Beep!
Under the sharp whistle, the first half of the match ended.
The Germany players all stood with their hands on their hips, looking around, then shaking their heads.
The entire first half was an ordeal for them; the rhythm was off, and they couldn't play their game, as if their hands and feet were tied, making it difficult to perform.
It must be said that Croatia indeed hit their soft spot in the first half.
Being two goals down certainly put them in a very passive situation, but to say they would admit defeat, it was still too early.
Germans are not cowards!
After returning to the locker room, Löw immediately began to set up the tactics for the second half.
"We need to play more proactively in the second half, and at the same time, we must ensure the rhythm of the midfield!"
Löw's expression was serious; he knew very well that the problem in the first half was the rhythm, as Croatia's continuous pressing and disruption had thrown off their game rhythm.
And in the fast-paced play, Croatia counterattacked on the spot, seizing two opportunities and scoring goals.
If Germany wanted to turn the tide, everything had to start from the midfield.
At the very least, they couldn't be led by the nose by Croatia; they couldn't play as passively as they did in the first half.
"I feel Croatia will slow down a bit in the second half!"
Schweinsteiger said, "Many of their players were running frantically in the first half, which consumes a lot of their stamina. Of course, I can't be sure if they can maintain this state for 90 minutes, but they will definitely slow down at some point, and that's when we can take advantage!"
"The pressure on the right side is a bit too much!"
Lahm looked at Löw and said, "I expected Suker to play harder in the final, but his condition seems even more terrifying than usual."
Lahm had played against Suker many times, but this time it was the most headache-inducing.
Suker has strong individual ability, which requires constant marking!
But besides that, he also made good passes.
This meant that Suker had extremely strong swing attributes!
And in this situation, the difficulty of marking Suker greatly increased.
Lahm had also experienced Suker's peak period, that kind of breakthrough ability as if in an unmanned territory.
Although the current Suker has indeed declined physically compared to then, his swing attribute has increased a lot.
If he had to say, Lahm hated the current Suker more!
The old Suker liked to go it alone; although his individual ability was very strong, as long as multiple players restricted him together, it wasn't entirely impossible to limit Suker.
But now, with the added swing attribute, their defense was completely confused.
It was undoubtedly very difficult to decide in a short time whether to restrict Suker or focus on others.
Of course, Germany would not give up because of this; it was difficult, but they had to find a solution.
Croatia was also setting up their tactics for the second half.
"Germany will definitely want to regain their rhythm at some point in the second half!" Modrić said in a deep voice, "And it's hard for us to guarantee that we can continue playing like this!"
Rakitić shook his head and said, "It's impossible to continue playing like this. Even if they are ironmen, running like this, they can only last for another 10 minutes at most, and then substitutions will be needed!"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
They had the same idea as Rakitić; the game needed a change in rhythm, not only in passing rhythm but also in their own running rhythm.
Although Croatia was known as ironmen, it was impossible for them to sprint for 90 minutes.
And once they stopped, Germany would certainly look for an opportunity to reorganize their rhythm.
Therefore, this adjustment period was the most crucial!
"During this adjustment period, we can try to drop back in defense and just ensure we don't concede goals!"
Bešić said.
In fact, what he wanted more was to defend rigidly in the second half, but if they did that, he was afraid that Germany would launch continuous attacks, and once the situation changed, it would be difficult for him to adjust.
Therefore, he still tried to maintain some counterattacking power!
"Dujmović, Šimunić, Pranjic, go warm up, be ready to come on at any time!"
In terms of substitutions, Bešić still planned to strengthen the defensive power of the backline.
Only by stabilizing the defense could their counterattacks or attacks be fully unleashed.
Suker did not speak throughout, but his mind was working at high speed.
He was thinking about how to manage the second half of the match.
"Here you go!"
Van Stoyak handed over a peeled banana, and Suker immediately took it and started eating.
Football is a physical sport, and it also requires sufficient mental concentration, so the intake of some energy is crucial.
After the first half, Suker was indeed a bit hungry.
After quickly finishing the banana and wiping his mouth, Suker looked at Van Stoyak and said, "What do you think, should we slow down the rhythm in the second half?"
"According to the rhythm, we shouldn't slow down, but we must consider the feelings of other players. If we continue to play like this, we might collapse before Germany does!"
Listening to Van Stoyak, Suker nodded; "I have no problem, I can directly play long balls and crosses!"
"Bešić and I also mean the same thing, try to defend well, and then look for opportunities to counterattack!"
Suker nodded, this was the best method for now.
Soon, the half-time break ended.
The moment both teams' players returned to the field, the cheers from the crowd became even louder.
The final 45 minutes!
After 45 minutes, the World Cup champion would be born, which was a very important moment for them.
