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

Yan Yuan remained unusually calm in the face of Livakovic's attack and Vida's cover.

He adjusted his footwork and used the instep of his left foot to shoot into the far corner.

The ball traced a beautiful arc.

"Shoot!!!"

"Swish!" The ball grazed the outside of the far post.

It flew out of bounds by a hair's breadth.

"Oh dear! Just a little bit off! Yan Yuan's shot was too angled! If that ball had gone in, it would have been a really good shot!" the commentator lamented.

In the 31st minute, Yan Yuan received a long pass from Stones near the center line on the right wing.

He dribbled the ball past Pivaric and Rakitic, who was providing cover.

With a gentle flick of his right foot, he sent the ball soaring over Pivaric's head!

At the same time, Yan Yuan forced his way through the gap between the two, and Rakitic couldn't even hold him back.

Yan Yuan forcefully slapped Rakitic's hand that was pulling his jersey and continued to accelerate.

After gaining possession of the ball, he dribbled inside and surged to the right side of the penalty arc.

Faced with Lovren's block, Yan Yuan did not choose to pass the ball, but instead curled a shot into the far corner with his left foot.

The ball, spinning intensely, hurtled towards the goal!

Livakovic dives to make the save!

My fingertips barely grazed the ball.

"Bang!" The ball's trajectory was disrupted, and it slammed heavily against the top edge of the crossbar before bouncing out of bounds.

"Yan Yuan! What a pity! The direction and power of that ball were perfectly controlled! But Livakovic just wouldn't give Yan Yuan that chance!" the commentator exclaimed.

In just over ten minutes, Yan Yuan unleashed a storm on the right flank!

Three highly threatening attacks: one breakthrough and cross that created chaos, and another cut inside and shot that hit the post.

His powerful dribbling skills, calm ball handling, and accurate shooting made Croatia's left flank extremely vulnerable.

Pivaric seemed somewhat overwhelmed in his presence.

The Croatian fans in the stands, who initially booed England, gradually fell into tense silence and sporadic gasps!

Meanwhile, the English expeditionary force's stands erupted in cheers and applause for Yan Yuan!

Yan Yuan's activity on the right wing also boosted Rashford's performance on the left wing.

Rashford was also very active in this game.

In the 32nd minute, Rashford received a pass from Barkley on the left wing and used his speed to beat Croatian right-back Jedvaj.

Force a cross from the byline.

Unfortunately, Kane and Barkley, who were making a run down the middle, were a step too slow, and Lovren cleared the ball!

"Rashford! Use your speed to outpace! Cross! Unfortunately, the middle can't keep up!" the commentator shouted.

England's attacks came in waves, one after another.

Croatia's defense is crumbling.

In the 35th minute, Croatia's attack in the attacking third failed, and Rebic attempted to cut inside from the right wing but was cleanly intercepted by Chilwell.

Chilwell passed the ball to Delph, who had dropped back to receive it.

Manchester City midfielder Delph looked up to observe as he received the ball.

He saw the huge gaps left in Croatia's midfield as they pushed forward in attack.

Furthermore, near the center circle, captain Kane had already quietly started his forward run.

Delph did not hesitate.

He adjusted his position, firmly planting his foot on the turf.

Then, he stretched the arch of his left foot and delivered a powerful and precise long pass over the top!

The ball, like a cruise missile, traced a beautiful parabola, precisely crossing Croatia's entire midfield line and landing deep in the huge gap between center-backs Vida and Lovren.

A very accurate landing point.

"Long pass! Delph! Find Kane! An opportunity!" the commentator exclaimed.

Kane had already started his full-speed run the instant Delph's foot touched the ground after the pass.

He shook off Vida, who was trying to create an offside position.

Offside trap successfully broken.

Kane dribbled the ball into the penalty area alone.

Facing Livakovic, who had rushed out of his goal, he calmly observed the goalkeeper's movement and gently pushed with the instep of his right foot!

The ball rolled precisely into the bottom right corner of the goal!

"GOOOOOOOOOOALLLL!!" The commentator erupted instantly! "Goal!!! England leads Croatia 1-0! Captain Kane! A calm tap-in! Delph's precise long pass! A perfect counter-attack! England has seized the fatal gap left by Croatia's defensive line pushing forward!"

The English expeditionary force erupted in cheers.

Red and white cross flags were waving wildly!

Kane excitedly rushed to the corner flag and slid on his knees in celebration.

His teammates rushed towards him, and Delph ran over to hug him, laughing.

Southgate pumped his fist on the sidelines. That goal was so incredibly motivating; he was finally feeling less stifled than before.

Croatia, after conceding a goal at home, was like a boss in the second stage of a new game.

The chants from the Croatian fans were even more deafening.

They launched an even fiercer counterattack!

Modric tried to organize an attack, but Dier and Delph's close marking remained tight.

Perisic was exceptionally active on the left flank.

In the 42nd minute, Croatia won a corner kick on the right.

Modric stood at the corner flag and took a deep breath. The entire Maxim's Stadium held its breath!

"Corner kick! Croatia's chance! Modric takes the kick!" the commentator announced.

Modric took a running start, his right foot tracing an arc.

The ball, spinning intensely and moving at incredible speed, flew precisely towards the far post of the England penalty area!

That's an extremely tricky landing spot!

