"The first half is over! We're still leading 1-0… My God! We're still ahead!"
Croatian commentator Kraushević could barely keep his composure.
Croatia's best performance at the Euros had only ever been reaching the quarterfinals.Getting out of the group stage already meant reaching the last eight!Since Davor Šuker and others achieved that in 1996, more than ten years had passed without any progress.
In fact, during Euro 2004, Croatia was eliminated directly in the group stage.
But in this year's European Championship, Croatia won all three group matches.And now, in the quarterfinals, they were dominating the reigning World Cup champions, Italy.Their performance had been nothing short of brilliant.
No sluggish pace, no dull moments—just wave after wave of relentless charges forward by the Croatian players.
"Throughout the first half, we maintained an extremely high-tempo offensive rhythm. While this style consumes a lot of energy, it's definitely more painful for the Italians defending us,"
Kraushević said excitedly.
"And most importantly, we've fully capitalized on our strongest point in attack—Šuker!"
Just mentioning Šuker made Kraushević beam with pride.
International football is different from club football.
Club football puts more emphasis on overall coordination and tactical execution.That comes from years of training and developing chemistry together.
But national teams are different.They have very little time together in a year.
It's impossible to expect them to play with deep tactical synergy.
That's why most national teams rely on star players—their "super legs"—to make the difference.
And Šuker was Croatia's undisputed superstar.
Looking back on the first half, Šuker had scored once.But his impact went far beyond that.
His off-the-ball movement, ability to draw defenders, dribbling, and passing all disrupted Italy's defense.
Even though some Italians were Šuker's club teammates who knew him well,knowing his style didn't mean they could match his rhythm.
At the very least, Italy's plan to contain Šuker had completely failed.
That's how Croatia scored the opening goal.
The only regret was that the second goal was ruled out.
"Hang in there, boys! Keep the initiative!"Kraushević clenched his fists, his voice trembling with tension.
From this moment, he was dreaming of making history.
Croatia was on the verge of breaking its Euros record.
They were about to write a brand-new chapter.
He'd imagined it before, but back then it felt far away.Even in the group stage, the idea came and went, buried in the intensity of each match.
But now… he could truly see hope.
Hope of making history.
And it wasn't just Kraushević—Croatian fans felt it too.
During halftime, the Croatian section of Ernst Happel Stadium never stopped cheering.
They sang, they shouted, they celebrated.
They were all filled with joy at the incredible momentum.
Yes, football is unpredictable.And there were still 45 minutes left.But they believed in their boys. They believed they could win!
Meanwhile, in the Italian locker room…
The national players were in heated discussion.
"We have to tighten our marking on Šuker!""The first half already showed the problem!""You still wanna defend? We're behind!""We need counterattacks! Get the midfield moving!""We want that too—but you think it's that easy? These Croatians run like machines! Every time we look up, they're right in front of us. Every time we lift a foot, they block it!"
Thinking about the Croatians' relentless running, De Rossi felt like he was about to break down.
The first half had been suffocating.
And they still hadn't found any good solutions for the second half.
Suddenly, coach Donadoni spoke up:
"Toni, we need you."
Luca Toni, the Bundesliga's Golden Boot winner, looked up.
"I need someone to pass me the ball."
Toni wasn't a Šuker-type player, nor was he a pure playmaker.
He needed support—teammates to feed him the ball and create scoring chances.
Šuker could do it all himself.
Toni couldn't.
"We'll create those chances for you," Donadoni replied, then looked around the room."Guys, we're Italy. We're World Cup champions. Our Euros campaign shouldn't end here."
"I know things look bad right now, but I need you to show some fire. Croatia's a young team—this is their first European Championship. They're going to get nervous, especially in the second half. That's when we strike!"
"The first 5 to 10 minutes of the second half—they like to attack. That's our chance!"
"Second half: focus on defense," he added firmly."Then hit them on the counter!"
In the Croatian locker room, assistant coach Vastic flipped through his tactical notes.
"Knockout games are different from group matches. We need to be more cautious, especially now that we're ahead. We have the upper hand, so let's play calmly."
"Don't worry about what Italy does—just stick to our game. Defend, and strike when the chance comes."
His message was clear:
No matter what Italy does, we don't change.
He added,
"Yes, Italy's in bad form. But they're still very experienced. That means we can't let our guard down—especially when we're only one goal ahead."
"We lack experience. So we need to be extra careful."
Smack!He closed his notebook.
"Let's go to the semifinals!"
The players' hearts burned with fire.
Soon, shouts came from outside the locker room calling players back to the field.
Šuker took a sip of water, adjusting his condition to prepare for the second half.
Yes!
As coach Vastic said—one goal isn't enough. So let's get another!
As Šuker emerged from the tunnel, Gattuso caught a glimpse of his back.
His heart sank.
Donadoni had given them a pep talk—but it was just empty words.No real tactical adjustments.
If it were Marcello Lippi, things might be different.
Even though Gattuso once slapped Lippi and the two had a huge argument,he still respected that cigar-smoking old man.
At least compared to Donadoni, the "Silver Fox" Lippi had ideas.
But no matter what, the current coach was Donadoni.
They had no choice but to follow his game plan for the second half.
Even if it was just hot air or feel-good speeches,as long as they could win, Gattuso could accept it.
And his job was clear:
Stop Šuker.
How to do that?Gattuso had no idea.
He didn't feel confident.
But he had no choice—he had to try anyway!
"The players are back on the pitch. Halftime is over. The second half begins—with both teams switching sides!"
"After 45 minutes, Croatia leads Italy 1–0. For the reigning 2006 World Cup champions, they are now standing on the edge of a cliff!"
"Italy needs to adapt. Their fate will be decided in this half."
"Let's see what happens—will Italy complete a comeback and reclaim their European glory,or will Croatia, the rising power of this Euros, continue their fairy tale run?"
"Can they, like in 1996, make waves on the international stage and play their symphony of triumph for the 4 million people of Croatia?"
"Here we go—the match is about to restart!"
Kraushević shouted passionately:
"The European Championship is brutal—after three group-stage rounds, eight nations have already exited. After this round, four more will go."
"There's only one winner. Only one team advances!"
"Will it be Italy or Croatia? All will be revealed in the next 45 minutes!"