Croatia 1-1 Italy
When Croatian midfielder Andrej Kramarić said before this game that his nation didn’t do things the easy way, he could never possibly have imagined how haunting those words would prove.
Ninety-eight minutes were on the clock with Croatian substitutes ready to run onto the pitch to celebrate their team’s progression to the last-16 when the final kick of the night turned matters completely on their head.
That was when good work by Riccardo Calafiori saw the ball played to Mattia Zaccagni on the edge of the box and he curled a superb first-time effort into the top corner to spark wild scenes and break Croatia hearts.
Barring an unlikely sequence set of results on Tuesday, they are out and it’s goodbye to one of the greats of this generation – a sad way to end.
By contrast, the reigning European champions, who have hardly set the tournament alive themselves to date, have secured their place in the knockout stages.
Highlights of the game
Runners-up at the 2018 World Cup and third at Qatar 2022, Croatia knew they were in last chance saloon after being seen off 3-0 by Spain in their opening game and then broadly outplayed in the first half by the younger, sharper Albania before conceding a late equaliser to the minnows.
Both sides made changes for the key encounter.
Croatia brought in Josip Stanisic, Marin Pongracic, Luka Sucic and Marco Pasalic while Ivan Perisic, who started at left wing-back in the previous game, dropped to the bench.
There were a number of changes for Italy too with forwards Federico Chiesa and Gianluca Scamacca, a Europa League winner, dropping to the bench as striker Mateo Retegui and Giacomo Raspadori were handed a start, as was defender Matteo Darmian.
Italy have notoriously been slow starters in tournaments but there was no time for passiveness in Leipzig and the Azzurri’s Luciano Spalletti, who stepped in as coach following the resignation of Roberto Mancini last year, knew it.
Before kick-off, he said their regular approach – to keep the ball and dominate possession – may be slightly different: to play uglier and with greater substance.
The Certaldo-born coach dreams of changing Italy’s footballing identity and mentality by starting a new course based on attacking football, high pressing and quick transitions.
He knew tonight was not the time to take too many risks though as a draw would set up a last-16 meeting with the Swiss.
For some time, it seemed to be going the way they wished.
Alessandro Bastoni would have opened the scoring with a bullet head but for Dominik Livakovic palming the ball over the bar but, at 0-0, they were safe.
Then, early in the second half, the ball struck Davide Frattesi’s arm and Croatia had a penalty.
Gianluigi Donnarumma quashed their optimism by saving the resulting spot-kick from Luka Modric yet, within seconds, he was beaten.
It must have been so frustrating for the shot-stopper, a hero in their Euro 2024 success, as he saved an Ante Budimir effort but there was the magician Modric to slam in the rebound.
Just 33 seconds had elapsed from the penalty and the goal.
Has any player had such an eventful six minutes at Euro 2024?
A missed penalty, a goal seemingly to secure your nation’s place in the last 16 and a booking formed just part of the quota of Modric’s work and it seemed to be enough as he departed to a standing ovation 10 minutes from time.
Bastoni went close again as headed over from eight yards out when perhaps he should have done better as Italy enjoyed their best spell of the contest.
While both Spain and Albania had been able to find space between Croatia’s midfield and defensive line, not helped of course when your starting midfield has a combined age of 99, Italy were getting no such joy.
And then came Zaccagni for one of the most notable Euro 2024 highlights to date.
The SBOTOP Euro 2024 betting odds are stacked against Croatia.
They are almost certainly going home.
Key statistics
Croatia have drawn their last four matches v Italy in all competitions and the last four meetings between these two nations have ended 1-1.
Since gaining independence in the early 1990s, Croatia are unbeaten in their nine meetings against Italy (won three, drawn six).
Since the group phase was introduced in 1980, Italy have lost their final group game in only one of their nine appearances (won six, drawn three), going down 1-0 against Ireland in 2016.
Donnarumma, 25, has become the youngest goalkeeper to make 10 appearances at a European Championship for any nation.
Modric, 38. is the oldest player to ever score at the Euros.
What’s next?
Italy will take on Switzerland in the first game of the last-16 on Saturday (June 29) teatime.
Croatia will almost certainly be home by then.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
