Capello frowned deeply, his hands repeatedly clenching and unclenching—clear signs that he was nervous.
Moments like this were rare in his coaching career.
But this match had brought too many unfavorable factors.
First was Suker's relentless attacking. His devastating solo threat on the left flank misled Capello into believing that Croatia's main offensive line was concentrated there.
To contain Suker, Capello had to shift the defensive focus to the left.
Still, he had confidence in the right side of the defense.
Because they had Ashley Cole, and Capello didn't believe Rakitić was strong enough to break down Cole one-on-one.
It was a 1v1 situation.
Though a bit passive, the team could still maintain overall rhythm.
But that's precisely where the problem lay.
He had only accounted for Rakitić on the right, but Bilic had other plans—to open up the entire right corridor!
Srna's sudden forward run shattered everything.
Croatia had done excellent preparation for this match, step-by-step imposing their intentions on the game. That damn Croatian even seemed to have predicted Capello's entire line of thought.
"Phew~~~"
Capello exhaled slowly.
Two goals behind—an extremely unfavorable situation.
"Substitution!"
Capello suddenly gestured for changes.
Just over 20 minutes into the first half, England was forced to make substitutions.
It was Capello's complete denial of his pre-match strategy—an admission that the current lineup and tactics could not cope with Croatia.
"Capello chooses to make changes—it seems the Croatians have really left the Italian manager at his wit's end."
"First-half substitutions are rare, but trailing by two, Capello does need to reflect on whether the pre-match setup was flawed. These emergency measures are decisive, but…"
The English commentator spoke gravely: "Will they work? And… whom will Capello bring on?"
When Capello made his choices, the stadium erupted.
Lampard and Heskey off.
Beckham and Milner on.
Capello dismantled the famed "Double Pivot" of Gerrard and Lampard and sent in veteran Beckham.
He also removed striker Heskey in favor of defensive midfielder Milner.
Croatian commentator Klaušević: "Capello making two bold substitutions within 20 minutes is a clear sign he lacks confidence in his starting eleven. England must stabilize the situation—at the very least, the defense—if they don't want a repeat of that humiliating loss at Wembley a few years ago. Bold changes are necessary."
In the Croatian dugout.
Bilic looked at Capello in surprise.
Two first-half subs? That decisive?
As Bilic glanced at Capello, the Italian turned toward him too—though the look was far from friendly.
To Capello, Bilic was the mastermind who'd outwitted him, forcing him into such drastic action.
Van Stoyak pursed his lips.
"These top coaches are tough to deal with."
They still had a third move in the game plan.
It was supposed to help Croatia secure an even bigger lead before halftime and all but seal the win.
But Capello's quick substitutions had disrupted that.
Still, with a two-goal lead, Croatia had a strong margin for error.
And if they could just hold out for 20 minutes, they could coast into halftime—no need to rush.
"Everyone stay calm!"
Van Stoyak gestured downward, signaling, "Slow the tempo!"
Suker, Modrić, and others nodded immediately.
Van Stoyak's tactics were working, but Capello's changes were equally shrewd.
When top-level coaches face off, it's a dangerous, high-stakes game.
Still, Croatia held the advantage. They had the lead and three substitution slots remaining. England had only one.
So the upper hand was still firmly Croatia's.
All they needed was to hold on.
The match resumed.
After conceding twice, England restarted the game.
With Beckham now on the pitch, pairing with Gerrard created a strong and stable midfield.
Especially with Lampard subbed off, Gerrard now had more license to surge forward.
Milner largely took over Gerrard's defensive duties at the back.
Of course, they didn't dare push forward recklessly. One counterattack from Croatia could undo them.
BANG!Rakitić was dispossessed by Beckham.
"Old guy's still got it?"
Rakitić blushed.
He'd actually been knocked off the ball by Beckham—he couldn't win the physical duel.
Of course, Beckham had timed the challenge perfectly—intercepting just as Rakitić was changing direction. The timing and impact during a moment of imbalance caused the fall.
