Croatia and Italy entered their do-or-die game with a knockout round spot on the line. Croatia needed a win to advance as one of the second-place teams — finishing third with only two points would likely not be enough. Italy could earn an automatic knockout round bid by winning or drawing against Croatia. If Spain beat Albania, Italy could even earn a spot as one of the best third-placed teams even if they lost.
“We are ready. Everyone is healthy except for [AEK Athens center-back Domagoj] Vida. We are aware of the situation we are in, that only a win will do, and we have to achieve that,” manager Zlatko Dalić said before the match.
“We don’t want to go home this early, but in the first two matches, we didn’t get the necessary result, so we have to do it now. Croatia has always been strong in such matches, the crucial ones, so we are going to fight.”
Modric goal gives Croatia the lead
Croatia started the game dominantly, controlling possession and making several dangerous attacks in a way we didn’t see from them this past tournament. Winger Luka Sučić nearly powered an impressive effort from beyond the box, which surprised goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Donnarumma barely did enough to tip over the shot.
However, Italy slowly made their mark on the game, slowing the tempo and making full use of Inter midfielder Nicolo Barella. Italy could have been two or three goals up by the end of the first half if not for a mixture of poor shooting and solid goalkeeping from Dominik Livakovic. Center-back Alessandro Bastoni probably should have scored when he headed in a Barella cross with only Livakovic to beat. However, Livakovic reacted superbly to bat the ball out of bounds.
Croatia pulled through with a thrilling sequence of events starting in the 52nd minute when striker Andrej Kramaric drilled a shot toward the net. Midfielder Davide Frattesi conceded a vital penalty after he accidentally lifted his hand to block the shot….
Author : Deolu Akingbade
Publish date : 2024-06-24 23:29:16
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Author : soccernews
Publish date : 2024-06-24 23:33:44
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.