All-around center

"Guys! Cheer up, let's play a wonderful game!"

Costa Rica's morale is still very high. Although the game is hard, it is also a kind of enjoyment.

After all, after qualifying, their pressure is not so great.

Moreover, being able to compete with Croatia and a group of stars is also a precious opportunity for many of them.

At the stage when the game is about to start, both sides are making final communication.

Costa Rica still needs to do a good job of defense first, and then think about counterattacks.

If they can't defend, they have no possibility of counterattack.

At the same time, this game is very stressful for Ruiz.

He is the hub of Costa Rica's attack and defense conversion in the midfield. It can be said that almost all counterattacks are initiated from his feet, and even connected in the middle.

And he needs to face Croatia where Modric is!

Ruiz knows Modric's toughness very well.

Although he is not strong or tall, it is such a body that supports the last backbone of the Red Devils.

Ruiz is also a versatile player on the field, who can attack and break through, and his skills are very comprehensive.

However, he has never been able to enter the top five leagues.

He also had the opportunity to accept the call of his former coach to join the Premier League team, but was rejected by his club, resulting in a failed transfer.

So far, Ruiz has been eager to prove himself.

Not only in small leagues, even in the top five leagues, he is still a strong team.

And now is the best opportunity.

On the world stage, facing one of the best midfielders in the world, he only needs to show enough performance, and he can use this as a stepping stone to knock on the door of the top five leagues.

It can be said that this game is not only for the team, but also for himself.

Not only Ruiz, but many other Costa Rican players are like this.

Campbell wants to use this World Cup to determine his position in Arsenal.

Navas is also in contact with Real Madrid, and this game can win him more salary conditions.

Others also want to use this as a springboard to fight for a better future for themselves.

It can be said that the game pressure is not great, but based on their ambitions and expectations, they also need to make themselves show better performance.

Costa Rica is eager to try!

Croatia is relatively calm.

Suker and Modric finished the last communication, and then came to their respective positions, waiting for the game to start.

The players of both sides have come to their respective half, and the referee is also making final preparations.

Everything is ready, the referee ran out of the center circle and blew the whistle decisively!

Beep!

Croatia took the lead in the sharp whistle.

At the moment of the kick-off, the entire Brazilian National Stadium was instantly boiling.

The cheers of the entire stadium surged like a tsunami, and both sides cheered fiercely, adding a hot atmosphere to the game.

In the stadium, after the game started, Croatia quickly entered the ball control mode.

Costa Rica also started instantly, and began to chase Croatia, constantly pressing and exerting pressure.

But for the control ability of this game, Croatia did not hesitate to send five technical midfielders, in order to achieve a stable control effect.

For this reason, they are not afraid of this level of pressing.

The ball was constantly passed in Croatia's midfield and backcourt. Although it did not advance forward, it was always able to pass smoothly with one touch.

Costa Rica did not fail to exert pressure, but they were obviously not particularly familiar with this high-position pressing. At the same time, Croatia's midfield was too stable, which led to their misses every time.

"Costa Rica doesn't seem to have practiced this high-position pressing style on purpose, right?"

As soon as the voice fell, Costa Rica decisively gave up pressing. They retreated to their own half like a receding tide, forming a series of defensive lines.

Costa Rica returned to the positional defense mode.

Obviously, high-position pressing was only an attempt at the beginning. Feeling that it had no effect, they decisively gave up and returned to their most familiar style of play.

Seeing Costa Rica retreat, Croatia began to advance.

Modric held the ball. Since there was no too intense pressing, he had plenty of time to observe and think.

However, in this case, the ball obviously does not require too much thinking.

But he still hopes to lure Costa Rican players to come up and press him, and it would be a good idea to pull out a defensive force!

However, seeing that Costa Rica was not fooled, he no longer insisted, but sent the ball to Suker on the wing.

As soon as Suker touched the ball, Costa Rica's reaction was very intense.

Unlike Modric's previous control of the ball, the moment Suker controlled the ball, almost three people directly surrounded him, intending to form an encirclement.

But Suker is very sensitive to this kind of thing. The moment he saw the signs, he did not stop the ball at all, but swept the ball horizontally to Rakitic.

Rakitic served as the central axis in the midfield and transferred to Kovacic on the right.

Kovacic was eager to try.

After getting an assist in the first round, he has been thinking about getting a goal.

Moreover, Croatia also needs someone to come forward to attract attention at this time, right?

Just when Kovacic was about to go it alone, Brozovic behind him suddenly shouted: "Mateo, pass back!"

Kovacic was confused, but did as he was told.

After all, according to the record, except for too clear offensive opportunities, the midfielder requires a return pass and must pass it back.

This is also the origin of Croatian discipline!

