The Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina began in 1997, so the history of the competition is relatively short.
The Second League of Bosnia and Herzegovina officially started in 2000. Currently, it is considered the second tier and is still in the process of developing. As a result, the schedule is not as tight.
The season ended early in April, and the players began their holidays and started their regular careers.
At the same time, there is also a standard winter break, and the pressure of the overall schedule is not very intense. This allows more rest time for low-income players to balance their lives and careers.
The league has completed 11 rounds, and the season is already more than halfway through.
Mostar Wanderers are in 4th place in the standings, quite far from the promotion zone.
Sarajevo FC is in third place, and defeating them is the key for Mostar Wanderers to secure promotion.
"Mark that short number 9 on the other side!"
Sarajevo FC's captain, Locke, said fiercely to his newly joined teammate.
Bazel is German, 22 years old. He moved to Bosnia and Herzegovina because of his parents' work and joined the club thanks to his previous football experience.
Bazel naturally brought the discipline of a German, but when he looked at the 150cm "little bean," a series of black question marks appeared in his mind.
"Him? Center forward? Number 9?"
Whether it's his small, thin body or his baby-fat face, Suk gave off a childish impression.
This was very different from the image of tall, powerful, and tough center forwards that Bazel had in mind.
"Don't underestimate him," Captain Locke said seriously. "That guy scored eight goals in 11 games!"
Hearing this, Bazel's face grew serious. The opponent's appearance may be deceiving, but scoring eight goals in 11 games speaks volumes.
After both teams finished their final preparations, they walked into the stadium under the direction of the three referees.
"Come on, Suk!"
"Let them see how powerful you are!"
"I'm waiting for the news of your victory!"
"Come on, Warriors of Mostar!"
The fans were still very passionate. Though only about 200 people were present, they made the entire stadium feel alive.
Suk followed behind the taller players. Visually, the whole team seemed to have a noticeable height difference.
During the high-five process, Bazel looked at the guy who raised his fist upwards, his face full of confusion.
How did this guy score goals? He even scored eight!
Bazel didn't understand. Is the entire Second League of Bosnia and Herzegovina full of rookies? Letting this little guy score goals?
After reaching their own half, Mlinar bumped Suk's head with his shoulder and smiled. "That guy looks very confused."
Suk pursed his lips. "After all, I'm very different from traditional center forwards."
Mlinar smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll pass the ball to you."
Suk nodded lightly.
He took a deep breath, looked ahead, and whispered, "Nine Lords bless me!"
"Here! Pass the ball!"
"Give it to me! Give it to me!"
"Tackle it out!!!!!"
The game was intense, not in terms of speed but in terms of physicality.
The pace of the game wasn't fast, and the ball's movement and passing were slow. The transitions between offense and defense were often disorganized.
But the key was that these players weren't afraid to tackle!
Whenever they were passed, or a threatening attack came their way, they would tackle, often not just for the ball, but to take the player down.
This is a characteristic of the Bosnian League!
If the Premier League is the most competitive, the Bosnian League is definitely the most brutal.
When faced with such tackles, the referee showed no hesitation at all.
Bang!
Mlinar and Locke collided fiercely.
As the captains of both sides, neither of them flinched from the battle for possession. They met each other head-on.
This kick caused the ball to be squeezed out.
However, the two did not stop but continued to chase the ball, kicking each other a second time.
Bang!!!
This time, the insteps of the two players slammed into each other. The sound of bones colliding made those around them wince, feeling pain in their own feet, but the two limped and kept chasing the ball without any intention of giving up.
Eventually, the ball flew to the feet of Mostar fullback Kurtic, who passed it forward along the wing to a teammate. Suk also moved toward that side.
Seeing Suk move, Bazel immediately followed.
Suk was facing away from the attacking side. He could feel Bazel's presence behind him. Suddenly, Suk turned around and moved quickly forward.
Bazel instinctively turned but quickly realized what was happening.
"No!" Bazel thought. This little guy is distracting me.
Sure enough, the opponent's midfielder passed the ball into the middle, attempting a through ball.
But Bazel was not fooled by Suk and simply blocked the passing lane, intercepting the ball.
"Nice job, Bazel!"
His teammates cheered loudly, and Bazel calmly passed the ball to his fullback.
At that moment, Bazel saw Suk slowly walking back.
Bazel looked at Suk, and Suk also looked at him.
The two exchanged looks, and Suk could see the growing doubt in Bazel's eyes, as if to say, "Did this guy really score 8 goals?"
"Yes, I scored!" Suk replied.
Bazel was stunned for a moment and said in surprise, "Do you know what I'm thinking?"
Suk moved to the left, and Bazel immediately followed.
The two kept talking while running.
