"Trying to drain our stamina?"
Modrić immediately understood Spain's intention when he saw how the match was developing.
"Press them! Go!"
Without hesitation, Modrić ordered his teammates to press even more aggressively.
At this moment, any talk of sportsmanship was out the window.
All that remained was a pure desire to win.
One victory.A ticket to the final.Nothing else mattered more.
Pressure!
Relentless pressure!Spain wanted to control possession and slow the pace.Croatia wanted to press and speed things up.
In such a clash of opposing tactics, only one side could impose their will.
"Take him out!"
Suker suddenly charged and knocked Xavi down along with the ball.
Fuming, Xavi jumped up, wanting to argue.
"Hey! Calm down! Don't let him provoke you!"
Iniesta quickly hugged Xavi to stop him.
Arguing now would only lead to more frustration and possible conflict — not something they could afford. They needed to stay composed.
Xavi clenched his jaw, threw off Iniesta's hands, and walked away.
Suker smacked his lips at the sight.
"Damn, that guy can really hold it in!"
When Spain resumed play, Croatia maintained their high-intensity, high-mobility pressing and physical play.
Spanish players were repeatedly bumped and fouled.
Once or twice might be manageable, but after several instances, even they couldn't suppress their anger.
Sure enough, the next moment, Xavi made a risky forward pass.
Trying to teach Croatia a lesson, he squeezed the ball ahead to Villa.
Villa received it and tried to push forward.
But Vukojević and Modrić closed in from both sides.
"Take him out!"
Modrić shouted.
Taking advantage of Vukojević's challenge, Modrić tackled the ball away and sent it to the retreating Rakitić.
Rakitić looked up and spotted Suker near the center circle.
But Suker was still being marked, making a direct pass difficult.
So Rakitić passed to Mandžukić.
Mandžukić, not known for his dribbling, didn't try to turn. As a target man, his threat came from positioning rather than movement.
He immediately switched the ball horizontally to Kranjčar on the other side.
Kranjčar didn't stop it. He pushed it forward and sprinted down the sideline.
Meanwhile, Suker, Mandžukić, and Rakitić all sprinted forward.
As Suker ran, he kept scanning both sides.
As he neared the penalty box, he slowed down slightly, hoping to pull away from Puyol's attention and create a shooting opportunity.
But Puyol sensed this and quickly checked Suker's position again.
Seeing him slow down, Puyol immediately took a few steps back and closed in.
Suker couldn't help but grin.
Puyol's move prevented Kranjčar from passing to him.
Kranjčar then shifted the ball to create an angle and sent in a cross.
Bang!Mandžukić headed the ball, but under pressure from Piqué, the effort was weak.
The ball soared over the crossbar.
"Croatia failed to capitalize on this opportunity. Their attacking route was too predictable. Without Srna's overlapping runs, they lacked width. Modrić didn't dare to push too deep. If Spain countered, Croatia's defense would be exposed!"
Spain restarted play.
Croatia was clearly anxious.
But Spain wasn't comfortable either.
Croatia's pressing was relentless. These guys were running like maniacs.
"Get the ball to Iniesta!"
Del Bosque yelled from the sideline.
When it came to dribbling, Iniesta was their best bet.
With Croatia pressing so hard, the safest place for the ball was at Iniesta's feet.
It would also help pull defenders and create openings.
Soon, Spain's passes began to focus on Iniesta.
Iniesta received the ball with his back to goal. Just before the touch, he leaned his shoulder right, prompting Vukojević to follow.
But at that moment, Iniesta twisted left, his head turning that way too.
"I read that!"
Vukojević lunged left — he had been saving energy for just this moment.
But Iniesta suddenly cut back right.
After a series of fakes, Vukojević ended up doing the splits.
Iniesta used the moment to pass to Pedro on the wing.
Pedro didn't immediately attack.
He waited until Iniesta moved into the open space, then passed the ball laterally.
"Pedro passes to Iniesta — what a lovely one-two—"
Before the sentence was finished, Iniesta let the ball run past him and kept sprinting.
