Chapter 96 - 10: Drawing a Penalty at the Start

Chapter 96: Chapter 10: Drawing a Penalty at the Start

Inside the locker room, Head Coach Be?i? announced the starting lineup.

Mandzukic didn’t make the cut, which left him looking dejected.

However, no one was paying him any mind at the moment.

Opportunities had to be earned, and right now, their focus was on the match and on winning.

"Slaven Belupo isn’t a particularly powerful team. They have a lot of experience, but their overall pace is slow. We need to seize the initiative!"

"Suk and Modric, you two absolutely must control the tempo of the game. Whether we can win this match hinges on your performance!"

"The defensive line needs to hold strong. Forwards, focus on making runs to pull their defense apart. Keep things stable and build up our opening play one pass at a time."

Suk immediately raised his hand. "I want to charge them right from the start!"

Be?i? turned his head to look at Suk.

Modric also spoke up. "Suk’s Speed can create chaos for their backline at the start of the match. It will also make us more deceptive when he drops back to orchestrate the play!"

Be?i? was not an autocratic man.

He respected anyone’s opinion, as long as it was constructive.

Moreover, given Suk and Modric’s history in the Bosnia and Herzegovina League, the two had their own unique insights on how to design the opening plays.

"Alright! Then after kickoff, we’ll let Suk make a run!" Be?i? looked at Davor Suker. "?uker, be ready to support him!"

Davor Suker grinned.

’This "?uker" nickname sounds so awkward,’ he thought, but he still nodded to show he understood.

"Alright, for most of you, this is your debut with Dinamo Zagreb. You are all the result of my careful selection. Don’t doubt yourselves. Use your performance to show everyone that Dinamo Zagreb has entered a brand-new era!"

"Let’s go, lads!" Be?i? clapped his hands loudly.

Everyone let out a roar and followed Davor Suker into the players’ tunnel.

There was a V-shaped set of stairs leading from the locker room to the players’ tunnel.

You went down, walked a few steps, and then the stairs led up to the tunnel exit.

As they walked down the stairs and saw the bright light not far ahead and heard the roaring cheers all around, every player’s heart began to tremble with anticipation.

Meanwhile, the Slaven Belupo players were standing on the other side of the tunnel.

When they saw the brand-new generation of Dinamo Zagreb led by Davor Suker, their faces were all etched with grim expressions.

Of course, their wariness wasn’t directed at the others, but at Davor Suker alone.

The players took their positions. After the head referee counted them, he nodded and said, "Get ready to enter the pitch."

Suk took a deep breath, his gaze fixed forward.

Through this exit, he would arrive at the famous Maximilienplatz.

This was also his debut for Dinamo Zagreb.

Suk gently clenched his fist.

’Performance!’

’I have to make an impact!’

...

"This is the opening match of the first round of the 2003/2004 Croatian League season, with Dinamo Zagreb hosting Slaven Belupo!"

Starting lineups for both teams:

Dinamo Zagreb (4-3-3):

Goalkeeper: Grestec.

Defenders: Planic, Jarni, Stimac, Serna.

Midfielders: Duimovic, Vukojevic, Modric.

Forwards: Valeric, Davor Suker, Suk.

...

Slaven Belupo (5-4-1):

Goalkeeper: Jorich.

Defenders: Lao Xi, Bozic, Palaki, Zilduqi, Boyevic.

Midfielders: Zidarek, Grafic, Marinac, Milinaric.

Forward: Kersnovsky.

"Facing a Dinamo Zagreb led by Davor Suker, Slaven Belupo has opted for a 5-4-1 formation. This is clearly a defensive strategy."

"Slaven Belupo narrowly avoided relegation last season, finishing one spot behind Dinamo Zagreb in the league table. And in the four matches they played against each other last season, their record was one win, two draws, and one loss."

"Each team had one win and one loss, with two draws! Now this season, facing a super striker like Davor Suker, can Slaven Belupo manage to restrict him defensively!"

...

"Many people will find Dinamo Zagreb’s lineup unfamiliar. Apart from Davor Suker, Jarni, and Stimac, the rest are all new players."

"Luka Modric, a fairly well-known product of their youth academy, is also making his debut for the team!"

"At the same time, there’s another Suk on Dinamo Zagreb’s team!"

"He’s also a Croatian player, 17 years old this year. Last season, he played for Mostar Zrinjski in the Bosnia and Herzegovina Super League and helped the team win the championship. He was also named the league’s Best Newcomer for that season!"

"We can look forward to the performance of this 165-centimeter-tall Little Suqi..."

Hearing the announcement from the stadium speakers, Suk cursed angrily:

"Bastards! It’s 166 centimeters! That’s a whole centimeter! Can’t they see such a huge difference?"

Suk’s irritable outburst made Davor Suker, standing beside him, unable to hold back a laugh.

Whenever the topic of his height came up, Suk would get very sensitive.

"Alright, focus on the game!"

Davor Suker quickly tried to placate him.

