Bilić's touchline waltz ends with fall

Wenger schooling
At 39, Bilić is almost young enough to be playing at these finals and as he took to his cavernous technical area after kick-off, his eagerness to get close to the action was clear to all at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion. Dressed in familiar grey suit, earring catching the stadium lights, Bilić danced a lonely waltz in Vienna. He followed the ball from one end to the other, dictating the tone and rhythm like an orchestra conductor. An early chance for Hamit Altıntop was waved away with a cursory flick of his hand, Bilić focusing instead on urging Vedran Ćorluka to push on and Luka Modrić to retain his patience. For a man who has frequently spoken about his belief that "systems are dying", a principle germinated during time shadowing the likes of Marcello Lippi and Arsène Wenger as he started his coaching career, he seemed to have a definite game plan.

Head in hands
For the large part a picture of calm, he was in stark contrast to Fatih Terim on the opposite bench, the Turkey coach all emotion, conveying his thoughts through the force of his voice, the power of his arm-waving. Bilić let the guise slip, briefly, readying himself for celebrations as Ivan Rakitić broke, delivering a low cross towards Darijo Srna, a one-time team-mate of his coach's at HNK Hajduk Split. Hakan Balta intervened to cut short the festivities and Bilić regained his poise, trying to reconnect the supply line to Modrić. The Tottenham Hotspur FC man finally got his chance midway through the first half, weaving into the penalty area and crossing towards Ivica Olić. It sent Bilić bounding towards the touchline, halting his run to put head in hands as the striker's effort cannoned back off the crossbar.

Animation
Having turned to management almost by accident at hometown club Hajduk seven years ago, Bilić soon started to show the passion that got him hooked in the first place, getting increasingly animated as chance after chance went begging. When Rakitić shot over the bar his coach executed a move that would not have looked out of place on the dancefloor, pirouetting and touching the ground with his hands. The fans responded by chanting his name and while Bilić responded with a meek wave, he was back to his vivacious best at the end of the 90 minutes, dropping to one knee with his players huddled around him, imparting words to see them through extra time. He celebrated with unreserved glee when Ivan Klasnić headed in with one minute remaining, but there was still time for Semih Şentürk to deliver a killer blow – one not even Bilić could recover from.