Chapter 117: What Do They Want Most?

"Hajduk's defense is extremely solid. They hold all the key positions and don't give Dinamo Zagreb any chance to pass through or penetrate!" "Especially after Hajduk's main fullback Kater returned, Suker has also been tightly marked!" "Kater is very fast and has excellent defensive skills. It's really difficult for Suker to shake him off." Suker just received the ball when suddenly he felt a shove from behind. He lightly jumped and flicked the ball to the left, trying to avoid the opponent's pressure. But Kater, relying on his height and strength, pushed harder and stretched out his long leg to reach the ball. Suker hurriedly pulled the ball back and passed it to avoid losing possession. "Kater has defended Suker once again. Currently, Suker is the biggest problem in the Croatian league, but Kater is showing everyone how to limit him," the commentator Krauševic said with a smile. Suker has always been outstanding, but in this match, Hajduk found their breakthrough — using zonal defense to confine Suker to the wing, preventing his dribbles and isolating him completely. Fullback Srna wanted to push forward to assist Suker, but the defensive midfielder immediately followed up. There was simply no chance for Suker and Srna to coordinate a wing attack. Suker was a little anxious. Modrić also noticed Suker's impatience. "Suker!" Modrić called. He looked at Suker, gesturing with his hands to calm him down. Modrić sighed lightly. Suker has always been their breakthrough weapon, and with his strong individual skills, they could always tear open defenses. But now, Suker has been studied and targeted. After Suker was silenced, Dinamo Zagreb's offense stalled. At this moment, someone needed to step up. Modrić's head kept turning left and right, observing, gathering information, and understanding his teammates' and opponents' positions. "Dujmović, cover for me!" Modrić shouted, and Dujmović immediately nodded in understanding. After getting the response, Modrić pushed forward with the ball. Hajduk focused all their attention on Suk,er which weakened Dinamo Zagreb's attack. But Suker isn't the only one with the ability to organize offense. Modrić stepped into the opponent's half and passed the ball to Davor Suker upfront. Davor Suker immediately laid it off to the wing. At the same time, Modrić gestured for his teammates to press forward. Dinamo Zagreb began to push up as a whole. Modrić moved to a central position, first looking at Suk. Suker was tightly marked on the wing. The defensive midfielder blocked Suker's passing routes, the fullback pressed closely. Both focused entirely on Suker. Through the crowd, Suker and Modrić exchanged a glance. Suker grinned. He immediately turned and began pushing forward. Seeing Suker's move, Modrić smiled at the corner of his mouth. After all, Suker understood him best. No need for words, just one look was enough. Turning his head, Modrić's gaze sharpened. The winger Valjević sent the ball back to the center again. Davor Suker made a forward run and slipped the ball past. "Back post!" Hajduk's defense was orderly. Suker chased the ball immediately. "Don't think about shooting!" Kater watched keenly; as soon as Suker was about to shoot, he blocked him. At this moment, Suker opened his body outward, toes lightly touching the ground, and with his right foot, pushed the ball sideways. "Top of the arc!" Kater shouted. Mitrić chased after Modrić, and just as Modrić was about to touch the ball, he stretched out his foot to block. But Modrić's shot was a feint. He stepped on the ball, pulled it back, and sideways at the edge of the box gently pushed it to the side and back. "Vukojević!!!" Commentator Krauševic shouted. Under everyone's eyes, Vukojević had made a forward run, unmarked, and carried the ball into the penalty box before shooting. The ball flew like a cannonball toward the goal. In the air, it made a strange arc and flew into the net. "Goal!!!!!!!" "What a brilliant passing and running cooperation!" "This was an attack orchestrated by Luka Modrić, starting from the center, extending to the right wing. Davor Suker's slip made Hajduk think it was a back post shot, and Suker's movement was very deceptive. If it had been a real pass, Modrić wouldn't have been greedy either. After attracting enough defensive attention, he passed the ball to the unmarked Vukojević, who finished with a goal!" "What a wonderful team play!" "Hajduk focused on little Suker