"I've seen that look in your eyes many times," Suk said, turning his head nonchalantly. "But they were all defeated by me."
Bazel frowned slightly. "That's because you haven't met me."
Suk shrugged and said nothing.
At this point, both teams were still locked in a midfield battle, with no significant changes in their offensive routines, as if they were determined to follow a single approach.
But this was the norm for lower-league football!
The match process in these leagues is often very rigid, mainly because of the limitations of the players, who are unable to execute the complex tactics used by higher-league teams.
As a result, lower-league teams stick to a set of tactics they apply relentlessly.
Mostar Wanderers used to play possession-based football.
With Mlinar as the core, they would pass the ball around, trying to find openings to score.
However, this intricate tactic is difficult to execute in lower leagues.
The uneven abilities of the players meant possession-based football was not feasible.
But Mostar Wanderers had no choice. They didn't have a strong offensive player up front, nor a solid defense at the back, and even had weaknesses in goalkeeping, making things tough.
This kept them stuck in the middle of the Second League, unable to improve, until Suk joined and started to change the situation.
"Suk!"
Mlinar suddenly shouted loudly.
Suk turned around and sprinted again, but the next moment, Mlinar passed the ball into open space on the wing.
"Beautiful!!"
The fans in the stadium roared with excitement.
Mlinar may be older, but his passing skills were still solid, and this through ball...
Just as everyone was expecting Mostar's winger, Vitolich, to catch up with the ball and score, a figure suddenly rushed out from the side and performed a clean sliding tackle, knocking the ball out of bounds.
The entire stadium fell silent.
This precise judgment and clean tackle really made an impact on everyone watching.
After Bazel got up, he roared to vent his excitement.
In his mind, this tackle was perfect and well-timed.
"I know!" Bazel suddenly said. "You're bait!"
Suk looked over in confusion.
Bazel said confidently, "You're the bait, so you don't directly participate in the attack. The wing is your most dangerous point. Number 8 starts the attack. You may have scored 8 goals, and your shooting skills may be good, but as long as we cut off the connection between you and your teammates, you won't be a threat."
Bazel spoke confidently, thinking he had figured it all out.
In his mind, this made perfect sense.
After all, what kind of impact can a 150 cm, thin center forward have? The game had been going on for 20 minutes, and the guy hadn't even touched the ball yet.
To put it simply, Suk was just bait to distract the defense, and the real attack was coming from the wings.
Suk blinked at him and said, "Do you think I'm easy to deal with?"
Bazel shrugged. "In Germany, someone your height would have already quit football."
Suk fell silent for a moment, then suddenly reminded him, "You'd better keep an eye on me. Don't let me shake you off."
Bazel thought about saying, "What will happen if I'm shaken off?" but decided not to. It seemed childish, and he didn't need to argue with a bluffer.
He was convinced that he had figured out Mostar Wanderers' tactics and that defending against them would be easy.
At that moment, on the sidelines, Orić squinted his eyes. "They're starting to ignore Suk."
"It's hard to always keep an eye on him," Mostar's only substitute defender, Rosen, shrugged. "A short guy, one you can't even see when you look up. He's always ignored."
Orić nodded in agreement.
Rosen continued, "But he's very dangerous."
On the field, Mostar's attack moved to the left, and Sarajevo FC's defense shifted accordingly.
Bazel glanced at Suk and saw that the guy wasn't doing much.
"Giving up?" Bazel thought.
But at this moment, he needed to pay more attention to Mlinar, the biggest threat.
However, Bazel didn't notice that Suk, who had been next to him, was slowly retreating, creating a nearly 4-meter gap between them.
At the same time, Mlinar dribbled past a defender and lobbed the ball into the air.
Looking up at the ball flying over his head, Bazel instinctively moved left to cut off Suk and signal the goalkeeper to catch the ball.
But he didn't touch Suk's body.
When Bazel turned to look, he saw that Suk had already appeared behind him, the first to reach the ball's landing point.
"When did he—?!!" Bazel thought in shock.
The fans roared in excitement.
When Bazel turned to look, he saw that Suk had already appeared behind him, the first to reach the ball's landing point.
"When did he—?!!" Bazel thought in shock.
The fans roared in excitement.
At this moment, Suk had already begun to decelerate and adjust his footwork. As the ball dropped, he made no attempt to stop it, instead slamming his instep into the ball with full force.
The ball flew straight toward the near post, skimming past it and into the net.
Suk had scored.
As he turned to face Bazel, who stood frozen in disbelief, Suk couldn't resist a smug look, almost as if to say:
'I told you, don't let me shake you off!'
The crowd erupted in celebration, and the scoreline now reflected the strength of Suk's surprising play.