That's what you get with a veteran's experience.
Beckham, in his signature buzzcut, looked clean and sharp.
His eyes were bright, scanning the field ahead.
Rooney and Lennon were key in England's attack.
Especially Rooney—his explosiveness was vital for breaking through defenses.
Not only that, Beckham had to constantly roam.
His role in this match was to take over organizational duties—
Freeing Gerrard to attack.
This Liverpool powerhouse still posed a constant threat to the Croatian goal.
England quickly stabilized the midfield.
Though Croatian pressing created some shaky passes, every time the ball reached Beckham, he used his passing to settle things down.
"Tsk."
Suker frowned.
Beckham may be older, but he was still playing at a high level—that's what made him so dangerous.
"Push up!"
Suker gritted his teeth. "Keep pressing! I don't believe they can handle the pressure forever!"
Croatia surged forward.
Meanwhile, Beckham began drifting centrally. The entire midfield was now moving more, yet still with structure.
When Suker and Mandžukić rushed Terry, he calmly played it wide.
Ashley Cole sent it forward—
The ball rolled to Beckham.
Receiving it on the wing, Beckham turned and glanced diagonally—then delivered a classic long ball.
BANG!A signature Beckham cross reappeared at Wembley.
The ball arced beautifully in the air, falling behind Šimić.
There, Rooney had already sped past, stopped the ball, cut inside, and delivered a cross.
In an instant, three England attackers swarmed the box—
Lennon, Gerrard, and Barry.
Spread across front, center, and back.
Gerrard leapt centrally, clashing with Šimunić.
Both men rose.
Šimunić, using his height, reached it first and cleared.
But the ball flew toward the back post—where Lennon controlled it, but before he could shoot—
SLAM!Srna slid in cleanly, knocking it out for a throw.
Crisis averted for Croatia.
Suker and the others quickly fell back.
"I don't like this,"
Klaušević muttered, frowning.
England's counterattacks had become sharper, especially now that the midfield was solid again.
The game continued, with England pressing via traditional long-ball tactics.
Šimunić kept clearing headers—but the repeated pressure was taking its toll.
"Hold the line! Hold!"
Van Stoyak looked anxiously toward the pitch.
Just survive until halftime!
Then they could enter the second half still ahead by two.
Capello stood calmly on the sideline, his face unreadable.
"I've seen many offensive-minded coaches—mostly Dutch. They love attacking. It's like it's encoded in their DNA."
"They're obsessed with offense. Even when slowing the game, they won't 'park the bus.' They can't accept full defense."
Capello adjusted his glasses.
"To them, defending is shameful!"
"But if you want to control tempo—then do it thoroughly. Fall back entirely. Don't try to press high while pretending to 'manage tempo'—that's just nonsense driven by a misguided obsession with attacking."
BANG!On the pitch, Beckham suddenly burst to the byline—
And delivered another exquisite cross.
Šimunić focused on Gerrard.
Then—Rooney darted to the near post, distracting him for just a second.
That's all Gerrard needed.
He burst behind Šimunić and leapt.
In the air, Gerrard adjusted his body, eyes locked on the ball, back arched—
BANG!The header flew toward the far post.
It hit the post and bounced in!
41st minute.
England finally pulled one back after relentless pressure.
"GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Gerrard!! A brilliant header! Šimunić couldn't stop him this time. We've finally scored!"
"Capello's substitutions paid off. This goal relieves a lot of pressure."
"But there's not much time left in the first half…"
The England players roared with emotion.
Being two goals down had been suffocating.
Now, hope filled their lungs again.
They could win!
England kept attacking.
Though their traditional long-ball style is often criticized—
It was proving very effective here.
It constantly put pressure on Šimunić, rapidly depleting his stamina.
By halftime, he was drenched in sweat, panting hard.
In the last 20 minutes, he felt like a rabbit—constantly jumping and contesting headers.
Fighting Gerrard.
Fighting Rooney.
Watching Lennon.
The pressure was immense.