to suffocate Dinamo Zagreb's offense, but they forgot about Modrić, the genius midfielder!" "When Suker got stuck, Modrić stood up and led the team to score this precious goal!" Wow!!!!!!!!!! The stands erupted in applause and cheers. Dinamo Zagreb's fans were disappointed not to see Suker's sharp dribbles but thrilled by the wonderful team cooperation. Even if you mark Suker tightly, so what? We still have Modrić! "Luka! Great pass!" "Another one!" "Haha! Hajduk marked Suker, but they forgot Modrić!" "That passing and running combo was amazing!" Modrić and Vukojević got fierce applause all over the stadium. After 80 minutes of struggling helplessly against Hajduk's defense, it was finally Modrić's wonderful organization that tore open a gap and scored the goal. "Luka, you played so well!" In the VIP box, Zorančić was also applauding. Looking from above, he clearly saw Modrić's organizing and knew how brilliant Modrić's role was in this attack. "Of course, Suker's movement was also excellent. Even though he was restricted, he still drew lots of defensive attention on the left wing!" Zorančić admired: "They play so well." Mamich looked at Zorančić and said, "Haven't you secured their agency contract yet?" Zorančić looked a little embarrassed: "I'm still working on it." Mamich looked at his son and sighed: "You're too idealistic!" Zorančić turned puzzled: "What do you mean by idealistic?" "Recruiting players needs sincerity!" Mamich said. "You have to be willing to invest." "Players as talented as them are rare, and European big agencies haven't discovered them yet, or else you wouldn't have a chance." Zorančić said, "I've already shown them plenty of sincerity. I worked day and night for a whole month to create their career plan and commercial blueprint." "That's too far away," Mamich shook his head, raised one finger then pointed downward, "Focus on the present. What do they need most right now? What do they want most? Have you understood that?" Zorančić blinked and said blankly, "That..." "So, you have to be willing to invest!" Mamich said again. "The Croatian News Agency will do two special reports on Suker and Modrić; you handle the handover." Zorančić was surprised: "You arranged this?" Mamich sighed, "If you wait longer, you'll miss it forever!" "Remember, be willing to invest!" Zorančić pondered deeply. On the field, the intense match continued. With a one-goal lead, Bešić immediately made personnel changes. He substituted out the underperforming Suker and Davor Suker. At the same time, two defensive players came on. Clearly, they were preparing to defend this one-goal advantage. Suker was a bit downcast. This match was frustrating. "Don't mind it. You played well," Bešić came over to comfort him. This is a precious treasure. This poor performance isn't Suker's fault, but because the opponent concentrated too much defensive resources on him. No one could perform excellently under such pressure. If he could still score under these conditions, he'd be a top-tier star. Obviously, Suker wasn't there yet. "Adjust your mindset. This kind of thing will happen often in the future!" Davor Suker patted his shoulder in consolation. Suker had early outstanding performances and was bound to be targeted sooner or later. He sighed and lifted his spirits to watch the match. In the last ten minutes, Dinamo Zagreb kept defending firmly. They had to hold this one point. But Hajduk's offense was still dangerous. Especially their front three, all with excellent shooting skills. If Dinamo Zagreb had any lapse, they could finish with a shot. During the tough defense, Dinamo Zagreb finally got to injury time. At this moment, danger struck. During a Hajduk corner kick, Dinamo Zagreb's goalkeeper Grestečić came out aggressively and caught the ball in the air, but when landing, his hands slipped, dropping the ball. The opposing striker Peleki was quick, shooting immediately. The goalkeeper couldn't save the rebound, but in front of the goal, Štimac used his chest to clear the ball. "Štimac! Croatia's eternal guardian! Once again protecting Maksimir Stadium!" "Damn!!" Suker's eyes widened, his heart almost stopped beating. They were about to win; if they conceded at the last moment, that would break their morale. But luckily, the match was almost over. Hajduk failed to capitalize, and Dinamo Zagreb eventually won. Dinamo Zagreb 1:0 Hajduk. Although Dinamo Zagreb won three points at home, Hajduk failed to exact revenge in an away match.