Luzhniki Stadium, the venue for the match between Portugal and Croatia.
This match is important for both sides, and there are even rumors that Croatia's top leaders are on-site to oversee the game.
It can be said that Modric led the Croatians on a different mission, which made them play like they were on steroids from the very beginning, constantly pressing high up the pitch.
Faced with Croatia's tireless style of play, Portugal wasn't foolish; they chose to temporarily avoid direct confrontation to prevent excessive player losses in the chaos.
This time, Portugal opted for a more efficient style of play, using long balls and crosses, and refusing to engage in ground battles.
Croatia seemed helpless in the face of such an unreasonable Portuguese team.
At this moment, Croatia launched an attack, and Modric seemed somewhat hesitant after receiving a pass from a player in the backfield.
Normally at the club, he could always find the perfect space for his teammates to receive the ball, but now he found that Portugal's deliberately crowded backfield had no space at all.
However, to be honest, even he himself lacked confidence when facing that Chinese-American goalkeeper, which allowed him to take a long-range shot.
He had two long-range shooting opportunities early in the game, but honestly, it would have been better if he hadn't shot at all.
Almost every long-range shot was caught securely by the opposing goalkeeper, making him feel like he wasn't shooting but rather passing the ball to the goalkeeper.
Throughout the first half, Portugal showed little offensive desire, adopting a purely defensive posture against Croatia, which made the game extremely difficult for them.
During halftime, various platforms began providing analysis:
"This is not the first time Portugal has used defensive tactics. It can be said that from the beginning, it seemed that the Croatians were in control of the tempo, but in fact, it was the Portuguese team that was in control of the tempo the whole time."
"That's right, they're using less energy, simpler attacking tactics, and more efficient defense to wear down Croatia. I can already imagine what the second half will be like!"
"Throughout the first half, Ronaldo's performance was clearly under pressure. His off-the-ball movement was reduced to a very small range. Not only that, but he also charged forward less often and actively dropped back to help the team defend. It felt like the calm before the storm."
"Yes, Ronaldo is definitely not willing to let the team stop in this game. He must be very eager to attack, but he should also understand how the team should attack. A striker who can both attack and defend is a truly good striker."
"However, on the other hand, with Reming on the team, even if Portugal keeps holding on to a 0-0 draw, it's not necessarily a bad thing. After all, we all know that Reming is best at defending penalties. Here's some data from his debut: in the two seasons since his debut, whether in Ligue 1 or the Premier League, he has only managed to score 6 penalties against Reming. That's an absolutely astonishing statistic."
"Yes, penalties are where Lei Ming dominates. I dare say the Croatians must be very anxious right now, because they can't possibly be unaware of Lei Ming's prowess in defending penalties."
Indeed, as netizens have pointed out, the Croatians were quite restless in the locker room, and the players were listening attentively to the head coach's advice, hoping to make changes in the second half.
As for dragging the game to a penalty shootout? Don't be ridiculous. Almost everyone here knows how good that guy is at defending penalties.
It's not just them; almost every team now recognizes the Thunder's uniqueness.
In the second half, Croatia had no options other than continuing to attack.
Soon, the second half began with both sides switching sides. As most people expected, the Croatians continued to control the tempo of the game. Apart from passing the ball around in their own half, the Portuguese team almost always pushed the ball forward and gave up possession. However, even though they gave the tempo to their opponents, the Croatians were still having a hard time.
Because they always seem hesitant and indecisive when attacking. If they go all out and push forward, there will definitely be large gaps behind them waiting for Ronaldo to deliver the blow. But if they don't go all out and push forward, their numbers are insufficient against Portugal's defense, and they can't make any waves at all.
As time ticked away, the Croatians finally couldn't hold back any longer after the 70th minute of the match.
Modric dropped back to receive the ball, and the midfielders pushed forward in large numbers. At this point, Modric no longer cared about his footwork; he just passed the ball to whichever player in white had the most of them. Whether he could win the ball or not depended on luck!
It's dangerous when a team relies on luck for their attack. The Croatian didn't get to the ball first; instead, it was won by Pereira after being alerted by Reming. Pereira didn't hesitate for a moment and passed the ball to Fonte, who was in a more open position.
Facing the incoming ball, Fonte, without stopping it, launched a long ball towards the left flank of the attacking third.
At this moment, because Ronaldo was being defended by two opposing players on the right wing, the left wing was left wide open. Mario, who had been lying in wait, seized the opportunity and moved into position.
When he received the ball, there was almost no open space in front of him, which forced the Croatian defenders, who focused on defending the right flank, to send one of their players to intercept him. But Mario wasn't stupid; before the opponent even arrived, he had already sent the ball to another open space.
In that position was Portugal's number 17 player, Grede. Faced with such an opportunity, the young player did not dare to volley directly, but after receiving the ball, he quickly adjusted his position and then pushed the ball into the air.
Croatian goalkeeper Subasic anticipated the opponent's shot, but the gap in the box was too large, leaving him no time to make a save. He could only watch helplessly as the ball nestled into the net at a relatively slow speed.
“gooooooooooooooal!!!!”
1:0
"In the 71st minute of the match, the deadlock was finally broken by Portugal. We saw that Portugal's attack was efficient and accurate, a typical textbook example of a defensive counter-attack."
"Although the Croatians assigned two players to defend Ronaldo in this match, it also gave other Portuguese players a lot of opportunities. I believe any player who knows how to play can score a goal like that!"
Fortunately, Greid didn't disappoint, managing to put the ball in with steady footwork. I have to say, kid, you're good, you've got a lot going for you!"
Greald's goal finally ignited the passion of the fans in the stadium, and many fans who supported the Portuguese team couldn't help but cheer.
Portugal, with a goal in hand, is more formidable than any other team!
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