But he'd survived.
"Damn it! This match is brutal."
Šimunić complained.
Suker said: "England isn't easy. We beat them back then only because they were riddled with injuries and had a terrible coach. But now…"
"Capello, that bastard!"
Srna growled.
He hated Capello—but had to admit the man's tactical genius.
A true world-class coach.
His in-game management was elite.
Just like his bold substitutions, which immediately shifted the game and pulled a goal back.
In the Croatian locker room,
Van Stoyak drew up the second-half tactics.
"We'll continue attacking in the second half—especially the first 10 minutes. That's when we apply max pressure."
"England needs to attack—they're behind. They can't afford to lose and miss out on automatic World Cup qualification. We use that."
Croatian players roared: "Understood!"
Then Van Stoyak turned to Šimunić: "Can you hold out?"
Šimunić took a deep breath: "Ten more minutes—I can do that."
Van Stoyak frowned.
He had a bad feeling.
England's pressure on Šimunić was relentless. Still, they had three substitutions left.
He turned to the bench.
The defenders straightened up, eyes shining with anticipation.
Young Lovren looked eager, practically glowing.
He was one breath away from yelling, "Coach, I want to play!"
Van Stoyak looked at him, but eventually turned to the right.
"Križanac, warm up!"
Križanac jumped up, excited, and jogged out.
Meanwhile, in England's locker room—
Capello stood before the tactics board, speaking through a translator.
"For the second half—we must defend!"
The room fell silent.
England's players looked at each other in confusion.
Rooney: "Did I mishear? Boss—we're losing."
Capello: "I know. But we have to hold the line. Not the whole half—just the first ten minutes!"
"These ten minutes are crucial. If we can't survive them, it's over."
Gerrard asked, "What's the point of that?"
"There's a reason!" Capello adjusted his glasses. "We're behind. Croatia thinks we'll attack. So they'll press hard in the first ten minutes—trying to choke us."
"If we actually try to attack, we'll walk right into their trap."
"But if we defend—Croatia still has three subs. Based on their patterns, Bilic likes to make a move at the 55th minute mark."
Capello said gravely: "Once Croatia makes subs—that's our chance!"
Rooney: "Can you guarantee this will work?"
"No one can. But this is the best plan, based on all the data I've gathered. I need your support!"
He turned to Beckham.
Beckham held great sway in the England squad.
Everyone looked at him.
After a pause, Beckham nodded: "He's the coach. We follow orders. And I believe he wouldn't act without reason—he has more data than we do."
With Beckham's support, the others quickly agreed.
Capello finally smiled.
That's what he liked about Beckham—a true professional, who respected and trusted his coach.
Having someone like that could unify the whole team.
"Alright!" Capello clapped his hands. "Second half—let's kick Croatia's ass!"
Second half began.
"Croatia's attack is ferocious. England's parked the bus, just barely hanging on."
"But Suker's continued attacking down the left still poses a huge threat."
Capello watched Suker dash by, his heart pounding.
He wasn't Bilic—he wouldn't make pointless half-measures.
If you defend—do it right.
But even so, Suker's repeated drives were nerve-wracking.
They just needed to survive ten minutes.
Capello glanced to the side—
He saw Croatia's substitute Križanac warming up—confirmation they were about to sub in.
Van Stoyak looked uneasy.
Something felt off.
England wasn't attacking—they were defending like mad.
What was going on?
What was Capello planning?
Van Stoyak wracked his brain—but couldn't put it all together.
Phew...He sighed. Maybe he was overthinking it.
After all, Croatia was still ahead and had substitutions remaining—still a clear advantage.
54th minute.
During a stoppage, Croatia made their move.
Šimunić and Šimić off.
Križanac and Pranjić on.
Seeing this, Capello's eyes lit up.
"Substitution!"
Capello called loudly.
"England making their final sub. Who will it be?"
A towering figure stood beside Capello.
His 2-meter frame towered above the rest.
England's final sub—Lennon off.
The giant, Peter Crouch, on!