The attack from Zrinjski Mostar began on the flanks, a strategy rooted in the Dutch philosophy of total football, which emphasized utilizing space on the wings.
After receiving the ball, Boame didn't rush to pass it. Instead, he kept it at his feet with ease and confidence.
Even though Vitolic had already closed in, Boame, trusting his own technique, didn't take him seriously.
Vitolic cautiously shifted his position. Watching him move so gingerly, Boame repeatedly faked aggressive breakthroughs, tricking him into shifting his weight, all while wearing a playful expression.
Just as Boame, full of confidence, was about to break through down the wing, heavy footsteps suddenly sounded from behind.
Before he could even turn his head, a roar came from behind him.
"Get him!"
Vitolic immediately charged at Boame.
Boame was startled — he hadn't expected such decisiveness.
As he went to pull the ball back, he caught a glimpse of someone charging in from a diagonal angle — not a teammate, as shown by the yellow and black striped kit.
Panicked, Boame hurriedly attempted a pass.
At that moment, Suke extended his short leg — short but just long enough.
Smack!The ball ricocheted off Suk's foot, rolling into the Zrinjski Mostar half, where it was picked up by Mlinar.
"Whoa!"
On the Zrinjski Mostar bench, their main striker Kosović straightened slightly, exclaiming in surprise.
Clearly, Suke's pressing and interception had been critical.
Modrić also nodded with a smile, eyes still fixed on Suke.
Suke got up from the ground. Rather than pushing forward immediately, he moved laterally to offer support.
Most of the attention was now on Suke, and Zrinjski Mostar's defense shifted inward.
Mlinar surged forward with the ball, and just as defenders closed in, he passed it forward.
Suke received it on the move, stopped it, dragged it back, spun ninety degrees, and sprinted forward — without the ball.
The pass-back left Mlinar unmarked; he collected the ball and charged down the middle.
A simple one-two, and their aggressive forward runs threw the Zrinjski Mostar defense into chaos.
Mlinar cut down the middle, while Suke dashed along the flank.
Zrinjski's wingers, Vitolic and Maslocic, were now pulled inward, and the defenders didn't know who to follow.
"Stop him!"
Zrinjski's fullback Lovistek shouted, pointing at Mlinar.
Midfielders scrambled to close in.
At that moment, Mlinar switched the play to the wing.
The ball landed perfectly ahead of the sprinting Suke.
Lovistek rushed toward him, but Suke was closer and didn't hesitate — he curved his run and sent a cross into the box.
The ball sliced through the gap between Zrinjski's fullback and center-back, landing right in front of goal.
"Danger!!!—"
Only now did the commentator realize the threat, shouting in alarm.
Vitolic and Maslocic both slid in from different directions, but they missed; the ball slipped past them and was cleared by Zrinjski's other fullback, Sterk.
Crisis averted for Zrinjski Mostar.
"A beautiful and seamless counterattack — just four passes tore through Zrinjski's defense and delivered the ball to the goalmouth. They were just a bit unlucky not to score. Still, what a brilliant counter from Mostar Wanderers!"
The commentator was fired up, yelling excitedly.
What was supposed to be a walk in the park had turned into Mostar Wanderers drawing first blood with a fierce interception and counterattack that seriously threatened Zrinjski.
And at the heart of it all was Suke, wearing the No. 9 shirt.
His interception and key decisions during the counter made him the linchpin.
This little guy was something else!
"Aaaarghhhh!!!"Suke clutched his head in frustration.
Such a golden chance — wasted!
Those two clowns, Vitolic and Maslocic, had no sense of positioning in front of goal!
But Suke didn't have time to dwell on it — he turned back and rejoined the defense.
As he dropped back, all eyes — including those of the opposing players — were on him.
Especially Van Stuyack, who stood frozen watching Suke.
He hadn't expected this kind of performance — precise passing that avoided contact while linking up the attack.
Avoiding his weaknesses while maximizing his strengths.
From what he had seen so far, Suke was already outstanding.
