Chapter 91: The Breakout!

"Left side! Pass it over!" Suker waved his hand vigorously. When the ball reached his feet, he immediately turned to face the direction of the attack, shifting left and right continuously. Red Star Belgrade's fullback Savić watched Suker's nimble movements—his eyes almost dazzled. As Suker kept pressing forward, Savić grew increasingly nervous. "Damn it!" Savić stuck out his leg. Just as he did, Suker pushed the ball laterally. "I'm coming!" Red Star's center-back Srnjak charged at Suk, stretching out his foot to make the tackle. At that critical moment, Suker used his rapid footwork and touched the ball repeatedly with his right foot, opening up space for a breakthrough. "Crap!" Just as Srnjak tried to grab Suker, the latter suddenly accelerated. "Woah!!—" Watching Suker beat two players on the wing, even center-forward Davor Šuker couldn't help but marvel. At that moment, Suker cut inside and dribbled directly into the penalty area. The last center-back rushed over to challenge. But Suker didn't hog the ball—after a right-foot push, he leapt slightly to avoid the sliding tackle. At the same time, unmarked Davor Šuker saw the perfect assist delivered to him and easily slotted the ball into the net. "Beautiful!!!—" The Dinamo Zagreb coaching bench erupted in wild cheers. Head coach Bešić and multiple assistants applauded enthusiastically. They gave Suker's breakthrough the most passionate applause. Anyone witnessing such a solo dismantling of the defense would be in awe. "Suker's performance is incredible. They just can't stop him!" Assistant coach Kleiman was visibly excited. "He's like a sprite on the field!" Bešić nodded with a smile. This is exactly the breakout role Suker plays on the wing. He can dribble and pass! When the game is stable, Suker helps progress the attack through passing. When things go south, his sharp dribbling is a weapon that can smash through defenses. However, despite that, there are still many problems. The scoreboard: Red Star Belgrade 3:3 Dinamo Zagreb. Although they had drawn level, overall, they were still on the back foot. After all, Dinamo Zagreb was just newly formed. This match exposed many issues. First, the defense lacked stability. Sometimes they pressed too early, even before the midfield could retreat, leading to one-on-one chances or shots on goal for the opponents. Second, when the fullbacks pushed forward, the midfield couldn't cover fast enough, leaving them vulnerable to wing breakthroughs. Lastly, there was the issue up front. Mandžukić and Davor Šuker were constantly getting in each other's way. Mandžukić often drifted into the center, crowding Davor Šuker and limiting his space—leaving him with few chances at the far post. The only consolation? Suker's explosive presence. All three goals were tied to him. One came from a coordinated forward run with Modrić—Suker used his speed to beat the fullback and sent in a low cross, assisting Davor Šuker. The second also stemmed from a wing breakthrough. After beating two defenders, Suker drew a foul in the box, winning a penalty. Davor Šuker converted it. The third goal? The one just now. Suker's performance was stellar, but his teammates had too many issues. Bešić scratched his head, clearly frustrated. He had hoped veterans like Davor Šuker would help lead the younger players, but now it seemed like everyone was relying on Suker. Huff! Huff! Huff! On the pitch, Suker was gasping for air. He looked at the match clock—80 minutes had passed. Those 80 minutes had drained him. His dribbling might be sharp, but he could feel it—the opponents were doubling down on defending the left flank. Every breakthrough now came with double the pressure. He was wearing down. "Press him!" Sure enough, as Suker stopped the ball, three defenders immediately surrounded him. He quickly moved the ball under his feet to avoid the pressure, but his light frame was quickly shoved off balance, and he lost the ball. "Counterattack!!" A Red Star player shouted. The ball was quickly sent upfield. Suker got back up and wanted to help on defense, but the opponents had already reached the penalty area. "No chance!" Suker shook his head helplessly. He couldn't catch up. Red Star lofted the ball toward the edge of the box. Their tall striker Grujić jumped to head it. Just when he thought he had it, Dinamo Zagreb center-back Jarni leapt with all his might, holding off the pressure and heading the ball to fullback Srna. Srna immediately passed to Modrić. Without stopping the ball, Modrić played it forward to Davor Šuker. At this point, Red Star's backline was between their box and the center circle. Davor Šuker turned and sent a through ball forward. "SUKER!!" With Davor Šuker's shout, a figure burst out from the crowd like lightning. His speed was blinding—he surged past the defensive line and chased down the ball. "Damn! This guy's too fast!" Fullback Savić chased hard, but the gap only grew—he was filled with frustration. Suker's breakaway! He pushed the ball forward in big strides. As the keeper charged and lowered his center of gravity, Suker suddenly dragged the ball sideways, slipping past him. Facing an open net, Suker calmly slotted the ball in. Swish!! Goal. Suker collapsed on the ground. "I'm dead tired!!!!—" he laughed. The others rushed over, ruffling his hair in encouragement. "Great game!" Davor Šuker pulled him up with a big grin. In this friendly against Red Star Belgrade, Suker scored one and assisted two. Just when Dinamo Zagreb was struggling, Suker exploded into form. No one had expected it. Thanks to his performance, they weren't embarrassed in this match. Final score: Dinamo Zagreb 4:3 Red Star Belgrade! They had actually won the friendly. Even head coach Bešić was stunned. When arranging this friendly against Red Star as the third match, he did so to raise the difficulty level. He had even mentally prepared to lose. He never expected a win. Of course, winning is great, but many problems were exposed too. Even so, after this match, Bešić and the rest of the staff were filled with excitement. This Dinamo Zagreb team might really have potential! Suker's individual explosiveness was one thing. But if they could resolve the issues seen in this match, what kind of performance could this team deliver? Bešić was filled with energy—he couldn't wait to see the complete version of this squad. Suker's outstanding performance also earned the respect of Red Star's players. "You're so fast. I wish I could dribble like you." Red Star's tall striker Grujić said to Suker admiringly. Suker glanced at Grujić's 195 cm frame and laughed, "Then give me half your height." Grujić froze for a moment before bursting into laughter. The two exchanged jerseys and headed for the tunnel. Back in the locker room, Bešić stood in the center. Suker was the last to arrive. Bešić nodded at him, and Suker jogged to his seat. "I don't even need to say it—you all know how we won today!" With that one sentence, everyone looked at Suker. He stood up with flair, lifted his chin, opened his arms, and said mockingly, "Where's the applause?" Clap clap clap!! Modrić started clapping first, giving him full support. The others couldn't help but laugh at Suker's smug expression, but they still clapped along. Though the match was exhausting, winning always felt good. "We've got half a month left to fix these problems. After that, it's straight into official matches." Snap! Bešić closed his notebook and declared, "We have to win our first home game! Not just because it's the debut for most of you—but because we need to ignite the fans' belief!" Everyone understood what Dinamo Zagreb had been through last season. That made the importance of this match even clearer. On July 1st, Dinamo Zagreb wrapped up their two-week friendly tour and returned to their training base. Bešić did not release any information about the friendlies. Though fans were curious about the newly built squad, they would have to wait until match day to see for themselves. The final two weeks would be for adjustment and chemistry-building. Many issues still remained to be solved. And in two weeks—they'd face their first Croatian league match!