As soon as Kovacic passed the ball, Costa Rican players Bolaños and Tejeda surrounded him.

He didn't notice just now that if the pass was delayed a beat, he might be surrounded or even lose the ball.

"Don't be anxious! Now is not the time!"

Brozovic once again passed the ball to Modric, who responded, and immediately shouted towards Kovacic.

The latter also nodded to express understanding.

The head coach Besic on the sidelines nodded slightly. He appreciated Brozovic's decision this time.

"Compared to Kovacic, Brozovic is more stable."

Van Steyak commented.

"They are different types of teams, so one is an offensive midfielder and the other is a defensive midfielder!" Besic said: "Brozovic is very stable, but it also lacks a bit of creativity, and Kovacic is not stable enough. , but his imagination can create some unexpected situations for the offense!”

At this time, the time in the stadium entered ten minutes, and Croatia was obviously starting to speed up.

After controlling the rhythm for ten minutes and gradually taking control of the situation in the midfield, Croatia finally started to advance.

"Croatia is about to start! Costa Rica must be careful of Croatia's first attack!"

Croatia's first attack is often very fierce, and they have different styles of play that are constantly changing.

Either a sudden start, a change of pace, or a sudden attack from the wing.

But no matter which one it is, Costa Rica needs to be more vigilant.

Costa Rica also immediately shrank its defense line inward and tried its best to control the dangerous area. As for the peripheral position, there was almost no resistance.

This also allowed Croatia to successfully advance the ball to a position near the penalty area.

Suker was still wandering around the outside for a while. When he discovered that Costa Rica really had no tendency to attack, he decisively passed the ball to his teammates and directly penetrated into the penalty area.

The two battering rams formed by Suker and Mandzukic are firmly fixed in the penalty area. This can not only lock the Costa Rica defense line, but also create better passing space for teammates on the outside.

The situation took a turn for the worse, and Croatia began to surround Costa Rica.

Despite the constant shifting of dispatches, no threatening crosses were made.

But every transfer makes Costa Rica terrified!

"This is really uncomfortable! Croatia's transfer scheduling is not just as simple as turning sides. They also have breakthrough points in the rib area. If necessary, they can form a five-way attack from the wings, ribs and center. model!"

"As for Suker and Mandzukic, who are stuck in Costa Rica's defense, they are like two nails that prevent the opponent from moving."

The Costa Rican head coach looked at the court nervously. He knew that there would be few opportunities in this game, but he did not expect to be so passive.

They defeated Uruguay and England, which gave them a lot of confidence.

But just 10 minutes into the game, they seemed to understand that Croatia's strength seemed to be qualitatively different from other teams.

These guys can do no wrong!

Previously, whether it was Uruguay or England, they sometimes made mistakes.

Even if Costa Rica does not take the initiative to create opportunities, they can counterattack and even score goals by seizing these mistakes.

But Croatia is different!

They are as rigorous as a machine, without any roughness at all, everything is so precise.

Even when they are surrounded by many people, these guys can face it calmly and use two or three passes to pass the ball to a safe area again.

After this happened more often, Costa Rica became hesitant to siege.

After all, why grab him if you can't grab him?

Just like now, they gave up the siege and returned to the positional defense mode they are best at.

But they found that even so, Croatia's temptation would always make them wary.

The opponent's seemingly careless delivery can always hit the key point of their movement transition.

They have reason to believe that once they are slower, Croatia will not hesitate to use that position as a breakthrough and tear apart the defense.

"Cheer up! Hold on!"

Goalkeeper Navas reminded his teammates loudly.

Navas was also very nervous at this time. He had no choice but to not only keep an eye on the running in the penalty area, but also be wary of long shots from the outside.

After all, Modric, Rakitic, and Srna are all threats from long range.

Moreover, Croatia has not conducted too fierce an attack so far. It feels like a sword of Damocles hanging above its head.

They know there is a sword in their head!

But when does it fall?

In what way does it fall?

They have no idea!

The fear of the unknown caused their physical fitness to decline rapidly. After all, they didn't know where Croatia would launch their attack. They had no focus and could only block every threat point, running longer distances and running more frequently. , the physical energy consumption will naturally be great.

"Croatia has gradually taken control of the situation."

The Brazilian commentator watched the game and couldn't help but feel anxious for Costa Rica.

This game has a feeling of unilateral suppression.

Although we knew before the game that Croatia was strong and could beat Costa Rica, Costa Rica, which had defeated Uruguay and England, was not a pushover and would inevitably cause some trouble.

But after the game started, these speculations were completely wrong.

Croatia's suppression has never stopped from the beginning, using ball control to control the rhythm and constantly compressing Costa Rica's playing space.

This game really feels suffocating.

As a spectator, it is still like this, and the players on the field are even more so.