And at that moment, Van Stuyack focused his attention entirely on Suk.
"A striker who actively tracks back on defense!"
Van Stuyack nodded approvingly. He liked Suk's work ethic.
Some coaches might criticize a center forward for not staying up to press the defense, but not Van Sterjak — coming from the Dutch school of total football, he valued such versatility.
"His fighting spirit is impressive!"
Van Stuyack nodded again, but then scowled at his own team's sluggish attack.
"What are the fullbacks doing? There's space in front! Move up!"
He roared in frustration.
Indeed, implementing a new tactical system at a new club was already difficult.
Worse still, many Bosnian players were brawny brawlers who didn't grasp the concept of positional play or passing combinations.
Explaining tactics to them felt like talking to a brick wall.
Fortunately, Modrić offered a ray of hope. Without him, Van Stuyack would be drowning in headaches.
But now, with an all-substitute lineup and no Modrić-style brain in midfield — and Suke constantly disrupting them — the squad's play was breaking down.
"Link up! Link up!"
"Go! What are you afraid of?"
"Get back! Get back!"
"Just standing there? Don't you see their striker is running? You better get back on defense too!"
Van Stuyack's angry shouts echoed through the stadium.
As the game progressed, Zrinjski were slowly being overwhelmed.
Suke's relentless running and Mostar Wanderers' tight defensive strategy were taking their toll.
Time and again they broke through Zrinjski's defense with swift counters, connecting through Suke.
Although they hadn't scored, they kept Zrinjski on the back foot.
What should've been a relaxed match was now a desperate knife fight between two teams, each looking for the edge.
Even though Zrinjski had some threatening moments, they were rattled.
Especially the defenders — Suke's clever passing made him a nightmare.
"This guy's such a pest!"
"That's the idea!"
Suk panted hard, running himself to exhaustion.
But that was the plan — spend all his stamina in the first half and sap the opponent's energy in the process.
So far, everything was going smoothly.
They had some great counterattacks — only the goal was missing.
But as long as they didn't concede, the pressure on the opponent would only mount.
Even a draw would be humiliating for Zrinjski.
And then there was their overconfident mentality.
Mostar Wanderers had come prepared, with a clear plan they were executing well — and that pressure was beginning to crack Zrinjski.
Suke wiped sweat from his brow and pushed himself to run even harder.
"Get him!"
Sukee slid in to block the opponent's passing lane, and Mlinar and Vitolic pounced to trap the opposing player, winning the ball.
Suk shot up and started sprinting toward goal.
Just then, the referee blew the whistle.
Tweet tweet~~~Halftime.
Suke stopped, chest heaving.
He glanced at the clock — 45 minutes and extra time had flown by.
So fast.
He swallowed hard and sat down heavily, gasping for air.
"Damn, I'm exhausted!"
Suke hadn't rested the whole half — always running back to defend.
But thanks to his and the team's hard work, they completed their mission.
Halftime score: 0–0.
Suke lay back on the ground, smiling.
Mission accomplished.
Heh heh!
Wait for the second half — I've got something special for you.
With that thought, Suke opened his personal panel and used a stamina recovery card.
He only had two left, including this one.
But Suke believed — when it's time to go all in, you go all in.
Good stuff has to be used when it counts.
A refreshing sensation surged through him, and Suk let out a satisfied sigh.
Zrinjski's striker Bastelov headed for the tunnel.
He looked dejected — disappointed with his first-half performance.
He had a few chances but failed to convert. Still no breakthrough.
And that short striker on the other side caused them no end of trouble.
Just then, he spotted Suke lying on the ground, breathing heavily. A smirk appeared on his face.
"That guy burned through all his energy in one half. He won't be a threat anymore."
Such self-destructive running can't last.
Let's see what he can do in the second half.
Bastelov sighed in relief.
Just then, he saw Suke place both hands beside his head, arch his back, and raise his legs — a perfect kip-up.
"Heeyah!"
Suk landed in a solid horse stance, then jogged off cheerfully.
Bastelov: "!!!"