on! You deserve to show off today!"
Dujmović blinked—then grinned, walking over and resting his boot on Mandžukić's knee as the striker bowed to kiss it.
"Ohhh—Mandžukić is kissing Dujmović's boot! But after that goal, it's a worthy tribute. Brilliant strike, Tomi!"
Kraushevich finally exhaled.
Klose's goal had pinned Croatia down.
Now, with the score tied, their semifinal hopes were back.
On the German side, players looked at each other, all showing signs of fatigue.
Is Croatia made of glue or what?
Why won't they go away?
They'd already locked down Suker—yet others still found ways to score.
Especially Dujmović—he wasn't even on their tactical radar.
Who could've predicted that guy would score such a crucial world-class goal?
Such a spectacular strike crushed German morale.
"Hold on! Hold on! Let's score again!"
Lahm shouted to rally his team.
78th minute, Dujmović's long-range goal leveled the match.
Croatia 2–2 Germany.
This match was far closer than anyone expected.
80th minute, both teams made more changes:
Germany: Boateng, Müller off / Marcel Jansen, Mario Gomez on
Croatia: Vukojević, Mandžukić off / Knezevic, Petrić on
"Both sides have made changes. These substitutions are key—not only for the remainder of the match but also to prepare for extra time and possibly penalties."
Kraushevich spoke seriously.
From these moves, it was clear—neither coach planned for the game to end in 90 minutes.
Löw and Bilic both knew—this war was far from over.