The ball reached Fàbregas, who was positioned in parallel.
Everyone's attention shifted to Fàbregas, whose choice was simple.
He slipped the ball forward between Šimunić and Pranjić.
Iniesta burst into the box, caught up to the ball, and smashed a low left-footed shot!
The ball skimmed the grass and flew toward Croatia's goal.
Whoosh!Goal!
23rd minute — Spain took the lead through a brilliant combination, finished by Iniesta.
Spain 1:0 Croatia!
"Goal!!!!!!!——"
"Iniesta! What a brilliant give-and-go, a clever dummy, and perfect run. That dummy shifted all focus to Fàbregas, allowing Iniesta to slip through and score!"
"Spain scored in the most Spanish way possible — technique, rhythm, vision — they're one foot into the World Cup final!"
The South African commentator shouted excitedly.
"For Croatia, this goal is a disaster. They were already on the back foot, and now they're trailing — things just got worse."
"But this is Croatia we're talking about!"
"This is a team full of resilience. I believe they'll recover. They won't give up!"
WHOOOOOOOSH!!!!!!!!——
The whole stadium roared with Spanish cheers.
The entire Durban Stadium echoed with Spanish voices.
"Iniesta! A fantastic goal — it shows the essence of Spanish technique and chemistry, breaking Croatia down!"
"Well done, boys!"
Spanish commentator González cheered loudly.
But he quickly grew serious:"Even with the lead, we can't relax. Stay focused and stay sharp."
Despite having the advantage, González remained wary of Croatia — or more specifically, Suker.
Suker was the kind of player who could score with even the tiniest opening.
So, no letting up!
Van Stoyac pursed his lips tightly.
The worst-case scenario had happened — Spain scored first!
Before the match, he had considered what they'd do if that happened. But in the end, he hadn't found a good solution.
Tactics could only support a match — they couldn't decide it.
The players were the ones who shaped the game with their performance.
So now, Van Stoyac had no choice but to trust his players.
"Dujmović!"
He shouted, "Warm up!"
Dujmović jumped up instantly.
Everyone looked at him.
Was Croatia about to unleash their wild card again?
"Outside the box!""Pass it over!!——"
Modrić raised his hand, calling for the ball.
As it came to him, he faked a shot, then dragged it left with his right foot.
He then followed up with a powerful strike using his left.
Clang!The ball struck the crossbar and rebounded out.
Spain's defense fell into chaos.
Suker charged forward.
Surrounded by two defenders, he lunged for the ball.
Bang!It struck Puyol's leg and rolled out for a corner.
Spain survived the scare, but it had them sweating.
They'd managed to limit Suker, but now Modrić was heating up.
"Nice one, Luka!"
Suker pumped his fist."Keep going!"
Modrić nodded forcefully.
Croatia's corner.
Modrić took the kick.
Bang!Mandžukić and Suker rushed to the drop zone.
"Mario!"
Suker overshot the ball and shouted for Mandžukić.
Mandžukić leaped up — no run-up, so the height was limited — but he headed the ball back to Rakitić.
Rakitić tracked the ball.Alonso was lurking nearby.
As the ball dropped, Alonso charged in.
But Rakitić deftly tapped it to the left, jumped slightly to absorb the impact, then raised his right foot.
"Block it!!"
Casillas roared.
Piqué slid in to block.
But Rakitić tricked them again, dragging the ball sideways to Modrić on the flank.
Modrić took it calmly and, unmarked, looked into the box.
"Suker!!——"
He lobbed the ball in.
Suker flailed his arms.
"What am I, a damn mule?!"
He cursed internally, but never took his eyes off the ball.
Just as he was about to jump, Puyol took a huge lateral stride and crashed into him. They both went down.
"Hey!"
Suker raised his hand, appealing for a foul.
No response from the ref.
"No call? Puyol's movement was huge!"
Klašević spread his arms in frustration.
But the referee didn't budge. Spain tried to counter, but Vukojević made a hard tackle to stop the play.
Only then did the ref blow the whistle.
