Italy has advanced to the round of 16 at the European Football Association (UEFA) European Football Championship (Euro 2024) thanks to a dramatic stoppage-time equalizer.
The Azzurri drew 1-1 with Croatia on Friday (June 25) at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, Germany, in their third Group B match of the tournament.
With the result, the Azzurri have one win, one draw, and one loss (4 points) and advance to the next round in second place in the group.
While their performance and results in the group stage were not typical of the defending champions, they reached the round of 16 in dramatic fashion.
On the other hand, Croatia, who should have won the tournament after scoring an early goal, 토토사이트 was eliminated due to a lack of heart.
The tournament is divided into six groups of four countries, with the 12 teams that finish first and second in each group and the four best third-place finishers in each group advancing to the round of 16.
Croatia finished third in their group, but were in danger of being eliminated due to the low number of points they had earned with two draws and one loss (2 points).
The match was a tight affair from the start, with two teams in need of a win.
After a scoreless first half, the goals came early in the second half.
It was Croatia who had the first good chance. In the ninth minute of the second half, Croatia was awarded a penalty kick after a handball foul. Key midfielder Luka Modric (Real Madrid) stepped up to take the spot kick, but was stopped by Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain).
Modric quickly made up for his mistake. In the 10th minute of the second half, Modric finished off a loose ball after Ante Budimir’s (Osasuna) shot was saved by the keeper.
The game seemed to be over in favor of Croatia, but Italy refused to give up.
Second-half substitute Mattia Zaccani (Lazio) scored a dramatic equalizer in the 53rd minute of stoppage time.
It was Zaccherini’s debut goal at the A-Match, and it was a goal that saved the day.
The 1-1 draw secured Italy’s second-place finish in the group and a spot in the Round of 16.
Meanwhile, at the same time, Spain defeated Albania 1-0 to advance to the next round as the group’s top seed with three wins from three games.
Ferran Torres opened the scoring in the 13th minute and held on for the three points.
Zasir Asani, who plays for K League 1 side Gwangju FC,토토사이트 순위 started the match and played 81 minutes, but was unable to prevent his side from losing.
Albania ended their Euro 2024 campaign early, finishing bottom of the group with one draw and two losses (one point).