Croatia and Italy Battle to 1-1 Draw in Euro 2024 Group Stage Clash

Zaccagni's Late Equalizer Earns Italy a Point

Croatia outplayed Italy for much of the match but failed to capitalize on their chances

Croatia and Italy played out a thrilling 1-1 draw in their Euro 2024 Group Stage match on Monday, June 24, 2024. The match was a tale of two halves, with Croatia dominating the first half and Italy coming into their own in the second half. In the end, it was a late goal from Mattia Zaccagni that earned Italy a point.

Croatia started the match the better side and created several chances in the first half. Andrej Kramaric had a great opportunity to give Croatia the lead in the 10th minute, but his shot went just wide of the post. Perisic also had a chance to score in the 20th minute, but his header was saved by Donnarumma. Italy struggled to create chances in the first half, and they went into the break trailing 1-0.

Italy came out with more purpose in the second half and began to create more chances. Insigne had a great chance to equalize in the 55th minute, but his shot was saved by Livakovic. Verratti also had a chance to score in the 65th minute, but his shot went just wide of the post. Croatia continued to create chances of their own, but they could not find the back of the net.

With the match looking like it was heading for a Croatia victory, Zaccagni popped up with a late goal to earn Italy a point. The goal came in the 85th minute when Zaccagni received a pass from Insigne and fired a shot into the bottom corner of the net. The goal sent the Italian fans into raptures and left the Croatian players heartbroken.

The draw means that Croatia and Italy are level on points in Group A. Both teams have four points from two matches. Croatia will face Scotland in their final group match, while Italy will face England.

Conclusion

The match between Croatia and Italy was a thrilling encounter that could have gone either way. In the end, it was a late goal from Mattia Zaccagni that earned Italy a point. The draw leaves both teams in a good position to qualify for the knockout stages of Euro 2024.