All-around center

The brightly lit ‘King Baudouin Stadium’ was filled with Belgian fans from all over and a small number of Croatian fans.

There are only 2,000 seats in the area where Croatian fans are located, and they are also separated by iron mesh. Special security personnel are responsible for security to prevent direct contact between fans of the two teams and cause riots.

But even so, the 'greetings' from fans from both sides are indispensable.

Of course, the Belgian fans, who have a larger base, naturally have the upper hand, but the Croatian fans are not timid and just yell at each other.

This game is very important for Croatia and Belgium.

The former can enter the World Cup in advance.

The latter only has the chance to qualify for first place in the group if they win this game.

Therefore, Belgium must go all out in this game.

Fans are also looking forward to this, and they are looking forward to beating Croatia at home.

"This is the King Baudouin Stadium, the eighth round of European World Cup qualifying matches, Belgium vs. Croatia at home!"

"This is a key game for us. After the first seven rounds, Croatia has maintained a record of undefeated victories, while we have achieved a record of 5-1-1. Only by winning this game can we There is a possibility of chasing the first place in the group and qualifying directly for the World Cup!”

"Croatia deserves to be the 2012 European Cup champions. Their overall strength is extremely strong and they have a phenomenal player like Suker at the front. However, Belgium will not be afraid of these. I believe the boys will win a game for us at home. A precious victory!”

"The starting lineup for this game is."

Belgium (4-2-3-1):

Goalkeeper: Courtois.

Defenders: Alderweireld, Van Buyten, Lombards, Vertonghen.

Midfielder: De Bruyne, Witsel, Fellaini, Defour, Hazard.

Forward: Lukaku.

Croatia (4-2-3-1):

Goalkeeper: Subasic.

Defenders: Srna, Vida, Lovren, Strinic.

Midfielder: Perisic, Vukojevic, Rakitic, Modric, Suker.

Forward: Mandzukic.

"Belgium has arranged an attack line of De Bruyne, Fellaini, Hazard and Lukaku in the midfield. This is definitely our most luxurious lineup at the moment."

"Hazard, Lukaku and De Bruyne who play for Chelsea are all top league players, and Fellaini's ability is absolutely trustworthy."

“The goalkeeper is Courtois, Atletico Madrid’s starting goalkeeper.”

"Croatia's starting lineup should not be underestimated either. Suker and Srna play for Real Madrid. These two players are players who have won the Champions League multiple times!"

"Modric and Vida play for Manchester United, and the former is Manchester United's captain and core midfielder. It can be said that Modric is definitely one of the strongest midfielders in the entire football world!"

"Rakitic plays for Barcelona, ​​Mandzukic and Vukojevic play for Bayern Munich. Even Perisic is a player from the last Champions League runner-up Dortmund."

After such a comparison, the Belgian commentator suddenly felt a little pain in his head.

Croatia's lineup almost covers Huang Saren. Except for a few players, the rest are all thigh-level players.

With such a lineup put together, it's hard not to win!

Belgium boasts of being a golden generation!

But looking at Croatia's lineup, the so-called super platinum generation is really not too much.

Croatia during the Davor Suker era was already amazing enough, but now Croatia is no longer limited to the ranks of dark horses, it is composed of the lineup of the world's top teams.

Croatian players wearing red and white plaid jerseys and Belgian players in red jerseys came to their respective halves one after another.

The atmosphere of the game also became extremely solemn.

The camera focused on Su Ke for a close-up. Su Ke still looked like that, jumping around to warm up.

But for Belgian fans, when they saw Suker, they felt the huge sense of oppression.

Whether this game can be won and whether Suker can be effectively restricted is the key.

Of course, everyone understands this truth, but currently very few are successful.

Besides, Suker's playing style has changed a bit now. If they keep an eye on him, Croatia can open up the situation through other routes.

This group of Croatian players don't just rely on Suker to play football alone.

"Concentrate!" Srna shouted forward loudly: "Be excited! Be positive! Charge directly as soon as the game starts!"

Su Ke and others also nodded one after another.

They know very well that the result of this game will determine whether they can successfully qualify, so this is a game that must be won with all their strength.

Seeing that the players on both sides were ready, the referee exited the center circle and blew the whistle.

Belgium kicked off first.

"The game begins! The game begins!"

"This is the 2014 World Cup European Qualifiers, the eighth round of the group stage. Belgium plays Croatia at home. The outcome of this game depends on whether we can hope to reach the top of the group!"

As soon as the game started, Croatia rushed forward instantly.

After Belgium made consecutive back passes, Van Buyten stepped forward directly, looking for Hazard.

However, Hazard has been entangled by Vukojevic.

At the moment when Hazard was about to receive the ball, Vukojevic pushed slightly, which made Hazard's receiving action slightly stiff. The ball hit Hazard's feet and flew about two meters away. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Rakitic grabbed the ball.