Suk let out a heavy "hmph," and when he looked forward again, his gaze became even more aggressive.

"Captain, in a bit, just hang around their backline and draw their attention. I’ll break through and pass to you!"

Seeing Suk’s face full of excitement, Davor Suker was happy to go along with it.

"I’ll be waiting for your pass, then!"

Davor Suker was quite confident in Suk’s ability to break through the defense.

While it might be difficult to pull off in the Five Major Leagues, here, he was an absolute game-changer on the wing!

The cheers from the fans in the stadium grew more and more fervent.

Everyone was waiting for the moment of kickoff.

Finally, with the head referee’s whistle, the match began.

Davor Suker passed the Ball to Suk, who immediately passed it back and then pulled out wide to the flank.

Suk reached the wing and glanced at the opposing fullback.

’He’s starting to close in on me, just as I expected!’

’He’s walking right into my trap!’

Suk stayed on the touchline, waiting for his teammates to advance the attack.

"The match is underway! Dinamo Zagreb kicks off first, passing the Ball back. Dinamo Zagreb is now advancing step by step. Modric receives the pass. What will he choose to do? Is he going to pass it out to the wing?"

Just as the commentator watched with anticipation, Modric suddenly burst forward, Dribbling diagonally up the field.

At the same time, Suk made a sudden lateral run to draw the opposing fullback even closer to him. Then, just as suddenly, Suk stopped short and pulled back, posturing as if to receive a pass.

The move worked; his opponent fell for it!

Slaven Belupo’s fullback, Lao Xi, took a step forward, and that single step was the key.

With a twist of his foot, Suk turned and sprinted down the touchline.

At that same moment, Modric threaded the Ball through the gap between the center-back and the fullback.

The Power on the pass was a bit much, sending it deep into their territory.

"Don’t rush!"

The Slaven Belupo center-back held out his hands, signaling his teammates not to panic, and immediately turned to chase the Ball.

But just then, he heard a teammate’s panicked voice from behind him.

"Bozic! Run!!—"

The center-back, Bozic, recognized the voice. It was his teammate, Lao Xi.

When he turned his head to look, a figure in blue had already appeared about three meters away from him.

’So fast!’

In the instant Bozic was stunned, Suk had already closed the distance completely.

And in that very moment, the entire Mark Mihel Stadium erupted.

The commentator, Klauzovic, shot up from his seat and exclaimed into his microphone:

"MY GOD!!!!— SUK!! SUK!! HIS SPEED IS INCREDIBLE!! HE’S TOO FAST!!"

Suk tore down the wing, charging diagonally toward the Ball.

In that instant of sprinting, he not only shook off the opposing fullback but also caught up to the center-back.

Suk even pushed off again for a second burst of acceleration, managing to pull away from the center-back, Bozic.

"He can accelerate again!! Oh my God!!"

The commentator, Klauzovic, was in complete shock.

He never expected that, right at the start of the match, Dinamo Zagreb would attack the opponent’s defensive line in such a manner.

Absolute Speed!

Pure Speed!

Suk was like a slightly smaller cheetah, surging forward from behind, relying on his absolute Speed to catch up to the Ball.

"Captain!"

After controlling the Ball, Suk immediately turned his head and shouted.

Bozic stumbled, his voice filled with terror as he yelled, "Watch Davor Suker!"

He didn’t need to shout; the other two defenders had already sandwiched Davor Suker between them.

Seeing this, Bozic immediately moved forward to try and block him.

Just as he managed to stick a leg out, hoping to block Suk’s cross, Suk pulled off an audacious shuffle right on the byline, flicking the Ball past him as it continued to roll forward along the line itself.

Seeing he had been beaten, an even more terrified look appeared on Bozic’s face.

He saw the linesman keeping his flag down, showing no intention of raising it.

The Ball was still in play!

’This is bad!’

While on the ground, Bozic immediately stuck out his hand and hooked Suk’s ankle.

AHHHHH!!!

Suk let out a pained scream and fell to the ground.

In the stands behind the goal, the Dinamo Zagreb fans stared, stunned, at the scene.

Suk’s charge had been such a surprise that they hadn’t even had time to process it.

But now, they had to react!

"PENALTY!!!!—"

The joyfully surprised shouts of tens of thousands of Dinamo Zagreb fans flooded the pitch.

The head referee was also stunned for a moment, but he quickly pointed to the penalty spot and blew his whistle.

Dinamo Zagreb’s very first attack, Suk’s very first sprint, had earned them a penalty kick.

"Brilliant!!"

Dinamo Zagreb’s Head Coach, Be?i?, also pumped his fist fiercely.

The moment Suk started running, he too had been awestruck by that explosive force.

He had never imagined that such a small guy could possess such a formidable charge.

In just a single instant, he had completed a mad dash down the wing, broken through, and drawn a penalty!

This penalty was a golden opportunity!

Just two minutes into the match, Dinamo Zagreb had been awarded a penalty kick.

A precious penalty!