Croatia came back from Albania in two minutes, but was surprised in the last breath, and if they want to play in the round of 16 they will have to beat Italy.
BARCELONA — Croatia is against the ropes in the Euro 2024 After his tie in view of Albania.
Runner-up in the World Cup in 2018, third place in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and runner-up in the Nations League in 2023, Croatia risks saying goodbye to its second generation of gold in silence and eliminated in the first round of the Euro 2024 If on Monday he is not able to win Italy.
The tie that Albania snatched at the last minute through Klaus Gjasula rewarded the ambition of the Albanian team, which will also play for the pass against Spain on the last day… Although, of course, the pressure from some will have nothing to do with see with that of others.
In fact, much of what could happen next Monday on the last day will depend on what happens before, this Thursday in Gelsenkirchen between the Spanish and the Italians. The team that wins will be guaranteed first place, leaving the defeated team at the expense of its final duel. And a tie, which cannot be ruled out at all, would mean that both teams would practically be assured of qualification with four points.
In addition, Croatia could join and qualify as second in the group if they manage to beat Italy in the third match (the Italians would go through as third). However, the Croatians would be last in the group if they beat Italy in the third game by less than three goals and Spain in turn loses against Albania. In that case, there would be a four-way tie at four points and Croatia would be eliminated on goal difference.
What was clear, for now, is that Zlatko Dalić’s team, destroyed in the debut at the hands of Spain, did not improve excessively in Hamburg. Even more so, the Albanian nerve surprised him on the wrong foot in a start that he did not dominate as expected and left him stunned when in the eleventh minute a wonderful header from Qazim Laçi put Silvinho’s team ahead, which contrary to their conservative reaction in the first match Against Italy he maintained his desire, pressure and ambition.
Both in the first half and in a good part of the second it was closer to 0-2 for the Albanians than to a draw for the Croatians. Dominik Livakovic avoided the final collapse and Ante Budimir, who came on the scene in the 69th minute, became the unexpected hero, not scoring but being key in his team’s comeback.
First he served to Andrej Kramarić so that he scored the tie in the 74th minute and immediately afterwards his desperate cross from the left was accidentally finished off by Gjasula into his own goal to make the score 2-1, causing excessive Croatian euphoria and a logical and unfair depression among the Albanians, whose fans already guessed a logical although unfair and definitive defeat.
But the spirit ended up rewarding Albania and smiled especially at Gjasula, who in the penultimate play of the match scored the tie, to the despair of a Croatia that will play heads or tails in Leipzig on Monday, in a final day that, depending on What happens this Thursday in Gelsenkirchen will be a real mess.
