Italy snatched a dramatic 1-1 draw against Croatia in their final EURO 2024 Group B clash, with Mattia Zaccagni’s last-gasp equaliser sending the defending champions through to the knockout stages and breaking Croatian hearts.
Croatia came into the game on Monday, June 24th at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig well knowing that only a victory would keep their hopes of a top-two finish alive.
They came out of the traps quickly and almost took the lead inside the opening five minutes, but Gianluigi Donnarumma produced a fine save to deny Luka Sucic’s curling effort.
However, Italy grew into the game as the first half progressed, and they carved out several chances of their own, with Mateo Retegui and Alessandro Bastoni both going close.
Nonetheless, Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic was in inspired form, making a superb stop to tip Bastoni’s header over the bar in the 27th minute, and ensuring the game went into halftime still goalless.
The second half began controversially as Croatia were awarded a penalty in the 53rd minute after a VAR review spotted a handball by Italy substitute Davide Frattesi.
Veteran midfielder Luka Modric stepped up, but his tame effort was kept out by the diving Donnarumma, who was the player of the tournament at EURO 2020.
However, the 38-year-old midfielder made amends just moments later, firing home the rebound after the Italy goalkeeper had denied Andrej Kramaric, becoming the oldest goalscorer in European Championship history in the process.
With time running out, Italy looked to be heading for an early exit, but in the dying embers of the contest, substitute Zaccagni popped up with a stunning curling strike to make it 1-1, breaking Croatian hearts and securing a point for the Azzurri.
The dramatic draw, which left hundreds of Croatia fans stunned into shock, tears, anger and devastation, means that they still have to wait, as they hope to secure one of the best third-place spots to extend their tournament journey.
For the defending champions, they have qualified for the knockout stages of a fifth successive European Championship. They will face Group A runners-up Switzerland on Saturday, June 29th, in the Round of 16, a match that promises to be a thrilling one.
