Chapter 70: A Lone Ride of a Thousand Miles!

On February 25th, after a three-month suspension, the Bosnian Premier League resumed. In the 2002/2003 season Bosnian Premier League Round 21, HŠK Zrinjski Mostar vs.FK Radnik Bijeljina. "HŠK Zrinjski Mostar kept passing continuously in the attacking third, with Suker and Modrić acting as the core of the playmaking. The Mostar twins' performance in the second half of the season remains outstanding. Their constant passing dragged Bijeljina Radnik's defense into a very uncomfortable position." Commentator Basodachi watched Suker and Modrić sprinting wildly on the pitch, continuously praising them. These two young players had already become the most watched and noticed players of Mostar Žjinski. At the same time, they were also tactically crucial. Modrić appeared in the defensive midfield position but his frequent forward runs put enormous pressure on the opposing team. Suker played as a winger. Since the match against Tuzla Sloboda, Suker's position shifted more toward the wing, and combining Suk with Kosović, two front offensive points, further enhanced Mostar Želježničar's attacking power. Suker ran constantly up front, mostly along one flank, with a very wide running range. On the opponent's half, using the central line as a boundary, Suker ran continuously near the baseline and midfield line. Sometimes he made forward runs to pressure the opposing fullbacks. Sometimes he dropped back to the midfield line to receive the ball, link up with teammates, and develop positional play. Sometimes he dribbled on the flank to break through. With Suker's active performance, HŠK Zrinjski Mostar's attack gradually tilted to the left side. Due to Suker's nonstop runs, the opposing defenders eventually couldn't keep up. Seizing this moment, Suker pulled back very deep. He reached the junction of the midfield line and the left sideline, raised his hand, and shouted, "Luka! Pass it over!" Modrić saw Suker's open space and immediately kicked the ball. After receiving the ball, Suker's defender quickly closed in. Suker tapped the ball sideways, quickly accelerating, using his strong burst of power to create a one-body-length gap from his marker. At this moment, the opponent reached out and started pulling Suker's jersey. If it had been before, Suker would have fallen. But now Suker felt he could hold on. Leaning forward, he fought off the challenge while looking toward the far side. Biliar was already itching to move. "It's you!" Suker swung his right foot hard, launching a long pass toward the far side. This was a wide-range switching pass, aiming at the empty space behind the fullback. Biliar seized the opportunity and immediately made a forward run. "Long pass! Biliar starts to receive the ball. Bijeljina Radnik's fullback follows, pressing Biliar to the baseline, closing the crossing space. Biliar passes back to Modrić, near the penalty area line, distributes the ball back to Suker. Suker carries the ball forward! Is he going to break through? Or continue to pass? The ball goes to the left side! Mostar Želježničar's advancing fullback Kelpic crosses!" "Kosović!!" Basodachi shouted loudly. In his shout, Kosović's wet hair fluttered wildly like a furious lion as he shook his head to strike. Swish! The ball hit the net. "Goal!!!! Kosović! He's scored his 14th league goal." "This season, Kosović was limited early on and struggled, but no one expected this tall striker of Mostar Želježničar to explode in the middle of the league!" "Kosović is now second on the league scoring chart with 14 goals, just one behind first place Suker Mažič!" After the header goal, Kosović ran to the stands and roared to the fans. The injury period had stalled Kosović's goal tally. Otherwise, given HŠK Zrinjski Mostarr's attacking strength, he would have already surpassed Suker Mažič and led the scoring chart. But now it wasn't too late, and their form was excellent! "Nice pass!" Kosović gave Kelpic a thumbs up. That cross was very comfortable, perfectly matching Kosopeć's speed and height, even if it was a bit higher than a normal cross, it was right at his jumping peak. This was the tacit understanding of old teammates. On the other side, Suker and Modrić hugged each other. They shared credit for this goal, as their back-and-forth passing had drawn defenders and created the space for Kosović to win the aerial duel. At 67 minutes, Mostar Žjinski led Bijeljina Radnik 2-0. Trailing by two goals, Bijeljina Radnik became anxious. They started charging fiercely into Mostar Žjinski's penalty area, continuously crossing the ball from both flanks, letting their tall striker fight for headers. But Mostar Žjinski also had the excellent header defender Mašović. "Get out!!" "Move away!" "This is mine!!" Mašović unleashed his full power, suppressing the opponent's tall striker, winning header after header, and clearing the ball away. Under Mašović's defense, the opposing