After Paris Saint-Germain was removed from the list, I led England to victory!

During the UEFA Nations League matchday, England will play Croatia away.

Today, the night sky above the Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb was a sea of ​​red and white checkered patterns.

The Croatian fans' chant of "Lijepa naša domovino" (Our Beautiful Homeland) resonated throughout every corner of the stadium.

The England expeditionary force was also burning fiercely in the away stands.

The songs "God Save the Queen" and "Football's Coming Home" are intertwined.

They were trying to establish a foothold in the opponent's home field.

The UEFA Nations League group stage is now in its fourth round.

Although England have essentially secured the top spot in the group with three wins out of three.

But this contest, which concerns honor and revenge, is still full of tension.

The narrator's voice was broadcast to the world.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to Zagreb! The UEFA Nations League's highlight match: England visits Croatia!"

England are currently undefeated with three wins, leading their group and in a very good position to advance.

But in this match, they encountered a defensive crisis!

England's key left-back Luke Shaw and centre-back Harry Maguire are sidelined with injuries.

Southgate was forced to make changes, with Chilwell replacing Luke Shaw and Gomez partnering Stones at center-back!

The good news is that the two star forwards are in excellent form!

Rashford on the left wing has been involved in either a goal or an assist in his last five games!

And on the right wing, Yan Yuan! This 18-year-old superstar has already racked up 16 goals and 6 assists in 12 rounds of the Premier League this season! His €3 million market value, like his top spot on the scoring charts, is simply unshakeable!

The atmosphere in the players' tunnel was somber.

Modric walked at the front of the Croatian team, his eyes calm and composed.

Behind him are Rakitic, Perisic, Vida, Lovren... each name representing the resilience and talent of the Balkans.

In the England squad, Kane wore the captain's armband and looked solemn.

Yan Yuan stood behind him, his gaze sweeping across the opposite side before finally settling on Modric.

The two looked at each other and nodded to show respect.

"Beep—!"

With a long whistle from the referee, the fuse of the explosive barrel was lit!

Game start!

Croatia kicks off.

Playing at home, the Croatian team was in high spirits. With their strong midfield control, they tried to steer the game at their own pace.

Modric maintained his usual rhythm from the start, calmly receiving the ball and orchestrating play near the center circle.

Rakitic and Brozovic roamed around him, forming a solid triangular passing system.

However, England's tactical intentions in this match were extremely clear: lock down Modric! Focus on defense! Look for opportunities to counter-attack!

Tottenham's defensive midfielder Dier's task is to mark Modric closely.

As soon as Modric gets the ball, Dier immediately and aggressively presses up to defend him, using his strong body to interfere and collide with him, not giving him any time to turn around or observe!

Delph swam alongside Dale.

He is ready to cut off Modric's connection with Rakitic and Brozovic at any time.

The two of them formed a mobile meat grinder in midfield, making every pass and reception by Modric extremely difficult.

"As you can see, England's defense is very targeted! Dier and Delph have been very successful in limiting Modric! Modric is finding it difficult to comfortably receive the ball and organize play!" the commentator analyzed.

Croatia's attack was effectively contained, and they could only look for opportunities on the flanks.

Perisic attempted to break through Kyle Walker on the left wing, but Walker was experienced and defended solidly.

Rebic on the right flank was closely marked by Chilwell.

England's defense.

Gomez and Stones form the central defensive pairing, while Chilwell and Walker play as full-backs.

They maintained a tight formation.

The three lines were spaced reasonably far apart, not giving Croatia much room to penetrate.

On the offensive end, England also played a steady and methodical game.

Stones was the playmaker in the backfield, calmly distributing the ball to better positioned players like Dier or Delph, or making long passes to Rashford and Yan Yuan on the wings!

Southgate attempted to use the speed and individual skills of the two wingers to break through Croatia's defense.

Yan Yuan is on the right flank.

He was facing the defense of Croatian left-back Pivaric.

He attempted an inside cut, but Pivaric marked him closely. Instead of forcing a breakthrough, Yan Yuan passed the ball back to Walker, who was overlapping on the wing.

On the defensive end, Yan Yuan, with his stamina fully restored, seemed even more aggressive than in the previous matches.

During a Croatian counter-attack, Perisic dribbled down the left flank, and Yan Yuan chased back at high speed for nearly 30 meters from the forward position!

Near the sideline, he even had a head-to-head physical confrontation with Perisic!

The two men's shoulders collided violently!

"Bang!" A muffled sound.

Perisic stumbled, and the ball was knocked out of bounds.

Yan Yuan stood firmly, his eyes sharp.

In this confrontation, he was in no way at a disadvantage.

"Beautiful! Yan Yuan! Active defense! He's not afraid of Perisic at all! He contributes on both ends of the court! Although Yan Yuan plays as a forward, he never avoids physical contact and always maintains a positive attitude," the commentator exclaimed.

The game started off really dull.

Croatia had a slight advantage in possession, but England's defensive formation was solid and did not give their opponents any real chances.

Both sides are testing and adapting to the intensity of the match.

Fifteen minutes into the game, as the match progressed, the English players gradually adapted to the fervent atmosphere of Zagreb and the rhythm of Croatia.

Southgate made a gesture from the sidelines.

This signals to the team to increase their pressing intensity in the attacking third!

Everton midfielder Barkley is clearly positioned further forward.

He swept through the midfield like a vicious bulldog, harassing Croatia's defensive midfielder Brozovic and the backline!

His movement greatly disrupted Croatia's passing rhythm!

England captain Harry Kane has also increased the frequency with which he drops back to receive the ball.

He used his strong physique and excellent back-to-goal technique to act as a pivot between the opposing center-backs Vida and Lovren.

His retreat effectively drew the attention of the Croatian center-back.

Kane's retreat and Barkley's disruptive movement created enormous space on the right flank.

Yan Yuan did not disappoint his teammates' selfless cooperation, and began to receive the ball, hold it, and break through in the key area on the right side!

In the 21st minute, Walker received the ball in the backfield and, without hesitation, made a long pass to Yan Yuan, who was making a high-speed run down the right flank.

Yan Yuan turned around and controlled the ball with his chest, a smooth and steady movement!

The ball came steadily to my feet.

Facing the onrushing Pivaric, he gently pulled the ball outward with his right foot.

Pivaric's center of gravity was immediately shifted inwards!

Just as Pivaric's center of gravity shifted.

Yan Yuan stepped forward with his left foot, looping it around his right foot.

At the same time, he cleverly passed the ball from behind his left foot to his right foot, a very clever feint.

Then it bursts with an amazing startup speed!

He forced his way to the byline! In one move, he left Pivaric far behind!

"It's over! Yan Yuan! Down to the bottom!" the commentator shouted.

Yan Yuan dribbled the ball to the right side of the penalty area near the baseline.

Look up and observe.

Lovren had already come to cover and block the crossing lane, but Yan Yuan did not force a cross. Instead, he used the instep of his left foot to deliver a perfectly weighted triangular back pass.

The ball rolled quickly towards the penalty spot, hugging the grass.

Barkley arrived in a hurry.

He met the ball with his right foot and took a shot, but unfortunately, Brozovic blocked the shot with his body as he tracked back, missing a good opportunity.

In the 27th minute, England intercepted the ball in their own half, and Delph passed it to Barkley in the middle.

Barkley spotted an opening on the right flank and delivered a precise through ball.

Yan Yuan understood immediately and activated the device.

After successfully beating the offside trap, he received the ball on the right side of the penalty area, creating a half-chance opportunity!