EURO 2024 results: Last-second equalizer, Italy suffocates through group stage
VTC News•24/06/2024
(VTC News) - The Italian team passed the group stage of EURO 2024 after a dramatic 1-1 draw with Croatia.
Croatia had to beat Italy to have any hope of advancing. Meanwhile, the defending champions also needed points to secure their second place in the group. When the match entered extra time in the second half, the score was in Croatia's favor. However, the situation changed in the final phase. After the opening whistle, Croatia quickly pushed up their formation and tried to gain control of the field. Italy encountered many difficulties and had to retreat deep to defend. In the 5th minute, goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma's goal was shaken by a long-range shot from his opponent. Croatia dominated the ball in the first half. However, the speed of the ball was a big problem for them. Croatia lacked players who could break through and open up space. Luka Modric kept the ball well, but he was getting old and could not accelerate like his younger teammates.
Zaccagni scored in the 8th minute of injury time.
It was not until the 27th minute that the first dangerous opportunity came to the Italian team. Alessandro Bastoni jumped high to head the ball dangerously after a pass from Nicolo Barella. Goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic made an excellent save. The first half went by in Croatia's favor but the score was still 0-0. In the second half, Croatia was still the stronger team on the field. In the 51st minute, a Croatian player passed the ball to Davide Frattesi's hand in the penalty area. After consulting VAR, the referee awarded Croatia a penalty. Modric missed the opportunity when his shot was blocked by Donnarumma. But just a few minutes later, Modric made up for his mistake. The Real Madrid midfielder rushed in to tap the ball into the net to open the score for the Croatian team. With nothing left to lose, the Italian team continuously made substitutions and pushed up the formation in search of an equalizer. However, Croatia defended very well and kept their opponents deadlocked. The cruel moment for Modric and his teammates happened right in the last minute of extra time. From a pass from Riccardo Calafiori, Mattia Zaccagni fired a beautiful shot to help Italy equalize. This was the goal that changed the situation of Group B. Italy regained second place and entered the round of 16. Meanwhile, Croatia ranked third but had a hard time qualifying for the next round with only 2 points after 3 matches.
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