At the 90th minute, Leverkusen midfielder Schneider was substituted.
His expression was extremely dejected.
Looking back at the entire match, aside from that free kick in the first half, his performance was lackluster.
He was clearly being outplayed in midfield.
Especially by that number 10 on the opposing side—and the rest of those young players.
They were all giving Schneider a massive headache.
So much running. Like a track team. And it wasn't an insult.
It was their relentless running that forced Leverkusen into such a passive position.
Schneider admitted his performance was poor, but what struck him most was that moment of defensive support on the left flank.
He had the deeper positioning.
He had the faster acceleration than Suker.
It was right in front of him—but in an instant, the distance between them widened.
That kind of gap appearing during a run is what hurts the most in football.
All of it was telling Schneider one thing: he was getting old.
His body was no longer what it used to be.
If he were younger, even if he couldn't stop Suk, he could've at least limited him.
Now, all he could do was eat dust from behind.
Huuu~~~
Schneider sighed again.
On the pitch, in the closing moments of the game, Dinamo Zagreb began to slow down the pace.
They dropped back and focused on defense.
As the minutes ticked away, the referee glanced down at his watch.
The Dinamo Zagreb fans in the stadium began urging for the final whistle.
They couldn't wait to celebrate the victory.
And when that sharp whistle pierced the night sky—
Three blasts.
At that moment, the entire Maksimir Stadium erupted.
Whooooooooshhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"We won!! We really won!!"
"This is amazing!!!"
"I can't believe my eyes!"
"3–1! We won!"
"We beat Leverkusen!"
The Dinamo Zagreb fans jumped up in excitement.
They embraced one another, unable to contain their joy.
It was their first time competing in the Champions League group stage.
But this fairytale-like start left everyone enthralled.
These were a group of remarkable young men.
A group creating miracles.
"They're too good!"
Rakitic stood there in shock.
At first, he had underestimated Dinamo Zagreb.
Even after being thoroughly schooled by the first team, he still felt unconvinced.
Even when they drew against Basel with the starters, he wasn't fully convinced.
But now, he had no choice.
Just look at what they'd done—
Held Real Madrid to a draw at home.
You could argue Real Madrid weren't in form.
Beat Roma away.
You could say the extreme fans gifted them the win.
But now they've beaten Leverkusen fair and square at home!
How do you explain this one?
"Why are you standing there?"
Strinic slapped Rakitic hard on the back.
His face was red with excitement.
"Go celebrate!"
The next second, under the lead of the head coach, all the substitutes sprinted onto the field.
"We won!! We did it!!"
"This is amazing!!!"
"I still can't believe it!"
They tackled the starters, laughing and shouting, their faces glowing with joy.
Suker was immediately pinned to the ground by the squad.
"We are the champions~~~~"
Suker sang Queen's classic hit "We Are the Champions," lying flat on the ground with a huge smile on his face.
"We're not champions yet," Srna shouted, half-laughing, half-scolding.
Suker grinned: "Same same difference! Just soaking in the vibes."
Everyone burst into even louder laughter.
On the other side, the Leverkusen players walked off quickly under their coach's direction, throwing one last unwilling glance behind them.
They didn't want to stay in this place of heartbreak any longer.
"An extraordinary group of young players. They've created a brilliant match."
"Dinamo Zagreb wins 3–1 at home against the strong Leverkusen, securing a valuable victory."
"This win places Dinamo Zagreb at the top of Group B in the Champions League."
Kraushevic shouted: "Let's hope these young players perform even better in the next three games. More importantly, we can now dream about advancing past the group stage!"
"Of course, there are still three very tough matches ahead, two of them away. After such a good start, we need to stay calm and composed."
"Go boys! We're looking forward to more of your brilliance!"
The game was over. As Suker walked back to the locker room, he was surrounded by media.
Among them, a German reporter asked:
"How would you evaluate your performance in this match?"
Suker: "Pretty good. We found our rhythm. We'll play even better in the future."
Then he looked at the reporter and asked: "You're from Germany?"
The reporter nodded: "Berliner Abendblatt."