Especially the Croatian fans, they were cheering and shouting with all their might, continuously encouraging the players.
They knew very well that as long as they held on for another 45 minutes, with their current lead, the championship was so close to them.
This was their closest chance to win the World Cup!
Therefore, there could be no mistakes!
"Hold on! Lads! Don't relax at all, just hold on for another 45 minutes!"
Krauchivich also nervously clasped his hands together, his breathing very rapid.
In the VIP box, Davor Šuker and others were even more nervous.
It was the final half of the match!
"Damn it! My hands are a bit numb!"
"I wonder what tactics Germany will come up with in the second half, and how should we respond?"
"The rhythm of the first half was too intense, it should slow down a bit in the second half!"
"But if that happens, won't Germany be able to regain their rhythm?"
"So, we need to defend well, that's better than us collapsing midway!"
Although there were three substitution slots, it still couldn't keep up with the consumption of such a rhythm.
Moreover, the backline also needed to be strengthened, so they could only find ways in terms of rhythm, rather than excessively exhausting the players.
When both teams' players returned to the field, Suker noticed that Germany had made a substitution!
Klose came off, Götze came on.
Klose's performance in the first half was mediocre, but it was also due to being restricted by Croatia, making it difficult to perform in a small area.
With this substitution, Götze would be able to look for opportunities in such gaps.
And Götze should not be underestimated; he was the one who scored the winning goal in the World Cup final in the original timeline.
Hoo~~~~
Suker slowly exhaled.
At this moment, the second half of the match was also about to begin.
The moment the whistle blew, the entire stadium instantly entered a fervent atmosphere.
"The second half will be kicked off by Germany. After the first half, Germany is currently trailing 0:2. Can Löw and his Germany team turn the tide in the second half!"
"The ball is passed to Kroos. As Germany's midfield maestro, Kroos's performance will determine the midfield's trajectory for Germany!"
"Özil and Götze are also dropping back to receive the ball, and Muller is at the very front, but Croatia's overall defense is also quite deep, so there aren't many attacking opportunities visible right now!"
Kroos continuously observed Croatia's defensive line. It was just as he expected; Croatia would indeed slow down the rhythm at the beginning of the second half.
And this was their crucial opportunity to adjust.
Thinking of this, Kroos actively ran to receive the ball and passed it back to Götze.
As a key substitution for the second half, Götze's task was to constantly disrupt and threaten Croatia's defense on the wing.
By making Croatia's defense shift to one side, they could then exploit the open spaces in other areas to look for scoring opportunities.
Of course, this was not an easy task.
After all, Croatia's defense is also very strong, and this team from Eastern Europe is definitely one of the world's top teams, both in offense and defense!
Bang!
Ćorluka barely touched the ball but failed to intercept or tackle it, and the ball remained within Götze's control.
Compared to Klose, this guy is more agile and has better footwork.
This also made Croatia's defense even tighter; only then could they block Germany's penetrating offense.
Germany frequently changed positions while running.
They repeatedly probed for weak points in Croatia's defensive line.
Both sides were competing to organize their formations well.
However, the defending side was definitely the passive one, and because of this, Croatia faced relatively greater pressure.
"This is so troublesome!"
Watching Croatia's tenacious follow-up defense time and again, Kroos felt a bit irritated.
Many teams would show weaknesses after a few transfers, and Croatia was no exception, but the problem was that these guys stuck to them like a plaster.
They constantly entangled and interfered with them!
Accumulated interference would inevitably lead to some frustration.
But Kroos also knew that he had to be calm at this moment, even calmer and more decisive than usual!
Bang!
The ball was passed to Götze again, while Kroos's position moved slightly forward.
This meant he wanted Götze to break through more aggressively.
Götze did not hesitate and directly started along the wing.
As Ćorluka followed up, Götze suddenly made an abrupt stop and transferred the ball horizontally to Kroos.
After receiving the ball, Kroos turned on the spot and transferred the ball to the left again.
Özil received the ball on the wing, and Srna immediately stuck to him.
With almost no passing space, Özil actually passed the ball forward along the sideline.
Srna was a bit confused at first, but quickly remembered Vida's warning.
"Watch out for Muller!"
Srna immediately turned around, but he did not directly attack Muller; instead, he retreated directly.
Compared to restricting him, he wanted to hold his position first.
But Muller's choice was much more decisive than his; he directly kicked a cross.
The ball flew high and fell into Croatia's penalty area.
At this moment, there was a great commotion in the penalty area; everyone was rushing to the landing spot. Vida, Götze, Özil, Vukojević—they were all sprinting and kicking, trying to touch the ball.
Legs, like a tide, kicked out one after another, but still failed to touch the ball.
The ball went straight through the penalty area and flew to the left side of the penalty area, where Ćorluka hastily cleared it.