tall striker was helpless. "Mostar Žjinski's defense remains excellent, not giving Bijeljina Radnik any chances!" At 81 minutes, Bijeljina Radnik had a corner kick. Mašović angrily jumped up again and cleared the ball. This time, the ball fell right at the feet of the retreating Suk. Suker controlled the ball and immediately looked up toward the opposite half. The opposing defenders had already pressed near the midfield line. The passing channel between Kosović and Suker was cut off, and Biliar had not yet reached a forward position. Suker didn't want to give up this counterattack opportunity. Since there was no passing option, he would do it himself! Suker suddenly accelerated with a strong burst of power, his body like a rocket shooting forward. This caused the opponent's chasing players from behind to miss their tackles. Suker first dribbled fast along the sideline near the boundary line. An opposing defensive midfielder came rushing horizontally. Estimating the distance, just as the opponent closed in, Suker suddenly accelerated again, bursting through with the ball. "Shook him off!!" Basodachi jumped up: "Suker! He's charging!" Football is a very spectacular sport. Besides brilliant teamwork, there's also the raw visual impact from pure strength and absolute speed. Just like Suker now. He dribbled at high speed on the flank, directly hitting the opponent's defense line with his speed. The solo run began! After breaking past the opposing defensive midfielder, Suker dashed diagonally toward the opponent's goal, as if he was going to cut between the fullback and center back. The two defenders naturally wouldn't allow this and quickly closed in, attempting to trap him. But as Suker approached, he slowed his foot rhythm, feinting a fake move. This change caused the opposing fullback to take a risky gamble. If he pressed forward now to steal the ball, would the crisis be resolved? Everyone wants to be a hero, to show off. With this thought, the opposing fullback recklessly charged at Suk. "Don't reach out your foot!" Seeing the teammate's move, Bijeljina Radnik's center back shouted immediately. But it was one step too late. The fullback already stretched out his foot trying to tackle. At that moment, Suker changed his foot rhythm again, toeing the ball through the gap between the center back and fullback while circling around the fullback! "Damn it!" The center back turned and chased the ball. Suker also chased the ball, but from a slightly behind position. Both sprinted wildly toward the ball. Now it was a pure race of speed. "Suker! Speed up!!" "Go, go, go!" "Suker!!" "Beat him!!" On the sidelines, HŠK Zrinjski Mostar's fans saw Suker and the opponent center back sprinting, and their passion ignited instantly. The boy's lightning speed on the pitch made their blood boil. Jerseys fluttered in the cold wind. Black hair was blown back. Swift feet moved forward like fire wheels. In everyone's sight, Suker was like a cheetah, attacking from behind. His speed was so fast that even though he was three body lengths behind the opponent center back, his strong burst and speed quickly closed the gap. "So fast!" The opposing center back was full of fear. He watched Suker rapidly closing behind him, trying to shake him off. "It's over!" The Bijeljina Radnik center back was terrified. He wanted to slide tackle but his momentum couldn't catch up. "Stop!" He reached out trying to grab Suker, but missed. He could only see Suker's back and the number 99 jersey fluttering in the wind. "Breakthrough! Breakthrough! He's through!! Suker!! One-on-one!!!" Suker sped forward, dribbled to shake off defenders, and completed the breakthrough. After nearly a 70-meter sprint, Suker had already entered the opponent's penalty area with the ball. At this moment, the entire stadium stood up. Coaches on the sidelines craned their necks to watch. The opposing goalkeeper had already come out, crouching low, ready to save. As Suker approached, he feinted a shot, but with his foot, he dragged the ball toward the baseline. The goalkeeper rushed to the side but was still left behind. "Passed him!! Suker!!" Basodachi raised both hands high, watching Suker easily slot the ball into the net. At this moment, he couldn't hold back his excitement, shouting his loudest cheer. "Goal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!——" "84th minute, HŠK Zrinjski Mostar's number 99 Suk completed a nearly 70-meter sprint breakthrough. His speed was so fast, no one could stop him or keep up!" "This goal completely crushed Bijeljina Radnik's last hope!" "Let's recognize once again this genius player from HŠK Zrinjski Mostar, his name is Suk!" The camera showed Suk running to the stands, raising his right hand. Opposite him were excited HŠK Zrinjski Mostar fans, arms raised like a forest. The boy's face was bright with a radiant smile, behind him were excited faces and raised arms forming a magnificent scene.