Chapter 166: Luka Modrić

Words : 1310 Updated : Sep 29th, 2025

Bayer 04 Leverkusen Football Club is also known as the "Pharmaceuticals." Its owner is the German pharmaceutical giant Bayer. Their home stadium is the BayArena, a modern stadium with 30,810 capacity and 22,500 seats. November 4th, 2004/2005 UEFA Champions League Group Stage, Round 4 Leverkusen vs. Dinamo Zagreb At the 41st minute, Dinamo Zagreb conceded another goal. "Berbatov has completely exploded! Two aerial duels, both converted into goals! He's become Leverkusen's battering ram inside the penalty area, helping them score time and again!" "The halftime score is 2–0. Back at their home ground, Leverkusen's young players are performing exceptionally well." The Leverkusen fans erupted with excitement. In the deafening cheers, Berbatov slid on the pitch in celebration, further igniting the atmosphere. In contrast, the Dinamo Zagreb players looked dejected. After conceding two goals in the first half, and being pinned back by Leverkusen's constant high balls into the box, they were playing passively. "Close off the flanks! Srna and Pranjić, wake up already!" On the sidelines, head coach Bešić kept shouting in frustration. In this match, Srna and Pranjić seemed half-asleep, sluggish and dull. They kept giving Leverkusen opportunities to cross, which directly led to both goals. "Hold the line! Stay steady!" Bešić continued to shout, anxiety written all over his face. This was the second cycle of the Champions League group stage. Was it really going to fall apart in the first match? Bešić was extremely tense. On the pitch, Šuker also frowned. Things weren't going well for him either. Dinamo Zagreb relied heavily on a single-forward system. Šuker was the focal point of the attack. Leverkusen focused on marking Šuker tightly while pushing forward in an organized fashion. Once they found their rhythm, the match started tilting in their favor. Halftime arrived shortly after. The players returned to the locker rooms. Bešić rushed back to the locker room — he needed to rework the tactics for the second half. Inside, the players sat on the benches as Bešić addressed them sternly: "In the second half, Luka needs to get more touches. Šuker's been locked down and can't get anything going. It's time for the rest of you to step up." Seeing their grim faces, Bešić added sharply: "Do you want to repeat what happened against Red Star Belgrade?" At those words, Modrić and the others snapped to attention. "Don't joke around!" Duimović jumped to his feet and pointed at Šuker: "Just stick to the wing in the second half — leave the goal to us." Srna's gaze sharpened. "Sorry. I'll focus now." Mandžukić grunted, "Send me more crosses. I can beat their center-backs in the air." Just like that, the fighting spirit of the young players reignited. Šuker watched this with a slight grin. These guys... Bešić had them wrapped around his finger. He looked at Modrić, who remained quiet, but whose eyes were darting back and forth — clearly strategizing. ".Dinamo Zagreb is now emphasizing midfield control. Modrić is stepping up and taking charge of possession — his skills are impressive," the German commentator admired. Perhaps due to their two-goal lead, the commentator sounded more relaxed. On the pitch, Modrić passed to the right wing and immediately moved closer. "Pass it back!" Valević returned the ball. Modrić planted one foot, shielded the ball from Kovačević, then smoothly turned in a semicircle to break free. Despite wobbling under physical pressure, he held his ground. He passed again to Duimović. Duimović prepared to shoot from range, but Modrić darted into open space. "Pass it!" Duimović hesitated. Modrić urged, "Quick!" He passed. Modrić received it in a shooting position — but instead, he calmly passed it back. "Very composed," said the German commentator, though his brows furrowed. Something felt off... On the pitch, Modrić kept receiving, passing, and orchestrating. The tempo of Dinamo Zagreb's midfield began to flow. Šuker was still pinned on the wing, tightly marked, but his eyes lit up. "Luka! Brilliant play!" He couldn't help but cheer. Though they hadn't yet created a clear scoring chance, Modrić's control was gradually pulling apart Leverkusen's defense. This was where Modrić excelled. Back at Zrinjski Mostar, Modrić had once described his organizational style: "When a screw is rusted in place, you need to wiggle it repeatedly to loosen it. That's how I see organizing play — it's about always thinking: how can I gain the upper hand, how can I move the ball into danger, how can we create an advantage?" That was how he played in Mostar. But at Dinamo Zagreb, with Šuker's dominance up front, others often chose the easy route — just give the ball to Šuker and let him finish. It worked, sure. But it also stifled Modrić's creative potential. Now, he was back at it. Šuker welcomed this. Just like before, the two of them fighting side by side to break down defenses. Modrić advanced again with the ball. Šuker noticed the opponent's midfield shifting restlessly. "You're not getting through!" He immediately pulled wide. Freier cursed under his breath. "Damn it!" And followed. Šuker continued dragging two defenders with him. Meanwhile, Leverkusen's backline had been stretched by Modrić's constant probing. Modrić dribbled forward and suddenly poked the ball with his toe. It flew past the midfield line to Mandžukić. Mandžukić, back to goal, passed wide. Leverkusen's defense tilted toward the right. At that moment, Valević sent a through pass diagonally behind him. The ball slipped through the defenders to an open area. And Modrić casually appeared there. "Danger!!" The German commentator gasped. Modrić cut inside. He faked a shot — center-back Bullaque rushed to block. But Modrić lightly stopped the ball with his right foot and pulled it back. "Vukojević!! Push up!!" From behind, Vukojević surged forward like a ghost. He snatched the ball and burst into the box, evading Bullaque. "Damn it!" Bullaque turned, and his fellow center-back Ramírez tried to recover. Vukojević also faked a shot, then passed horizontally. The ball slipped right between Ramírez's legs to Mandžukić. What followed was simple. Created by his teammates' movement and effort, Mandžukić calmly slotted it home. Swish! The ball curved past the right post into the net. Minute 58: Dinamo Zagreb pulls one back. "Mandžukić!!! Goal!!! Dinamo Zagreb is back in it!!" Back in Croatia, commentator Kraljević stood and cheered wildly. "What beautiful link-up play!" "This is Luka Modrić!" "When people focus solely on Šuker, they forget Dinamo Zagreb has a genius midfielder. His superb vision and passing tore open Leverkusen's defense step by step. The moment Modrić advanced, their backline started to unravel!" "Brilliant coordination: Luka Modrić, Vukojević, Mandžukić!" "With Šuker locked down, the young guns stepped up and took responsibility for the goal." "Fantastic! Absolutely fantastic!" Mandžukić, Modrić, and Šuker celebrated together near the corner flag. "Brilliant play, Luka!" Šuker gave Modrić a big hug. Modrić beamed with joy. "Feels just like back in Zrinjski Mostar — we used to play like this all the time," he said emotionally. Šuker patted Modrić's shoulder. "Good stuff. Keep it up! I'll help pull defenders wide." Modrić shook his head. "Now it's me helping you." Šuker looked puzzled. Modrić said: "I'm the one freeing you from those annoying defenders. I'm opening up the left side — like you used to do for me." Šuker clapped him on the back: "Good brother!" Mandžukić looked on enviously as the two embraced. "But it was my goal though! Really!" Srna rolled his eyes. "What are you competing with him for?" Šuker and Modrić were the first to know each other — their bond was the strongest. Everyone in the group understood that. Even if Mandžukić was a bit slow to catch on.

Chapter 166: Luka Modrić

Comments (0)