The match ended, and Dinamo Zagreb successfully advanced to the second round of the Champions League qualifiers.
As today marked the final day of the first-round qualifiers, the 14 teams that had advanced were now confirmed.
At the same time, another 14 teams were entering the second round.
On television, the draw ceremony for the second round of the Champions League qualifiers was being broadcast live.
Suker and the others watched the screen nervously.
The second round would see a significant increase in competition level.
Top clubs from various leagues—Shakhtar Donetsk from Ukraine, Red Star Belgrade from Serbia, CSKA Moscow from Russia, Club Brugge from Belgium, and FC Copenhagen from Denmark—were joining the fray.
Everyone watched intently as the draw continued on screen.
They hoped for a favorable matchup.
When it came to the fourth draw of the round, Dinamo Zagreb's name appeared.
Srna shouted, and everyone tensed up. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on novel•fire.net
They desperately wanted a good draw.
The next second, a red and white emblem appeared—Red Star Belgrade.
Everyone's face changed.
The Serbian side, Red Star Belgrade!
"Oh, crap! Why them?!"
"The worst draw! Absolutely the worst!"
"Red Star Belgrade... this is going to be a tough match."
Clearly, they were deeply troubled by this opponent.
Meanwhile, over at Red Star Belgrade...
When they saw they had drawn Dinamo Zagreb, they looked like they had just swallowed a fly.
"What kind of crap draw is this? Out of all the first-round teams, we get the most troublesome one?"
"Dinamo Zagreb is strong this season!"
"We played them in a preseason friendly last season—we've seen their strength."
"Now that Vidic is gone, who's going to stop Suker?"
"Once that guy starts running, it's a nightmare!"
The Red Star players were also feeling the pressure.
Their luck had truly been awful.
Out of 14 potential opponents, they ended up with the strongest one!
More importantly, this match wasn't just a club battle—it came with national implications.
Serbia and Croatia had a long history of national conflict!
At this moment, the club match might well escalate to a political and ethnic level.
Whoever loses could face serious consequences!
Especially for Red Star Belgrade—they had lost several key players this season, recently changed coaches, and their new tactics weren't fully adapted yet.
The whole team was in a state of instability.
By contrast, the young guns at Dinamo Zagreb had already torn through their domestic league multiple times.
They were clearly a tough opponent.
Dinamo Zagreb vs. Red Star Belgrade was now the highlight match of the second round of Champions League qualifiers.
With the draw complete, nothing could be changed.
As difficult as it was, Dinamo Zagreb had to stay focused and win.
Back at the club, they began preparing for the third round of the league.
Given that they were fighting on two fronts now...
Besic planned to rotate the squad in the league.
This way, the main players could rest while giving the substitutes valuable experience.
The bench players got more minutes, and the starters rested in preparation for the Champions League.
That was Besic's plan.
Rakitić made his first start on his 17th birthday.
Starting in just the third league round, and Besic had no objections.
Suker and the others had all been thrown into high-pressure games from a young age and improved match by match.
Besic didn't want these youngsters to be greenhouse flowers, pampered and protected.
He believed in hardening them with the toughest challenges and biggest pressure—that's how they would grow.
That said, Rakitić's environment was relatively safe.
With Suker leading the line and Modrić distracting defenders on the side, he didn't have to carry the team.
During the match, Rakitić performed quite well.
His task was to work with Valjevic to create attacking threats from the right flank.
Although most of Dinamo Zagreb's attacks traditionally came from the left wing, Besic wanted to develop the right side too.
Rakitić was key to that strategy.
He was active, frequently attempting dribbles and take-ons from the flank.
Though not as efficient as Suker, he still managed to deliver an assist with Valjevic's help.
"Hey! Mario, that header was brilliant!"
Rakitić ran over, praised him, then looked at Mandžukić with anticipation.
Mandžukić nodded, "Yeah, my header was pretty great."
Rakitić blinked, "Right, and then?"
Mandžukić added, "My timing on the jump was perfect too!"
Rakitić kept looking at him expectantly.
Mandžukić grinned, "I jumped while holding off two defenders—man, I'm awesome!"
Suker, passing by, burst out laughing.
Rakitić had wanted some praise, but Mandžukić was just full of self-love.
Their conversation was totally disconnected.
Rakitić eventually walked off in disappointment.
He looked like he no longer wanted to pass the ball to Mandžukić.
"That kid wants me to praise him? With that personality of his, one compliment and his nose will point to the sky. No way I'm giving him that."
Suker looked at Mandžukić, astonished.
"You actually realize that?"
Mandžukić replied, "I'm not stupid!"
"Dinamo Zagreb scores again! Just as Šibenik had managed to equalize, they're now behind once more!"
"Currently it's Dinamo Zagreb 2–1 Šibenik, with a crucial goal by Mandžukić giving the team the lead again."
Fifteen minutes later, as the match neared its end...
Suker, Modrić, Dujmović, and the advancing Srna combined with a series of passes and runs to tear open Šibenik's defense again. Modrić slotted in a low shot to score.
In the end, Dinamo Zagreb defeated Šibenik 3–1.
They had won their first three matches of the season.
Suker, Modrić, and Mandžukić each scored a goal.
Modrić was named the man of the match for his excellent midfield control and attacking contributions.
"Luka's getting better and better."
Assistant coach Kleiman praised.
Last season, Modrić often looked like he was just keeping up with Suker.
While not bad, he couldn't compare to Suker.
But this season, both were excelling.
In just three matches, Modrić had two goals and four assists—second only to Suker in attacking contributions.
Besic looked at Modrić with satisfaction.
After Suker's transformation, Modrić had also grown significantly.
He was now the true playmaker of Dinamo Zagreb.
After this match, it was time to prepare for the Champions League qualifier again.
Against Red Star Belgrade.
A team that had once dominated the Balkans—and even Europe.
If not for years of political turmoil, Red Star wouldn't have fallen so far.
But even now, a "skinny camel is still bigger than a horse."
They couldn't be underestimated.
"Red Star has two very capable fullbacks—Luković and Marian Marković. Luković has excellent positioning and a strong build, making it hard to exploit the space behind him. Marković is shorter—170cm—but very agile."
"Of course, the one marking Suker will be left-back Luković!"
Suker nodded confidently. Against tall, clunky fullbacks, he had all kinds of ways to toy with them.
"In midfield, their No.8 Janković is the brain of the team. He's aggressive and technically gifted, though sometimes a bit reckless."
Besic looked at Modrić, "Don't let him dictate the tempo."
Modrić nodded calmly.
He was confident in himself now—he wouldn't lose to any other midfielder.
"Finally, their center forward Žigić!"
"Two meters tall, 98 kilograms—he's their battering ram!"
The players' jaws dropped.
"With that kind of height, he naturally dominates in aerial duels."
"You must mark him well! Also, stop their wingers from crossing!"
Besic added firmly, "In the coming days, we'll focus on targeted training. Besides attacking from the left wing, others also need to work on their attacking game. If Suker gets shut down, the rest of you must step up!"
Last season, they relied heavily on Suker's offense.
Whether or not he scored often determined their win or loss.
But they all knew—if they depended too much on Suker, once he was tightly marked, their attack would suffer.
They needed to develop an alternative system.
That's why Dinamo Zagreb was now working on a central-axis playstyle.
Grestečić – Štimac – Modrić – Mandžukić!
Using the strength of this spine to break through defenses and find the goal.