Inter Milan winger Persirić was like a tiger descending from the mountain.

He outmaneuvered Chilwell, who was shorter than him.

He leaped high! His forehead slammed into the ball!

A powerful header! The ball flew like a cannonball, whistling through the air, heading straight for the top left corner of the goal!

The angle is extremely tricky!

Goalkeeper Pickford was about to make a desperate diving save.

He had even already assumed the ready-to-jump stance.

Perisic's shot was too powerful and the angle was too tricky!

The ball was about to cross the goal line!

Within seconds.

A figure wearing number 17 shot out from near the penalty spot like lightning.

His speed in getting back on defense is astonishing!

The target is the far post!

It was Yan, the very Yan who put England fans at ease, who appeared.

Yan Yuan was originally responsible for marking Kramaric in the middle of the penalty area.

But just now, at the moment Modric kicked the ball...

His eagle-like vision and top-notch anticipation allowed him to instantly pinpoint the ball's trajectory and Perisic's position!

Yan Yuan gave up on Kramaric.

Concentrate all your explosive power into your legs!

"Yan Yuan has returned to defense! He's given up on defense!!!" the commentator exclaimed.

Yan Yuan shot forward like an arrow, taking three steps at a time towards the back corner of the penalty area!

Just as the ball was about to fly into the goal,

Yan Yuan made a move that left everyone speechless.

He didn't have a running start!

There wasn't even a step adjustment!

Right on the edge of the penalty area, Yan Yuan's legs, like springs compressed to their limit, suddenly pushed off the ground.

He shot up vertically like a rocket!

His jump was so high that it far exceeded that of all the players around him!

His body stretched out completely in the air, his core strength exploding, forming a perfect reverse arch shape.

Neck muscles tensed, eyes fixed intently on the falling ball.

A headbutt to defuse the situation!

The ball struck the center of his forehead with the force and precision of a hammer blow, hitting the lower middle part of the ball hard and accurately!

"Bang--!!!"

A dull, loud explosion.

Like a heavy hammer hitting a ball!

The ball was hit on Yan Yuan's forehead and instantly changed direction!

With tremendous force, as if it had been blasted, it bounced out of the penalty area at high speed and flew towards the sideline!

The situation has been resolved successfully!!

The entire stadium fell into a deathly silence; time seemed to stand still.

Pickford remained in a ready-to-make-save position, but his eyes were filled with the shock of surviving a close call.

After landing, Perisic stared in disbelief at the ball flying out of the penalty area, then looked at the red figure that had just landed!

Modric stood in the corner flag area, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Croatia's players stared at Yan Yuan with their mouths agape, as if he were a monster!

Even his England teammates were stunned.

Gomez, Stones, Chilwell... everyone was stunned by this incredible scene.

"My fucking god!!!" The England commentator completely lost his composure, his voice cracking and screaming due to extreme shock and excitement.

"Yan Yuan! Unbelievable!!! An unbelievable god descending to earth! He saved England with a header clearance!!! You read that right, he headed away Perisic's seemingly certain header on the goal line, my God! How high did he jump?! He practically flew! This clearance is more valuable than the shot."

With Maguire absent, Yan Yuan conveniently took over the work that Maguire would have done.

After a brief silence, the English Expeditionary Force stands erupted in a deafening, almost frenzied roar of shouts and cheers!

"GOD YAN! GOD YAN! GOD YAN!"

"Strict God! Strict God! Strict God!"

"God is mighty! God is mighty! God is mighty!"

The nickname "Yan Shen" has become a common one used by both Chinese and English football fans.

The unified shouts echoed like thunder through the Zagreb night sky.

All the England fans stood up, waving scarves, their faces filled with excitement, adoration, and the elation of surviving a catastrophe.

They witnessed a miraculous redemption!

After landing, Yan Yuan staggered a step before regaining his balance.

He shook his slightly numb head, looked at the ball flying out of the penalty area, and then looked at the shocked eyes of his teammates and opponents around him.

Yan Yuan patted his chest forcefully.

Pointing to the frenzied England fans in the stands!

"Beep—! Beep—!"

The whistle finally blew to end the first half!

England 1-0 Croatia!

The players headed toward the players' tunnel.

The Croatian players' faces were filled with frustration and disbelief, while the English players surrounded Yan Yuan, excitedly taking turns patting his shoulders and back.

"Yan! Are you fucking Superman? Guess how Maguire will react after seeing your rescue?!" Walker roared excitedly.

"My God, you scared me to death just now! You were amazing! Yan, thank you so much!" Pickford hugged Yan Yuan with lingering fear; he was most grateful to Yan Yuan.

"Yan, I can only say I'm very fortunate to be my national team teammate," Rashford said.

Southgate stood at the entrance of the passage and gave a high-five to each of his disciples who came down from the stage.

When Yan Yuan walked up to him, Southgate didn't give him a high five; instead, he opened his arms and gave the young hero a firm hug.

He patted Yan Yuan's back forcefully, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement and admiration.

"Well done! Excellent! That rescue was absolutely brilliant!"

Yan Yuan replied with a smile, "Of course, boss!"

In the stands, the chants of "God Yan" by England fans continued loudly and for a long time.

Under the night sky of Zagreb, the figure of number 17, leaping high and denying a sure goal, is like a god descending to earth, deeply imprinted in the hearts of every spectator.