Chapter 53 - 51: High Press

BEEEEEEP!!!

The sharp sound of the whistle echoed.

"The match has begun..."

As the crowd roared, Mostar Zrinjski's forwards shot out, pressing forward into their respective positions.

Kosopech charged straight for the ball passed back to the defensive line, while Billiar and Suk closed in from the flanks.

Boban, Camnal, and Modric also pressed forward.

Right from the kickoff, Mostar Zrinjski showed incredible aggression and a clear intention to press high.

"They're coming!"

"Pass it here!"

"Don't trap it!"

Ivan Krich shouted at his center-back partner, Bechevic.

But out of habit, Bechevic took a touch to control the ball. That split second was all Kosopech needed to find an opening and accelerate toward him.

"Damn it!"

Bechevic sensed the danger and frantically passed the ball to the wing.

But in his haste, he didn't put enough power on the pass.

The ball moved slowly, forcing the full-back, Jorijac, to come forward to meet it. But just then, he heard the sound of frantic footsteps beside him.

He turned to see a short figure racing toward the ball's trajectory.

"Damn it!"

Jorijac's face paled. He quickened his pace, but his opponent was simply too fast.

Suk's eyes were glued to the ball. He pushed his speed to the limit, surging forward like a young cheetah.

His rapid footwork fueled his forward momentum.

TAK-TAK-TAK-TAK-TAK-TAK-TAK!!!

To Jorijac's ears, that rapid cadence sounded like a demonic whisper.

"They've broken through!!" the commentator, Basodachi, exclaimed in shock. The match had just begun, and Mostar Zrinjski had already disrupted their opponent's rhythm.

And Suk was charging toward the spot where the ball would land.

'Can he make it?'

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Suk lowered his head and suddenly accelerated again.

He could make it!

SWISH!

Suk poked the ball forward just in time and left his opponent in the dust.

Jorijac was left sprawled on the ground. When he turned his head, he saw Suk was already taking a shot.

BANG!

The ball flew low and fast toward the bottom right corner. The Sarajevo goalkeeper immediately dove sideways, just tipping the ball with his fingertips to send it past the end line.

"What the hell are you doing?! Get your heads in the game!"

After getting up, the goalkeeper, Ivanqi, roared in fury, "Do you want to see me concede a goal? You bastards!"

Any goalkeeper would be furious about losing possession to a high press and nearly conceding right at the start of the game.

They had been too complacent.

As the captain, Ivan Krich first calmed down the keeper, Ivanqi, then went to console his other two teammates.

In any other match, that tempo would have been fine.

But Mostar Zrinjski's opening charge had truly terrified them.

Usually, the opening phase of a match was for probing, but unexpectedly, Mostar Zrinjski had come out ready for an all-out war.

"Corner! Corner!"

Suk shouted, pointing to the corner flag.

Modric immediately ran to the corner.

Kosopech also got ready to challenge for the header.

Modric took the corner, and the cross was clearly aimed at Kosopech.

Under pressure from two defenders, Kosopech leaped forcefully.

"Get in!"

He still managed to get his head to it, but under duress, there wasn't enough power behind it, and the goalkeeper clutched the ball to his chest.

The goalkeeper, Ivanqi, ran forward a few steps. He saw his teammates ready for a counter-attack and knew this was a golden opportunity.

"Counter-attack!!"

Ivanqi roared as he forcefully threw the ball forward.

Just as he was anticipating a good play from his teammates, the first thing he saw were two figures in yellow away jerseys rapidly tracking back.

Suk and Modric.

One on the left, one on the right, they sprinted wildly back toward their own half.

Their speed was astonishing. Suk was the first to reach a defensive position, blocking Tolister's path.

He wasn't thinking of making a tackle, but his goal was to slow down the pace of the counter-attack.

Tolister hadn't expected them to track back so quickly. He nudged the ball slightly, trying to create a passing lane, but Suk immediately turned sideways to shadow him.

The message was clear.

'Don't even think about passing!'

Left with no choice, Tolister passed the ball to the wing, and Suk immediately turned and charged over.

At the same time, Modric also reached his defensive position and closed right in on the opposing winger with the ball, Tiremanqi.

"Damn it!"

Tiremanqi felt extremely uncomfortable.

It was mainly because these guys closed down on him so fast. Although he had a physical advantage, being harassed like this was incredibly frustrating.

Modric suddenly started shoving him, forcing Tiremanqi to quickly trap the ball under his foot, pull it further away from Modric, and shield it with his body.

Just as he was waiting for a teammate to make an overlapping run to support him, another opponent arrived a step faster.

"I'm here!"

