Croatia 2-2 Albania: Luka Modric and Co endure ANOTHER Euro 2024 blow
- It looked like Croatia had avoided an upset as they came back from 1-0 down
- Klaus Gjasula, however, after scoring an own goal, popped up to equalise
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Zlatko Dalic’s message to Croatia’s fans before the game came straight out of the Take That songbook: have a little patience.
A 3-0 defeat by Spain in their opening game had led to panic setting in in some quarters back home.
Croatian newspaper Medimurske Novine called on Dalic and his players to ‘wake up’. There were ‘no more excuses’ to be had, the stinging editorial read.
And for 73 minutes what little patience was left on arrival in Hamburg on Wednesday looked to have evaporated entirely. By minute 95 Dalic’s script looked to have rung true, only for Albania to provide a final sting in the tale.
Just as Croatia looked to see out an impressive turnaround, Albania opted for kamikaze football. Formation 4-2-4, operation score-at-any-cost. At first they fluffed their lines, swinging and missing inside the penalty area.
Luke Modric (centre) and Co suffered another huge blow to their Euro 2024 last 16 hopes
Croatia manager Zlatko Dalic had asked his side to show patience going into the fixture
Klaus Gjasula scored an equaliser deep into stoppage time to keep his side’s hopes of a last 16 spot alive
Cries of panic emanated from the Croatia fans. And yet their panic, their worry was well placed when in the 95th minute Albania ripped their hearts out with a dramatic late equaliser.
‘The key will be patience,’ Dalic had said. ‘We must not lose our heads and concentration. It would be nice to open the match in the most beautiful way, but we must not rush, we are going for victory, but a point is also important to us.
‘Patience, aggressiveness, an approach that will guarantee us to be competitive is essential.’
In the end it was a description that befitted Albania’s resolve even when it all looked to be being taken away from them. Croatia’s win likelihood stood at 99.8 per cent on Google’s live rankings when Klaus Gjasula, the man who had put Croatia ahead with an own goal, hit back to make amends with a last-second equaliser.
Patience isn’t really a word in the repertoire of this Albania team. Against Italy in their opener they took just 23 seconds to find the back of the net and so scoring in the 11th minute here was slow by their standards.
Jasir Asani, a difference maker on the day who ran Croatia ragged in Super Mario boots, was given far too much time to pick his head up and whip a sumptuous cross in, right onto the head of Qazim Laci.
The header, while good, went through the palms of goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, who didn’t cover himself in any glory. Having scored only twice in his first 26 appearances for Albania, Laci now has two in three matches this month.
Albania headed into this tournament labelled as the whipping boys of Group B, the supposed ‘Group of Death’. Albania were expected to lose all three of their games. While they are winless they have shown they are very much alive and kicking.
Qazim Laci had once again put his side ahead in the tournament with a fine first half effort
Croatia came from behind, however, with their first goal scored by Andrej Kramaric (left)
Having netted an own goal, Gjasula had the final say with a low strike seconds from time
When the interval came and Albania’s lead, while deserved, was only at 1-0, they were left to rue chances missed and it nearly came back to bite them.
Asani, again at the heart of Albania’s best moves, whipped in a ball from the left after half an hour and the subsequent headed clearance fell out of the sky to Elseid Hysaj on the edge of the box, only for him to blaze over.
A minute later Livakovic made amends for his error on the goal by producing a stunning save one-versus-one to deny Kristjan Asllani from close range. That felt like a game-changing moment – and so it proved.
There was to be no patience in Croatian ranks come the second half after Dalic made two changes immediately, sending on Mario Pasalic and Luka Sucic, both of which made an impact.
Guided by Man City’s Mateo Kovacic, who stepped on the gas in the second half, Croatia finally stung the gloves of Strakosha and managed a shot on target after 50 minutes. They had lift-off – eventually.
Reminiscent of Portugal’s total dominance of the ball against Czechia 24 hours prior, Croatia finally broke Albania’s resistance in devastating fashion.
Dalic showed anything but patience as he paced nervously while he waited for the final whistle
Ante Budmir, another substitute sent on to salvage this by Dalic, produced a brilliant flick into Andrej Kramaric’s path in the area and he gave the goalkeeper the eyes before slotting in, causing a plume of smoke to emerge from the Croatia fans.
Albania rocking, their heads were still spinning when Budimir’s cut-back into the area two minutes later was turned into his own net by Gjasula. The comeback was complete, or so it seemed.
Dalic paced nervously; he did not look a man with much patience as he waited to hear the final whistle.
When it came, a 2-2 draw providing a share of the spoils, Dalic and Croatia’s fans looked like their balloon had been popped. It was a different Take That song on the mind at the end… after a ferocious 96 minutes, How Did It Come To This?
