Ex-Miss Croatia makes Euro 2024 return in plunging high – ‘distracting’ gamers
Former Miss Croatia Ivana Knoll has made her Euro 2024 return – but she wasn’t able to inspire her beloved team to a win over Albania.
Ivana became an unlikely star of the 2022 World Cup when photographers queued up to take photos of the curvaceous Croatian model cheering on Luka Modric and Co. She was mobbed by fans and snapped by grinning Qatari supporters in the stands – who it was later claimed disapproved of her revealing red and white outfits and needed the photos “probably to report them”. We believe you lads.
The bombshell announced earlier this month that she would be heading to Germany, during an interview when she confirmed she is in fact 26-years-old, not 31 as had been previously widely reported. But her presence didn’t seem to help Croatia during their 3-0 defeat to Spain last weekend and things didn’t go much better when she showed up in Hamburg today.
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Donning a plunging white and red top, with a blue denim jacket and skin tight red leggings, Ivana looked as radiant as ever. Yet she wasn’t able to inspire Croatia to victory, and while some fans on her Instagram page seemed as besotted with her as they were two years ago, others claimed she had brought “bad luck” and bizarrely that her arresting attire might in fact have proved “distracting” for the players.
Whether or not Croatia’s struggles on the pitch can be attributed to their players having their attention drawn to Ivana in the stands – for the record, it’s safe to say they can’t – it’s clear the current vintage don’t look as impressive as the side that finished runners-up in the World Cup in 2018 and achieved an impressive third place in 2022.
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That’s because having been 1-0 down against Albania, before firing back to take a 2-1 lead this afternoon, Croatia let victory slip through their fingers. Klaus Gjasula struck five minutes into stoppage time to rescue a 2-2 draw for his Albania.
Croatia looked to have secured a fine comeback win after Andrej Kramaric scored in the 74th minute to cancel out Qazim Laci’s early goal for Albania, then midfielder Gjasula inadvertently turned the ball past his own goalkeeper two minutes later.
But with time almost up, Albania attacked down the left and the ball was crossed to Gjasula, who fired left footed into the corner to stun Croatia and set up a tense finale to Group B.
Albania took the lead after 10 minutes. Jasir Asani collected the ball wide on the right midway inside the Croatia half and launched a reaching cross that was met with a glancing header by Laci, his effort squeezing through the hands of goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic and in at the near post.
The advantage was nearly doubled on the half-hour mark when Kristjan Asllani went through but was denied by a superb low stop from Livakovic, then on the stroke of half-time the goalkeeper was again called upon to keep out Rey Manaj’s close-range header.
(Image: Instagram/@knolldoll)
(Image: UEFA via Getty Images)
Croatia began the second half with renewed urgency and should have levelled after 57 minutes when defender Josip Sutalo headed a near-post corner wide from two yards.
The equaliser finally arrived from Kramaric, the striker finding himself in space inside the penalty area from Ante Budimir’s pass and striking the ball through the legs of Elseid Hysaj. And minutes later they led, Budimir’s cutback was hit low at goal by Luka Sucic, his blocked effort rebounding into the net off the unfortunate Gjasula.
Then when all looked lost, Gjasula redeemed himself in dramatic fashion, left free near the penalty spot to sweep the ball into the corner to save Albania.
