UEFA Euro 2008.

The Vienna premiere against the hosts Austria was crowned by Luka Modrić’s winning penalty already in the fourth minute. Croatia caused its fans some late worry, and goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa had to play a crucial role to preserve the win.

Four days later in Klagenfurt, Croatia shone against the future finalists, Germany. In one of the best Croatian performances in modern history, Löw’s side fell to goals by Darijo Srna and Ivica Olić, and Podolski’s consolation strike (2:1) could not dampen the celebrations. A place in the quarter-finals was already secured.

Thus Bilić gave his reserves a chance against Poland, but the outcome remained the same: early in the second half, Ivan Klasnić scored the decisive goal (1:0), and Croatia immediately shifted its focus back to Vienna and the clash with Turkey.

The match remained deadlocked for 119 minutes, before Ivan Klasnić — the hero who had undergone a kidney transplant — found the back of the net, sending Croatia into rapture. The joy, however, was short-lived. With the final kick of the match, Semih Şentürk equalised, and the semi-finalist had to be decided by penalties. The Croatians were no longer composed, and the semi-final, which at one moment seemed so close, slipped away into a dream. The nation was in tears; the match in Vienna was, and remains, one of the saddest in Croatian football history.