At this time, the Costa Rican players are sweating profusely. They not only have to bear physical pressure, but also psychological pressure.

Croatia is staring at them with a covetous look, and their attacks must continue, and their feints must also continue.

This interspersed and alternating attack method constantly consumes Costa Rica's energy, causing their concentration ability to decline.

Sometimes, they really just stared at the ball and forgot to stare at the players.

When they reacted, they were so shocked that they broke into a cold sweat.

"It feels about the same!"

Modric looked at Costa Rica's state and couldn't help but say secretly.

At the same time, his eyes were also looking at Suker. The two of them knew what each other was thinking about because of their tacit understanding over the years.

Suker pointed to the position under his feet, and Modric immediately took a penalty kick.

At this moment, Suker suddenly turned forward.

"Be careful!"

Gonzalez reminded his teammates.

Duarte also immediately followed and turned around.

But at this moment, Suker suddenly turned back again and pulled out to the periphery.

Costa Rican players didn't understand, but Mandzukic suddenly sprinted forward.

"Suker is a bait! Keep an eye on Mandzukic!"

Gonzalez made a quick judgment!

But at this moment, Modric passed the ball.

A plain low ball was passed to Suker's feet.

Suker turned his back to the attacking side, suddenly turned 90 degrees parallel, and gently tapped the ball with his heel.

At this time, everyone's attention was on Suker again.

They didn't notice that the ball changed direction after being hit by Suker's heel.

The changed direction of the ball rolled towards the gap on the right.

And there, Kovacic made a high-speed forward run!

"Right!!"

Gonzalez exclaimed.

At this time, Kovacic already had a shooting angle!

"Suker's heel hit the ball, right! Kovacic up!"

Croatian commentator Klausich also slammed the table and shouted in surprise.

Is Kovacic going to score?

There is already an assist, and another goal is coming?

Everyone thinks that Kovacic will shoot at this time.

After all, this guy has already made a shooting move.

Costa Rican defenders rushed forward to block the ball. Just as they were about to touch the ball, Kovacic gently put down his right foot, stepped on the ball and pulled it back, while gently pushing it sideways.

"Pass the ball! Fake shot, real pass!" Klausevich shouted suddenly, and a black figure suddenly broke into the field of vision in the camera.

Facing Kovacic's cross pass, Suker was immediately free of any interference.

Suker stretched his whole body, and instead of shooting hard, he pushed the ball with his foot arch.

He pushed it at a near angle.

The ball rolled forward, passed through Umana's tackle, and also penetrated Navas's ten fingers!

Swish!

The ball went into the net!

In the 17th minute of the first half, Croatia used a sudden change of rhythm and interlaced running to tear open Costa Rica's defense and score a goal.

"Goal!! Goal!! Suker!!"

"Suker's fourth goal in this World Cup!"

"Four goals in three games, crazy goal efficiency, he is still continuing his crazy state!"

"Costa Rica has no way to deal with this attack, Croatia has given them too many smoke bombs!"

"At first, it was Suker's forward run that made them keep an eye on Suker, but after Suker's sudden retreat, Mandzukic made another forward run to further interfere!"

"At this time, the retreating Suker used his heel to knock the ball, attracting the attention of the defense again, and also helped Perisic create an environment for shooting."

"In fact, Kovacic could have tried one kick, but he still trusted Suker more, so he passed the ball sideways, and Suker pushed the ball into the goal from a small angle!"

"Suker did not live up to his teammates' trust. This was his first shot in this game and he scored a goal!"

"Let's cheer for this wonderful goal! This is simply amazing!"

Klausevich was so excited that although he had already confirmed his promotion, he still couldn't hide his excitement when he saw the boys' excellent performance.

The Brazilian commentator was also amazed.

"This is too rigorous! Every time Croatia ran and passed the ball, Costa Rica's attention was diverted!"

"After three full shifts of attention, Costa Rica was completely dizzy at this time. They could no longer judge who would shoot, so they could only rush towards Kovacic one after another!"

"And Kovacic selflessly contributed assists to help Croatia get the first goal!"

To be honest, if it was Kovacic who shot, Costa Rica would have a chance to block it, but when Kovacic passed the ball horizontally, the outcome was already determined.

This goal shows Croatia's overall linkage!

From launching the attack, changing attention, interlacing running positions to scoring, the whole process is quite tight and smooth.

To be honest, even if you react, you may not be able to keep up, unless you can predict the future.

This is a wonderful team attack, and it is also Suker's 14th goal in the World Cup!

Today, Suker is only one goal away from tying Ronaldo's goal record.

The World Cup has just advanced to the third round of the group stage, and there will be knockout matches later. Suker has a good chance to tie or even create a new record.