Croatian players immediately surrounded him in protest.
Even coach Bilić was furiously yelling from the sideline.
No use. The ref started reaching for his pocket — probably to issue a card.
"Get back! Get back!"
Suker shouted:"Don't waste time. We're still trailing!"
Then he glared at the ref.
"I'll remember you!"
Still time left — this could be dealt with later!
Spain's throw-in.
Croatia was furious at the unfair decision.
Their challenges got rougher.
Bang!Rakitić slammed into Alonso and stole the ball.
Even Suker thought the ref would call it.
But — no whistle.
Even Spain's players were stunned.
"Pass it!"
Suker sprinted forward.
If the whistle didn't come, keep going!
Rakitić hesitated but saw no clear pass to Suker.
Just then, someone made a wide run.
"Wide ball!"
It was Modrić bursting down the wing.
Aside from Suker, he reacted the fastest.
Rakitić quickly passed to him.
Modrić sprinted to catch the ball, then stopped suddenly and looked into the box.
Ramos assumed a cross was coming and moved in.
But Modrić shifted the ball sideways with a sudden burst, created space, and whipped in a low cross.
"Modrić's cross! Croatia is flooding the box!"
"Mandžukić!!"
Bang!Mandžukić got a foot on it, but Casillas reacted fast — the ball deflected off his leg and rolled toward the far post.
There, Suker was waiting.
"SUKER!!!!!!!——"
All of Spain's players felt a chill.
Puyol turned to block.
But Suker didn't pause. Eyes locked on the bouncing ball, he jumped slightly, leaned left, and used his momentum to volley with his right foot.
Whoosh!!!Goal!
35th minute — Croatia equalized!
"GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!——"
"Suker! It's him again — always him!"
"He capitalized on the rebound and leveled the score!"
"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Croatia is back!"
"We must also credit Modrić — after the goal, he upped his efforts with shots, overlaps, and passes. His drive made this goal possible!"
"This goal tells the team: don't give up — we still have a chance!"
WOOOOOOOOOOOOO——
Croatian fans erupted with applause and cheers.
Durban Stadium had become a Croatian celebration ground.
Spain had scored first, but Croatia immediately equalized.
That's Croatia!
The lone wolves of Eastern Europe — they never let go once they bite!
Spain's bench — Del Bosque's fists clenched and unclenched. Over and over.
He was clearly nervous.
Croatia's attacks were chaotic and lacked structure.
Their runs were messy!
But that chaos disrupted Spain's defense — and that led to a goal.
Spain was defending, and if they got disorganized — it could be fatal.
Most concerning was that Xabi Alonso and Xavi couldn't turn freely.
Passing lanes were closed. Croatia's midfield pressure remained intense. Their counters from the wings kept coming.
But the deadliest of all was Suker.
Del Bosque felt cursed!
They had poured so much defensive effort into stopping Suker…
And he still scored.
How did he even get into that position?!
On the bench, Dujmović tilted his head, puzzled.
"Why does Suker always seem to be in the right place to poach goals?"
After a pause, Srna replied:
"Maybe… he just doesn't trust you guys to score, so he's always ready for the rebound."
Dujmović froze.
"He doesn't trust Mario?"
Srna silently added in his heart:
"Or you."
Suker had cleaned up the most rebounds from Mandžukić and Dujmović.
Mandžukić was good at getting on the end of crosses but lacked finishing finesse, giving Suker second chances.
In fact, to make up for his flawed accuracy, Mandžukić often blasted the ball as hard as he could. Power over placement.That created more rebounds — perfect for Suker to clean up.
Dujmović, meanwhile, was a wild shooter.
He might be their "magic blade," scoring in big moments.
But he missed a lot more than he scored.
What made him scary, though, was this:
He never stopped shooting.
Most players get shy after missing a few.
Not Dujmović.
He just kept launching them — and they kept getting better.
Usually, having one of those guys on your team is stressful.
But Croatia had a King of Cleanup.
And that made it all work.
It even freed up Suker tactically — a neat little setup.