Suker smiled: "A German defender once told me that players like me had no place in German football. And now, we've beaten the German third seed in the Champions League group stage. I'd love to see his face when he hears the news."
With that, Suker waved and walked away.
That German defender from Sarajevo Ranger, Basel—he must be shocked hearing this.
Suk felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.
Back in the locker room, everyone was celebrating.
This victory meant more than just three points. It improved their group chances and cemented their form.
Most importantly, they saw a clear path to qualifying.
To reach the knockout stage of the Champions League in their very first appearance, ahead of teams like Real Madrid, Leverkusen, and Roma—that would be legendary!
The thought alone filled them with excitement.
And it wasn't just Dinamo Zagreb's players who were thrilled. The whole European media was in an uproar.
Group B had already been chaotic. With Leverkusen's loss, things were getting even more unpredictable.
No one expected that halfway through the group stage, after three rounds, the no-name Dinamo Zagreb would be leading the table.
Two wins and a draw—they had absolutely nailed the first half of the group stage.
Especially the third game—beating Leverkusen at home sent shockwaves through Europe.
"Dinamo Zagreb 3–1 Defeats Leverkusen!"
"Minnows No More – Zagreb's Fierce Rebuttal!"
"Group B Madness! All Eyes on the Champions League!"
"Young and Fearless – A Match for the Ages!"
"The Balkan Storm Is Here!"
Italy's Sky Sports published a feature titled "Youth Storm."
The article was written by the famous "Red and Black Saint," AC Milan diehard "Old Man" and Rossoneri godfather – Tiziano Crudeli.
"In my years as a Rossoneri, I've seen many teams challenge AC Milan. But none impressed me as much as that Dutch side Ajax."
"Balanced in attack and defense, so mature it was hard to believe they were a youth squad. They achieved greatness, and we called them the 'Youth Storm.'"
"If they hadn't met Milan, who knows what miracles they could've performed?"
"But just a year later, another magical team appears in the Champions League!"
"Unlike Ajax, they destroy their opponents' defenses with wild aggression."
"They held Real Madrid at home!"
"They took the lead against Roma!"
"They defeated Leverkusen 3–1!"
"Compared to Ajax, these youngsters embody 'youth' even more. They're aggressive, impulsive, yet immensely talented."
"When I first heard of a player named Suker, I thought it was Davor Šuker. But the 'Golden Left Foot' had already retired."
"Same name, same number 9. I'm curious—what miracles will these kids create in the Champions League?"
"Compared to Ajax, Dinamo Zagreb starts lower and faces tougher challenges—but they seem ready!"
"To Europe's doubts, they answered with sheer power!"
"We should now salute them as the true 'Youth Storm!'"
"A tempest from the Balkans—born in Croatia. What more can they show us? Let's wait and see!"
One match—and Dinamo Zagreb became Europe's hottest topic.
Doubts vanished. The media did a full 180.
Now they were singing the praises of these young men, cheering every goal.
Of course, they were also hounding them.
The moment they became famous, the transfer rumors started.
The media exposed all the summer transfer offers one after another.
At this, Bešić completely lost it.
"Damn it! Where are they getting this info? There's a mole! There has to be a mole!"
Looking at each transfer leak, Bešić fumed.
These reporters were driving him insane.
Jategenić grinned: "Not necessarily a mole—could be the buying clubs leaking it to tempt the players!"
Bešić calmed down a little, pursing his lips.
Jetegenić sighed: "It's not all bad, you know. At least it shows other clubs are worried—they'll know there's competition, and that drives prices up! They're leaving in the summer anyway, right?"
Bešić shook his head: "I just hate the media announcing everything without permission."
"At this point, it's just how European media works. Always has been."
Bešić looked at Jetegenić: "So, why are you here?"
Jetegenić held up a folder.
"New offers: Suker's valuation is up to €9.8 million. Modrić €8.4 million. That's just base price, with lots of room for negotiation."
He smiled: "We're going to make a killing."
[PS: This is 2004. Transfer values were much lower then. The era of 'money football' hadn't fully begun. For reference, Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Manchester United for €12M, and Ibrahimović to Juventus for €16M.]