"Oh~~ No one touched the ball! But that ball was too dangerous!"
Many commentators were also startled; if anyone had touched the ball, Germany could have scored.
"Damn it!"
Götze cursed under his breath and immediately got up to support.
Next, Germany's offense began to surge forward in waves.
"Here it comes!"
Van Stoyak clenched his fist tightly; he knew this moment would come sooner or later.
Germany would not be passively beaten and would not refuse to fight back for the entire match.
And once their offense became threatening, they would inevitably attack the defense repeatedly.
"Hold on for another 5 minutes!"
Bešić thought to himself.
Just five minutes, and he would make a substitution to strengthen the defense.
The situation on the field changed rapidly, and the fans' emotions were like a roller coaster, fluctuating up and down.
Five minutes is not long, but it is extremely difficult to endure.
Especially as physical strength gradually declines, facing such an intense situation, every run is an all-out effort.
With each start and each run, the body is tested more and more.
The mental test is the same!
How many times did the players want to stop, even if just to catch their breath?
But the situation would not wait for them; they could only run, only sprint.
In the repeated runs and confrontations, in the repeated clashes.
The situation also became increasingly tense.
Germany desperately tried to score, while Croatia stubbornly blocked and defended.
Under this confrontation, the atmosphere became incredibly fervent.
Any brilliant dribble, any excellent defense could cause bursts of cheers from the crowd.
"The situation has become very tense; even Suker has retreated to join the defense, which means Croatia is under immense defensive pressure!"
Suker ran constantly, cursing in his heart.
"This is really hell!"
He knew Germany's offense was sharp and that they were strong.
But he didn't expect them to be this strong!
Once these guys found their rhythm, they were like a high-power engine, humming and running at high speed.
There would be no mistakes at all throughout the entire passing and receiving process.
Every pass seemed precisely calculated, specifically targeting their weak points!
It was better when the rhythm was disrupted in the first half, but now that these guys have found their form, the difficulty of defending has suddenly increased!
Bang!
The ball lightly grazed Suker's toe, but still rolled towards Götze.
Götze immediately ran horizontally to receive it. The moment he received the ball, he suddenly paused.
The next second, this guy directly moved past the front of the ball, with no intention of touching it.
And over there, the elusive Muller suddenly appeared on the wing, dribbling to the byline and crossing.
"Muller crosses!"
This was a cross with a feeling of an inverted triangle; although the angle was not large, it was a diagonal backward pass.
And in that position, Götze was better positioned to appear.
But this guy let the ball go again!
This also caused Croatia's defense to miss again.
And Kroos, who was behind Götze, seized this opportunity, taking a shot aimed at the near post, sending the ball into the goal before Goalkeeper Subašić could react at all.
Whoosh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!—
At this moment, the entire stadium erupted!
Croatian fans jumped up excitedly to celebrate.
Finally, a goal!
A goal in the 60th minute, though a little late, was finally achieved!
Now they have equalized one goal, with only one more goal remaining!
That's right!
Just like that, chasing back one goal at a time!
Croatian fans cheered excitedly, but the players did not celebrate; instead, they immediately picked up the ball and ran back!
They knew very well that although there were still 30 minutes left, the test still remained.
"They're making a substitution!"
After the celebration, Lahm saw the Croatian players standing on the sidelines.
Sure enough, Croatia was going to strengthen the left full-back position; Ćorluka had indeed suffered the most wear and tear from the waves of attacks.
Now Pranjic came on as a substitute, precisely to strengthen the left defensive line.
This would also further free up Suker, preventing him from being constrained by the defensive line.
Moreover, this substitution was almost an announcement that Croatia's second wave of strong attacks was about to begin.
The Germans knew very well that the next 30 minutes would be a tough battle, the most crucial period.
Croatia had completed its personnel changes and regained its fighting strength.
And Germany had also found its form!
For the remaining time, there would be no so-called routines or tactics; it would purely be a hard fight in terms of skill, form, will, and so on.
"The match is entering its final sprint phase; neither side will relax their grip on the situation, which means the confrontation will be extremely intense, and the rhythm will change in an instant, and whoever can seize the opportunity in this situation will be the most crucial factor!"
Krauchivich's nervous voice trembled slightly.
"Hold on! Lads! You can do it!"
Croatian fans felt the same way.
Now that a goal had been pulled back, although they still had a one-goal lead, it still didn't feel as secure.
After all, they had witnessed Germany's previous offensive.
If the Germans continued to play like this, the outcome of the match would truly be unpredictable; a comeback was even possible!
But they also believed in these lads; they would surely have a way to cope.
They would not allow themselves to be in a passive situation for long!
And as the whistle blew again, the decisive battle arrived!