Chapter 82 - 80: The Battle for the Championship

Chapter 82: Chapter 80: The Battle for the Championship

Be?i? turned his gaze back to Suk.

Suk was sitting on the grass, going through various stretching routines.

Once Modric joined Suk, the two began a game of keep-ups, passing the ball back and forth without letting it touch the ground.

Both of them had an exceptional feel for the ball.

Every touch to control the ball, every pass, was weighted perfectly.

And there was no sense of tension; their movements were completely natural and relaxed.

After about ten consecutive passes, Suk suddenly let out a shout.

"Captain!"

Suk swung his right foot hard toward the ball. Kosopech, who was in front of him, instinctively crouched down, preparing to head it.

But Suk’s right foot feinted over the ball. He spun around, used the toe of his standing foot to flick the ball back into the air, and then started juggling it while pointing and laughing at the startled Kosopech.

Kosopech didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He gave Suk a familiar gesture before turning back to his own warm-up drills.

"The atmosphere is great!"

Be?i? watched Mostar Zrinjski’s warm-up and couldn’t help but nod slightly.

In the tense pre-match atmosphere, if things stayed too wound up, it could affect their performance—or at the very least, delay how long it took them to get into the game after kickoff.

So, creating some laughter to ease the tension was very important.

Suk wasn’t nervous at all. You could tell from that completely natural and skillful move he just pulled that both his body and mind were wide open and relaxed.

This also rid Mostar Zrinjski of any sense of stiffness before the big match.

In contrast, the Sarajevo Railway Workers on the other side looked a bit rigid.

Their entire warm-up was by the book, and with the coaches constantly urging and shouting at them, the atmosphere grew even more tense.

Be?i? saw Bosschenoqi warming up with headers.

After running a few steps, jumping slightly, and leaning back for a header—repeating the sequence several times—Bosschenoqi then joined a game of rondo.

Be?i? shook his head slightly as he watched their warm-up process.

In his opinion, a warm-up should be just that: a warm-up. The main purpose was to activate the body’s functions and stretch, with the goal of preventing injuries.

A final review of tactics would be enough.

An excessive warm-up only adds to the burden, while an insufficient one can easily lead to injuries.

Everything had to be done in moderation.

Just then, the players began to return to the tunnel.

Clearly, it was time to take the field.

Jirinsky Stadium also began to liven up.

In the left-side stands, a simple TIFO was raised.

It wasn’t the stunning spectacle of a top-tier TIFO show from Europe’s Five Major Leagues, but a simple and modest one.

A team photo was pasted on it, giving it a somewhat heartwarming feel.

Evidently, the Mostar fans had also made some preparations for this match.

Although it wasn’t particularly intimidating, it still gave Suk and the other players a measure of encouragement.

In the player tunnel, both teams’ players were already in position.

Suk glanced over at the Sarajevo Railway Workers. The other team’s center-back, Vulic, turned to look at him at the same moment, and their eyes met.

Vulic grinned.

Suk, however, turned his head away and tutted in annoyance.

In their last showdown, Vulic had severely restricted Suk at the Sarajevo Railway Workers’ home stadium.

Back then, Suk had been knocked around for the entire half, leaving him looking utterly battered.

Although Suk eventually found an open space and scored a diving header while unmarked, his overall performance in that match had been rather poor.

And Vulic was undoubtedly the main reason for Suk’s terrible performance.

But now, more than half a year later, Suk had not only grown taller, but his strength had also improved considerably.

’I think I can just about withstand a physical challenge now.’

’That’s the key!’

’Just you wait!’

Suk swore to himself.

On the other side, Vulic also turned his head, but his expression was not relaxed.

He had watched recordings of Suk’s recent matches.

’I have to admit, this kid’s growth is astonishing.’

’He single-handedly threw Sarajevo’s back line into chaos, and you can see from the tapes that his ability to handle physical contact has clearly improved.’

’He’s not that little bean sprout who would fall over at the slightest touch anymore.’

’He might still stumble, but now he can just about hold his ground.’

’This is a real headache.’

After all, the last time they targeted Suk, they had relied mostly on physical pressure.

’If physical pressure doesn’t work, his threat will increase dramatically with his quick feet and Dribbling ability.’

Vulic knew he needed to be more careful.

Soon, amidst the shouts of the stadium announcer, the players from both teams walked onto the pitch.

After the captains’ coin toss, Mostar Zrinjski kicked off first.

The head referee’s whistle blew.

The final match to decide the champion of the 2002/2003 Bosnia and Herzegovina Super League had begun!

"...Mostar Zrinjski is patiently passing the ball around in the back; they’re in no hurry to attack."

"Modric passes the ball to Suk, who has pulled out wide. Facing pressure from the opposing full-back, Suk immediately passes it back, not giving him a chance for a direct confrontation!"

