March 21st, Zagreb, Croatia – National Training Center
The Croatian national team was undergoing pre-match training.
The scene was packed with reporters from around the world—not only local Croatian journalists, but also many from major sports media outlets in the UK, Italy, Germany, and beyond.
With the rise of the new generation of Croatian players in Europe's top five leagues, the Croatian national team had gained renewed vitality.
After the retirement of players like Davor Šuker, Croatia had fallen into a long slump—its once-proud Eastern European iron cavalry seemed to regress into a second-tier European side, even heading toward obscurity.
If not for the resurgence of stars like Šuker and Modrić, Croatia might have faded completely from relevance.
Journalists on the sidelines buzzed with lively discussion.
"It's so lively today!"
"Of course it is! Milan's leading striker, Manchester United's midfield brain, Lyon's defensive wall, Dortmund's battering ram, Inter Milan's starting left-back… these guys are now the backbone of some of Europe's strongest clubs!"(Stack AF)
Pride filled the hearts of Croatian reporters as they puffed out their chests. In a country short on resources, football was their one shining export.
The emergence of players like Šuker had sparked a "Croatia craze" across Europe.
Especially as Šuker, Modrić, Mandžukić, and Vukojević began to shine in Europe, others like Šimić and Šimunić also gained attention, paving the way for transfers to top clubs.
At the end of this season, a new generation of players from "Dinamo Zagreb 2.0" would soon arrive on the stage of Europe's top leagues.
Among them was Rakitić, who was already set to transfer.
It was rumored that his transfer was finalized—after this season, Rakitić would join Bundesliga powerhouse Schalke 04.
"You're going to Schalke 04?"
Modrić looked at Rakitić with a smile and joked:
"You and Mario are about to become derby rivals. You guys gonna watch fireworks together?"
"Fireworks, my ass! If they dare watch fireworks together, the fans will skin them alive after the match!"
The Revierderby between Schalke 04 and Dortmund wasn't as polite as the Milan derby—it often erupted in outright conflict, with no shortage of sparks.
"Actually, I got other offers," Rakitić replied, "but I feel Schalke 04 suits me best—they promised me a starting role."
He glanced at Mandžukić as he spoke.
Rakitić was no longer the arrogant brat he once was.
He clearly understood his current abilities, and that he wasn't yet at the level of stars like Šuker or Modrić.
If he went straight to a top club, he might rot on the bench like Srna, wasting precious years.
Rakitić was in a hurry.
He wanted to catch up to the top talents and knew he had to progress step by step. You can't become a star overnight.
"The Bundesliga's good. You two can team up to beat Bayern," joked Srna.
"And then get poached by Bayern and both end up at the Allianz?" Šuker teased.
Bayern Munich was notorious for this kind of behavior—poaching talent from within the league. Thɪs chapter is updated by novel fire.net
Rakitić gave Mandžukić another look.
"Why the hell do you keep staring at me?!" Mandžukić finally snapped.
Dujmović, trying to stifle a laugh, muttered:
"He wants to do you!"
Pfft!The others burst into laughter.
"Little punk! In the derby, I'm breaking your damn legs!"
Rakitić wasn't intimidated in the slightest.
"We'll see who takes down who!"
He was still the same confident, slightly smug Rakitić.
Over the past half-season, this group of Croatian players had changed dramatically.
But none more than Dujmović.
In a training match, Dujmović scored a thunderous long-range shot from nearly 30 meters out past Subašić.
"Holy crap?" Šuker was stunned. It was a true world-class goal.
"Lucky shot," Mandžukić grumbled.
Ten minutes later, Dujmović replicated the feat with another rocket from about 20 meters—this time it didn't even touch the ground.
"Holy crap!!" Šuker was even more shocked.
Dujmović looked smug—almost as if to say, starting spot secured.
Then, as the match ended, Dujmović scored again—this time a stunning lob from midfield, completing a hat trick.
"HOLY SH*T!!! TOMI! YOU BEAST!!" Šuker yelled.
Once is luck. Twice is a coincidence. Three times? That's skill.
Dujmović's hard work on long shots had finally paid off.
This guy was a monster.
"You're off!" coach Van Stoyak called, subbing him out.
"Sit and rest. Maintain your form."
Dujmović's performance made the coach overjoyed.
In the upcoming match against North Macedonia—who were clearly going to "park the bus"—he'd been worried about ways to break through.
Now it seemed a solution had fallen into his lap.
Dujmović might just be the secret weapon.
With Šuker's breakthroughs drawing fouls and creating set-pieces, Croatia had a great chance of winning.
The team continued their training routines in the final days.
Croatia was in excellent shape to qualify from the Euro Cup qualifying rounds.
Of course, the rest of the year would bring new challenges, but as long as there were no major injuries, everything looked promising.
The players' form was getting better and better.
March 23rd – The Day Before the Match
National team coach Bilić gave a televised interview.
In it, he emphasized:
"Our qualifying position is excellent, but that's no reason to get complacent. We must still play every match to win and earn a place at next year's European Championship!"
"It's been too long since Croatia achieved great results on the international stage. This is our trial, our challenge!"
"As coach, I must have confidence—and that confidence comes from my players!"
Croatian fans agreed wholeheartedly.
Their team's performance this year had been fantastic.
Meanwhile, North Macedonia had arrived early in Zagreb for acclimatization training.
Their morale was high.
In their last three games, they'd gone 1-1-1—drawing England away, beating Andorra at home, and narrowly losing to Russia (thanks to a late, fluky Arshavin goal).
North Macedonia had exceeded expectations—and even had a shot at qualifying for the Euro.
All they needed now was a draw.
Facing the toughest team in the group—Croatia—they knew it would be hard.
But they would play defensively, wait for opportunities, and use counterattacks to try to score.
Even against Croatia's new generation of stars, they had the courage to fight—and maybe even win.