Seeing the ball lost, Belgium immediately launched a counterattack.

De Bruyne and Fellaini rushed directly towards Rakitic to press, and he forced Rakitic not to turn around.

But Rakitic moved left and right, and suddenly found a trace of space, and continuously rubbed the ball with the arch of his foot, and turned around abruptly.

After turning around, De Bruyne stretched out his foot to steal the ball, but Rakitic pulled and dribbled it, a V-shaped pull + reverse knock, and went directly between the two.

"Oh~~~ Rakitic, wonderful continuous escape, this is the magician of Croatian midfield, he used brilliant skills to confuse Belgian players."

After Rakitic escaped, he passed the ball diagonally.

The ball rolled to the left, Alderweireld immediately looked for Suker's position, but Suker was already parallel to him.

"So fast!"

Alderweireld was startled, he immediately stretched out his hand to pull.

But before the opponent interfered with him, Suker did not make too many moves, and directly passed the ball.

The ball showed an arc and flew accurately towards Mandzukic who jumped in the penalty area.

"My! ——"

Mandzukic roared and slammed his abdomen.

However, the hitting point was a little low, rubbing the lower end of the ball, and failed to press the ball down. The ball rubbed the crossbar and flew out of the bottom line.

"Mandzukic's header, oh~~~~ this ball is too dangerous, too dangerous!"

The Belgian commentator couldn't help but exclaimed while holding his heart.

At the beginning of the game, Croatia launched a threatening counterattack.

And this counterattack was clean and neat. After the counter-grab, Rakitic quickly got rid of it, and then accurately found Suker. Suker didn't hesitate and directly kicked the ball to the middle.

"My problem! My problem!"

Mandzukic was a little embarrassed that he couldn't score a goal, but he still gave Suker a thumbs up.

Suker's pass was fine, it should be perfect.

It's just that he was disturbed and didn't jump high enough to hit the position.

But even so, Croatia's counterattack still made Belgium sweat.

"Toby! Keep an eye on Suker! Make sure to get physical with him!"

Courtois was very anxious. He felt that Alderweireld had not yet entered the game state and played a little too soft.

When they were in Atletico Madrid, they played Real Madrid, especially when targeting Suker, they had to connect physical pressure at all times.

Only in this way can Suker be disturbed to a certain extent, which is just a weakening and cannot completely limit Suker's performance.

And Alderweireld's style of play is to let Suker play casually.

This is a very dangerous signal!

Alderweireld also heard Courtois's call, and he knew that he was a little relaxed, so he turned his head to look at Suker, staring at him.

Suker has already retreated, and he understands Alderweireld's defensive style.

This guy wants to keep some distance from himself to prevent himself from forcibly overtaking with speed.

This is certainly a way to deal with speed-type wingers, but Suker is not just a speed-type player, his footwork is also excellent.

Leaving him space is no different from letting himself play.

If Alderweireld comes close, Suker can still use his speed to pass, and at worst he can pass the ball to help his teammates open up space.

In any case, Suker can attract a lot of Belgium's attention on the left wing.

On the other hand, Belgium's attack was a bit weird.

They didn't pass the ball, but after passing, the tacit understanding was almost zero.

It can be said that they fought on their own. De Bruyne did not use his excellent passing ability, but passed the ball at his feet, as if passing the ball to Hazard would complete the task.

Hazard, on his side, worked alone as soon as he got the ball.

If he passed, he would shoot!

If he couldn't pass, he would flick his hands, and he didn't retreat to defend.

As for Lukaku.

Suk saw Lukaku and Vida constantly fighting in close combat, and the former could obviously feel impatient.

Lukaku certainly has excellent physical fitness and a strong body, but he is not a battering ram type of player.

On the contrary, he hates confrontation!

The future Inter Milan is perceived as one tall and one fast, the tall one is Lukaku, and the fast one is Lautaro.

But the fact is the opposite!

A strong man of nearly 200 pounds is responsible for "fast".

A Lautaro who is less than 180 cm is responsible for "tall".

Just tell me whether to do it or not!

At the Croatian coaching booth, Besic and Van Styak were looking at the court. The progress of this game was much smoother than they had imagined.

Belgium has a strong fighting spirit, that's right!

However, they are fighting with brute force!

Each of them exerts their own strength and does not cooperate with the teammates around them.

Belgium has had some weird games many times before, and the media has also revealed the discord within Belgium.

Now looking at the direction of the game, this statement is enough to be confirmed.

If it were not so, the game would not be played like this.

De Bruyne received the ball on the wing. He first looked at Lukaku's position. If he had to pass the ball, he would rather pass it to Lukaku.

However, Lukaku was being watched closely.

Hazard was also being watched, but this guy kept asking for the ball.

"Pass it! Give it to me! Quick!"

De Bruyne curled his lips secretly, and he rolled the ball directly.

Hazard suddenly bumped back, trying to push Vukojevic away.