The voice came from below. When Tiremanqi looked down, he saw Suk already in a slide tackle, sweeping away the ball that was right under his foot.

"Bastard!"

Tiremanqi was about to give chase when he suddenly felt a tug, preventing him from starting his run properly.

Modric had pulled him back.

After the tug, Modric immediately followed on Suk's heels, pressing forward again.

"Another midfield tackle! Mostar Zrinjski's pressing awareness in this match has been absolutely outstanding."

The commentator, Basodachi, said excitedly, "We all know that Mostar Zrinjski's Head Coach, Van Stiake, is from the Netherlands, and his tactical philosophy is 'Total Football'. In this system, the high press is an absolutely crucial element!"

"The so-called high press is a tactic where you start applying pressure in the opponent's half to disrupt their attacking rhythm, increase your own possession, and create counter-attacks. It's a tactic that turns defense into offense, built on the principle that the best defense is a good offense."

"Early in the season, Mostar Zrinjski used this tactic several times, and now they're using it again to put Sarajevo in a difficult position."

"And this is not good news! In the Bosnia and Herzegovina league, where the overall tempo is slower and teams often lack ball-playing center-backs, if this style of play takes root, it would be a massive earthquake for the entire league!"

"So, can they succeed?"

On the pitch, after winning the ball, Suk didn't immediately launch a counter-attack. Seeing the opposing defenders tracking back into position, Suk passed the ball back to Modric and returned to his position on the wing.

Meanwhile, the full-back, Kerpic, was also eager to make a forward run at any moment.

But Modric had a more direct idea.

He made eye contact with Suk and gave a slight nod toward the opponent's penalty area.

'Take him on!'

Suk understood immediately.

After Modric shook off the defender pressing him, he used his left foot to thread the ball into the gap between the full-back and the center-back.

Suk took off at that exact moment.

Suk and the opposing full-back, Jorijac, started running at the same time.

But Suk's Speed and Explosive Power were clearly superior, and he pulled half a body length ahead in just a few steps.

Seeing the situation was bad, Jorijac immediately reached out a hand to pull Suk back.

But just then, Suk squeezed toward the center.

Jorijac's outstretched hand was pushed back, and his footwork fell into disarray. At that moment, Suk adjusted his footing and burst forward again with another sprint.

This second burst of acceleration left Jorijac completely behind.

"He left him behind again?!!"

Basodachi's jaw dropped slightly.

The Bosnia and Herzegovina National Team might not be a powerhouse, but he's a national team player, after all!

Jorijac had been a starting national player for many years and played for the national team; his own ability was beyond question.

But now, he had been beaten by Suk twice in a row.

Suk's performance was even better than expected.

Even Suk himself hadn't expected that a simple shove would actually work.

He had been prepared to be knocked over.

Having shaken off Jorijac, Mostar Zrinjski's attack once again created a crisis for the opposition.

Kosopech and Billiar had already moved into supporting positions.

Modric had also followed up the play.

Suk was near the byline on the left side, drawing the attention of Sarajevo's captain, Ivan Krich.

He saw that Kosopech and Billiar's positions were both blocked.

Suk's only option was to pass to Modric.

Just as he turned his body, Ivan Krich suddenly lunged forward to make an interception.

Suk's heart skipped a beat, but his reaction was incredibly fast. The foot he had been about to use for the pass instead gently tapped the ball forward.

"A feint?!!"

Ivan Krich panicked. He scrambled toward the goal, while the goalkeeper also rushed out toward Suk.

At that moment, Suk adjusted his feet, trapping the ball with his left foot and pulling it back.

The opposing goalkeeper dove at empty air, and at the same time, Suk flicked the ball diagonally backward with his right foot.

The ball landed perfectly in front of Modric.

Facing an open goal, Modric unleashed a furious shot.

SWISH!!!

The ball hit the back of the net!

As the ball went in, the over 10,000 Sarajevo fans in the stadium fell instantly silent.

'They conceded a goal?'

'How did they concede a goal?'

Even now, they couldn't believe they had conceded.

But soon, the commentator Basodachi's excited roar echoed throughout the stadium.

"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!!—"

"A goal from the Croatian genius, Luka Modric! This was a brilliant counter-attack by Mostar Zrinjski, born from an excellent midfield press."

"Suk used his speed to dominate Jorijac on the wing and then, near the byline, used a series of feints to throw the entire defensive line into chaos. Suk was so calm—that's the kind of mentality a top player needs."

"Mostar Zrinjski scores an away goal!"

"In this match, HSK has shown us a different style of play. With their performance, they're telling everyone that this time, they've come for revenge!"