"The ball is back at Modric’s feet. Mostar Zrinjski is advancing step by step..."

On the field, Mostar Zrinjski maintained possession, constantly stretching the Sarajevo Railway Workers’ defensive line with their movement and passing.

They didn’t rush their attacks, but instead patiently circulated the ball.

However, during a forward run, Camnal was pressed by an opponent. Sarajevo’s number 10, Vukocic, made the tackle and began dribbling the ball forward.

"A chance for the Sarajevo Railway Workers! They’re on the counter-attack!"

Vukocic looked up, wanting to find a teammate making a run forward.

But Mostar Zrinjski had sealed off the space behind their defense, giving him no opportunity for a through ball.

At the same time, he looked for Mejic with a short pass, but Modric was sharp and cut off the passing lane.

Vukocic couldn’t make the pass immediately.

Soon, he was pressed by an opponent from the side.

Suk sprinted back with all his might, beginning to pressure Vukocic from the flank.

Vukocic extended an arm to hold Suk off and maintain distance, but Suk ducked low and kept trying to get inside.

’So damn annoying!’

Vukocic felt like his hand was about to rest on Suk’s head.

He knew very well that if he gave even a slight push, Suk would immediately go down.

Helpless, he could only retract his arm, but in doing so, he faced even more intense pressure from Suk.

Suk relentlessly shadowed Vukocic, just waiting for him to make a mistake. But Vukocic’s fundamentals were solid, and Suk hadn’t applied enough pressure to force an error.

But just then, Vukocic’s body suddenly lurched to one side.

It felt as if his right arm had been hit hard, knocking his body off balance.

He turned his head and saw that it was Camnal, the very player who had lost the ball earlier!

’Nice!’

Suk shouted internally, immediately following up with his feet to pull the ball in front of him.

Seeing that he’d lost possession, Vukocic immediately lunged back to reclaim it.

Suk knocked the ball sideways.

Vukocic thought Suk was going to pass it back and quickly moved to intercept.

But at that moment, Suk cut the ball back with his foot, shaking him off.

"A beautiful feint!"

The commentator, Basodachi, exclaimed in admiration.

Suk’s feint was textbook. His body posture opened up, and he executed a clear shoulder drop to create the deception. His cutback and subsequent acceleration were also incredibly quick.

The entire sequence of moves was as smooth as flowing water, allowing him to break free.

Just a few seconds after the Sarajevo Railway Workers had won the ball, Mostar Zrinjski won it right back, thanks to the coordinated effort of Suk and Camnal.

"Very proactive running!"

In the stands, Be?i? smiled and applauded.

It wasn’t just for the feint that beat the man, but more for the decision to actively track back and press.

However, Suk’s performance was just getting started...

At the 11-minute mark, Mostar Zrinjski faced intense pressure on the left wing.

Their previously stable passing rhythm was instantly disrupted. Modric, Kosopech, and Kerpic, who had made a forward run, were all scrambling to handle the ball.

From a distance, Billiar also looked anxiously toward that area of the pitch.

Trapped between two defenders, Modric made a series of quick touches to change direction and squeezed out from between them.

But he was already stumbling and could fall at any moment.

Just then, Suk created an opening for himself near the sideline, but he was being marked tightly by a full-back.

"Pass it here!"

Suk shouted immediately.

Modric couldn’t worry about the details. If he lost the ball, they would likely face a counter-attack.

Modric used the last of his strength to pass the ball away, then immediately tumbled to the ground.

At the same time, as Suk watched Modric’s pass, he and the Sarajevo Railway Workers’ full-back, Chelotic, both took off.

Suk, thanks to his Explosive Power, reached the ball first, with Chelotic arriving right after.

The moment he saw Suk control the ball, Chelotic immediately charged forward to challenge him.

At that instant, Suk made a small hop. He didn’t plant his feet, but instead let his body go slightly airborne, using the opponent’s momentum to take a small step forward.

"Suk! He held him off!"

The commentator, Basodachi, cried out in surprise.

He had seen Suk get knocked down so many times that seeing him withstand the challenge this time was a huge and pleasant surprise.

"He must have absorbed the force!"

Be?i? corrected him. "It’s a common technique in the professional leagues for absorbing impact. You make a small jump when you’re about to be hit, letting your body go airborne to dissipate the force so your center of gravity isn’t thrown off."

On the pitch, after steadying his balance, Suk immediately played a long switch.

The ball traveled across the pitch, moving from a congested area of defense to Billiar on the opposite flank.

Billiar controlled it with ease and passed the ball back again.

After facing heavy pressure in the attacking third, Mostar Zrinjski didn’t lose the ball. Instead, thanks to the individual skill of Modric and Suk, they kept possession and successfully switched the play.