Chapter 55 - 53: The Suffocating Pressing Tempo

"Modric! The genius midfielder from Croatia. His performance in this match has been phenomenal!"

"He scored two goals all by himself, putting Sarajevo in an extremely passive position."

The fans in the stadium and the commentators were focused on the goal-scoring performance.

But for the head coaches of both teams, while Modric's performance was certainly outstanding, the number 99, Suk, was just as troublesome.

Sarajevo's Head Coach, Laxovich, wore an incredibly grim expression.

Their passing from the midfield to the back line was having major problems.

Facing Mostar Zrinjski's high press, their overall performance was extremely sluggish.

The abilities of both Tolister and Meškapeci were undeniable.

But they were completely unable to adapt to such intense pressure and the rapid tempo of interceptions and challenges.

This was the biggest problem in the match.

The key was figuring out how to relieve the pressure on Tolister and Meškapeci, and how to create forward passing lanes for them.

The Sarajevo head coach, Laxovich, shot to his feet. He yelled toward the field, "Tiremanqi, Jakovovich, you two wingers need to drop back to receive the ball! Create some passing space for the midfield!"

Hearing the opposing head coach's shouts, Van Stiake glanced at the other team's bench and thought to himself:

'He reacted pretty quickly.'

But they were already leading by two goals; the advantage was in their hands.

However, there were also some problems.

Namely, their stamina was starting to decline.

The high press was a tactic that demanded immense stamina, requiring players to run and press relentlessly.

By now, the other players were starting to get winded, and even Suk's and Modric's running speed had slowed.

Van Stiake also stood up and shouted, "Everyone fall back! From now on, we defend!"

With their stamina dropping, the key was to protect their lead and carry the advantage into the second half.

Mostar Zrinjski began to fall back, focusing on defense and tightening their defensive line.

At the same time, Sarajevo was finally able to move the ball out smoothly.

Now, Sarajevo was feeling incredibly anxious. They had to score.

They had to score at least one goal, or they would be in a far too passive position in the second half.

Once Tolister and Meškapeci were freed up, the two gradually started to make an impact, constantly distributing the ball to the wings and organizing the attack together.

Tolister would also make forward runs from time to time. But more often than not, they had to build their plays around the tall center forward, Suq Bazhi.

The clock ticked past the 43rd minute.

Only two minutes remained before the end of the first half.

At this point, Mostar Zrinjski's stamina had also severely declined. They were finding it very difficult to play, especially being under a constant barrage from the opposition in these final moments.

Football is sometimes like a turn-based game.

After one team launches a fierce attack, they need to regroup, and that's when the other team, driven by anxiety, enters its own state of frenzied attack.

This was exactly the situation Sarajevo was in now.

They were squeezing out every last ounce of stamina to claw one goal back before the first half ended.

Meškapeci and Tolister used a one-two pass to finally break through Mostar Zrinjski's back line. When the ball reached Tolister's feet, the guy showed no intention of passing. Instead, he took the ball and sprinted straight forward, looking like he was about to charge the defense.

Mashovich and Hajdari were both retreating.

But seeing Tolister getting closer and closer, Hajdari decided they couldn't fall back any further.

"I've got him!"

Hajdari roared, turned, and charged forward.

But just then, Tolister suddenly chipped the ball. It sailed over the two center-backs, flying toward the space behind them.

At the same time, Suq Bazhi timed his forward run perfectly, met the descending ball, and went straight for a sliding shot.

The ball slipped past the ankles of Mostar Zrinjski's goalkeeper, Kish, and into the goal.

PANT! PANT! PANT! PANT!

Suq Bazhi was breathing heavily. He looked up and saw the ball hit the back of the net, and his heart felt like it had been struck by a heavy blow.

Suq Bazhi rolled over and sprang to his feet, roaring fiercely toward the stands to release his pent-up pressure.

ROOOOAR!

"Goal!! Suq Bazhi! He seized the one chance for a sliding shot and helped his team pull one back."

"In the final stage of the first half, Sarajevo has clawed one back! They've kept their hopes alive!"

On the Mostar Zrinjski side, watching the ball go into the net, they could only shake their heads helplessly.

For this goal, it was less about how well Suq Bazhi shot and more about how well Tolister passed.

Both the timing and the placement of the pass were absolutely perfect.

Of course, Suq Bazhi also deserves credit for being able to put the ball in the back of the net.

In the final moments of the first half, Sarajevo had finally, arduously, pulled a goal back.

And soon after this goal, the match went into halftime.

The Sarajevo players walked off the field, every one of them panting like an ox.

Although the Mostar Zrinjski players were also tired, they were the attacking side, so their stamina consumption was slightly less than the defending side's.