The latter was indeed hit, but when he retreated, Vukojevic grabbed the corner of Hazard's clothes and pulled it down hard, which also caused Hazard to fail to start immediately.

And taking advantage of this opportunity, Rakitic ran over from the left and snatched the ball away.

"Damn it!"

Hazard pounded the ground angrily.

He turned his head and looked at Vukojevic angrily, but the latter didn't even look at him.

Although Vukojevic is no longer a starter in Bayern Munich, his ability is still worthy of recognition.

Especially on the defensive end, his skills, awareness and even experience are very sufficient.

"Hazard is restricted, and it is difficult for us to perform on the offensive end!"

At this time, Croatia passed the ball to the left wing again.

Suker received the ball with his back to the goal, and when he was sure that Witsel had passed, he suddenly stepped sideways and passed the ball directly.

At the same time, Suker took the lead in turning and sprinting, leaving Witsel behind.

Suker controlled the ball again, but he did not run forward, but dribbled the ball gently.

Alderweireld thought Suker was waiting for the opportunity to sprint to the side, but at this moment, Suker suddenly flicked the ball sideways.

This flick was just right, not only allowing Alderweireld to move towards the middle, but also disrupting the rhythm of Witsel's feet.

After the flick, Suker immediately dribbled the ball with his right foot.

He passed the ball through the rib area between the Belgian full-back and the central defender.

On the wing, Croatian full-back Strinic ran forward and successfully caught the ball.

"Be careful with the cross!"

Having had this experience, Courtois naturally reminded his teammates to be cautious.

But at this moment, Strinic looked up at the penalty area, but his feet suddenly moved diagonally backward, that is, an inverted triangle pass.

At that position, Suker, who was lost due to continuous passing, appeared again.

At this moment, the entire King Baudouin Stadium exclaimed.

Belgian fans stood up in fear!

This position has entered Suker's shooting range.

"Block!"

Van Buyten screamed and rushed over.

In other positions, Belgian players also rushed to Suker from all directions, and the entire defense line was completely disrupted.

At this moment, Suker pretended to shoot, and at the moment when the opponent approached, he gently knocked the ball with his left foot, and he actually continued to pass the ball to the middle, the position of the penalty area line.

After completing the pass, Suker jumped up gracefully and passed Van Buyten's sliding tackle.

When he turned his head, Rakitic had already reached the landing point and gently dribbled the ball.

The ball bypassed the defender and presented an arc half-high ball. It hit the side net of the goal!

Just 9 minutes into the game, Croatia scored a goal in the second attack!

"Goooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal!!!!"

"Ivan Rakitic, calm dribbling, the ball passed through the crowd and accurately entered the net!"

"Croatia was too calm in front of the goal, passing continuously, forming a threatening offensive on the periphery, and completely disrupting Belgium's defense!"

"The boys did a great job, they seemed not to be nervous! Every ball was handled calmly!"

Croatian commentator Klausevich kept clapping and cheering loudly.

Since the start of this game, Belgium's offensive has been very chaotic, while Croatia has been advancing layer by layer.

Even people who don't understand football can tell which side played well.

"Croatia played too relaxed, as if we didn't put much pressure on them!"

The Belgian commentator frowned.

This is true. So far, Belgium has not put much pressure on Croatia.

Especially on the left wing, we can't say that we give opportunities, but if you don't impose almost extreme defensive restrictions on Suker, then Croatia has opportunities.

Once Suker is released, he can use his ability to create space for himself and his teammates to shoot.

Just like this goal, Suker almost attracted all the attention to himself, and then passed the ball.

And when Rakitic shot, there was almost no one around to interfere with Rakitic.

For professional players, their aim is directly full when there is no interference.

Especially for players like Rakitic who are famous for their footwork.

Only 9 minutes into the game, Croatia easily scored the first goal.

The process of the game was not a fierce battle as Belgian fans imagined.

On the contrary, Croatia is unilaterally suppressing Belgium at this time.

Belgium coach Wilmots frowned.

"Croatia passes the ball very quickly, and they play very relaxed, but the more important thing is the passing and running ability. When the ball is passed, the players are already there. They have reached the extreme in the use of space and the width of the field!"

Croatia is not a team that mainly plays passing and controlling.

But they have three technical "No. 10" positions in the frontcourt, Suker, Rakitic and Modric, which also enables them to play a decent passing and controlling.

But this is also lame to say that passing and controlling, because this is a counterattack.

It's just a layer of passing and controlling.

Passing back and forth, pulling the space horizontally.

But the forward insertion is very decisive, and they are also good at using the tactics of inserting from the back row.

Especially under the five-way attack, Belgium's defense line is even more shaky.

Now Belgium must come up with a different style of play, or must show some results on the offensive end to force Croatia's midfield to retreat.

If they are always surrounded by them, it will be a matter of time before the next goal is lost!