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Italy and Croatia engaged in a thrilling Group B match at Euro 2024 in Leipzig Stadium, with both teams aiming for a vital win to move on to the Round of 16. Italy was eager to recover after suffering a tight loss to Spain and a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Albania in their opening game. After losing badly to Spain and then drawing 2-2 with Albania, Croatia looked to bounce back from their setback to the reigning champions.
Both sides demonstrated an early desire to establish domination as the game got underway in an electrifying atmosphere. Under manager Luciano Spalletti, Italy, renowned for their possession-based style, dominated the tempo in the first few minutes of play. Italy had numerous good opportunities to break the deadlock through the play of Matteo Darmian and Alessandro Bastoni, but Croatia's defense held firm.
|Croatia vs Italy euro 2024 pic.twitter.com/LPGkuJ6hSl
— Notoriousfotballl (@Notoriousf37185) June 25, 2024
Against the flow of play, Croatia surprised the Azzurri despite early pressure from Italy. The master of Croatian midfield, Luka Modric, scored an incredible goal by taking advantage of an Italy defensive error. Modric's goal was all the more powerful because, only moments before, Italy's goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma had brilliantly saved his penalty.
After falling behind 1-0, Italy came back stronger in the second half, pressing forward nonstop to try to pull even. With his quickness and precise crosses, Riccardo Calafiori, who had been a continual menace down the left wing, kept Croatia's defense guessing.
#EURO2024 Bet Builder @ 2.20
— Albo Slips (@AlboSlips) June 24, 2024
🇭🇷 CROATIA VS ITALY 🇮🇹
Stats + Reasoning 👇🏼
Scamacca has had over 1.5 shots in his last 6/7 games for Italy, aswell as in his last 13/15 games in all comps.
Sutalo has made over 0.5 tackles in his last 8/9 games for Croatia, aswell as in his last… pic.twitter.com/d55hHESTao
Italy became increasingly desperate as the time ran out, and manager Luciano Spalletti made significant adjustments to give the team new life. When Mattia Zaccagni entered the game late and had a magical moment during stoppage time, it turned out to be the game-winning substitution. With a stunning long-range strike that sailed past Croatia's goalkeeper, Zaccagni leveled the score and set off joyous celebrations among the Italian players.
Not only did Zaccagni's stunning equalizer save Italy a point, but it also guaranteed them advancement to the Round of 16 of the 2024 European Championship. On the other hand, even with their heroic efforts, Croatia now has a difficult task to secure a spot among the third place finishers.
🚨🚨| OFFICIAL: Luka Modric wins the POTM for the match between Croatia vs Italy. 🇭🇷🏅#EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/uKCxgJLlhV
— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) June 24, 2024
The game at Leipzig Stadium captured the spirit of Euro 2024, highlighting the excitement and unpredictable nature that make major football competitions so fascinating. The spectators experienced an emotional roller coaster, ranging from the stress of lost chances to the exhilaration of heroic late-game plays.
With an eye on building on their strong showing against Croatia and pursuing more glory at Euro 2024, Italy will now turn their attention to their next matchup against Switzerland. Italy's ability to persevere and be persistent was demonstrated by their draw with Croatia, two traits that will be essential in helping them overcome the obstacles in the tournament.