After all, the defending side bore the pressure of defending, so their stamina consumption was inevitably greater.

If the Mostar Zrinjski players were this exhausted, one could only imagine the state Sarajevo was in.

Back in the locker room, the Sarajevo players plopped onto the floor one by one.

"Damn it! How are these guys so hard to play against?"

"Kosopech is just a decoy. Modric and Suk are their biggest threats."

"It's so hard for us to get the ball out from the back. Their pressing is just too intense."

"The two wingers need to drop back at the right times to create some space for the midfield to pass."

Everyone was talking at once, but inside, they were all incredibly anxious.

The first half was already so difficult. What were they going to do in the second half?

Suq Bazhi lay on the floor, sweat constantly trickling down his forehead.

This was the most exhausting match he had ever played.

He had made too many fruitless runs all game, but if he didn't run, he wouldn't get the ball.

He'd had a frustrating first half, feeling like he was being led around on a string.

Suq Bazhi had always been proud, but his performance in this match was unacceptable to him.

His performance wasn't good.

He had always considered himself the best among his peers, but based on this match's performance, the other team's number eight, Modric, and number ninety-nine, the other Suk—both of them had outshone him.

And those two had stood up to the midfield combination of Tolister and Meškapeci.

No!

They didn't just stand up to them; they suppressed them!

Suq Bazhi felt extremely frustrated just thinking about it.

He slowly got up, turned his head, and asked, "In the second half, can you guys create more opportunities for me to challenge for headers?"

He didn't want to be looked down on, and he certainly didn't want to be surpassed by these two players of the same age.

In response to Suq Bazhi's request, Tiremanqi waved his hand and said, "We'll try our best. Just getting the ball out is a problem, after all."

At this moment, he was feeling a bit pessimistic.

It was mainly because they were playing too passively and couldn't find a good solution or a counter-tactic.

It wasn't just them; even Sarajevo's coaching staff couldn't come up with a good idea.

The opponent's press was too ferocious!

It was like a suffocating rhythm, as if a hand was wrapped around their throats!

On the other side, the atmosphere in Mostar Zrinjski's locker room was much more relaxed.

Van Stiake praised the players for their first-half performance.

At the same time, he also pointed out some problems.

After summing things up, he said, "In the second half, we will continue to use this high-press tactic."

"Suk." Van Stiake looked at Suk and asked, "Can you still run in the second half?"

In the first half, Suk was by far the most active runner; his figure could be seen sprinting all over the field.

Suk immediately said, "No problem."

Seeing Suk's breathing steadying, Van Stiake nodded. "Good. If you can't keep it up, just let me know."

Suk nodded immediately.

'How could I not keep it up? I'm planning to unleash my ultimate move in the second half.'

Suk directly used a Status Recovery Card.

In an instant, a cool sensation washed over him, and all his fatigue was swept away.

His stamina and condition returned to their peak.

Suk couldn't help but lick his lips. The second half was his time to shine.

"Sarajevo was extremely passive for the entire first half. Faced with Mostar Zrinjski's high press, they looked very uncomfortable. Even though they managed to pull a goal back at the very end of the half, I don't know if Sarajevo is aware that the second-half Mostar Zrinjski is the most difficult to deal with!"

Because of his connection to Suk, Basodachi was paying close attention to Mostar Zrinjski.

He had also seen some very interesting data: Mostar Zrinjski's attacks tend to become even more ferocious in the second half.

When their opponents' stamina is severely depleted, Mostar Zrinjski is able to use Suk's and Modric's abundant energy to constantly assault the defensive line and completely kill any suspense in the match.

Therefore, he was very much looking forward to seeing if Mostar Zrinjski's performance in the second half would match the data.

The halftime break ended.

The players from both teams returned to the field.

Suk came out bouncing and skipping, occasionally doing an explosive jump, just like a pre-game warmup to get his body fired up.

This left the Sarajevo players completely shocked.

Their stamina was almost completely depleted, but this little pipsqueak in front of them was still jumping around, looking as if he hadn't lost any energy at all.

Just how much stamina did this guy have?

Or rather, what was the deal with his energy level!

Suk's actions right from the start put immense psychological pressure on the opponents.

In a high-intensity match like this, any small detail could be infinitely magnified, let alone Suk's wide-open, explosive warmup movements.

After getting into position in their own half, Suk turned to Modric and said, "After the match starts, I'm going to make a charge. You follow up when it's appropriate."

Modric's stamina consumption had also been significant. No matter how inhuman his recovery speed was, it couldn't compare to Suk's.

Because of this, Suk told Modric to provide support as needed, while he himself prepared to charge forward and cause chaos right from the kickoff.