Croatia – Albania: what next after the draw at Euro 2024?

Croatia returned from Albania two minutes later but were given a last-gasp surprise and if they want to play in the round of 16 they will have to beat Italy.

BARCELONA — Croatia against the ropes in Euro 2024 After him tie in view of Albania.

Second place at the 2018 World Cup, third place at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and second place at the 2023 Nations League. Croatia risks silently saying goodbye to his second generation of gold and is eliminated in the first round of the tournament. Euro 2024 If he can’t win on Monday Italy.

The draw that Albania snatched in the last minute thanks to Klaus Gjasule rewarded the ambitions of the Albanian team, which on the final day will also play for the pass against Spain… Although, of course, the pressure from some will have nothing to do with the vision with the fact that other’s.

In fact, much of what may happen next Monday, the final day, will depend on what happens first, this Thursday in Gelsenkirchen between the Spaniards and the Italians. The winning team will be guaranteed first place, leaving the losing team at the expense of its final match. And a draw, which cannot be ruled out at all, would mean that both teams are virtually guaranteed to qualify for the qualifying round with four points.

Additionally, Croatia could join and finish second in the group if they manage to beat Italy in the third match (the Italians will qualify third). However, Croatia would be last in the group if they beat Italy by less than three goals in the third game, with Spain in turn losing to Albania. In this case there will be a four-point draw and Croatia will be eliminated on goal difference.

At this point, it was clear that Zlatko Dalic’s side, destroyed on opening night at the hands of Spain, had not improved much in Hamburg. Moreover, the Albanian’s nerves surprised him early in the game when he did not dominate as expected, and stunned him when Kazim Laci’s superb header gave Sylvinho’s side the lead in the eleventh minute, belying their conservative response in the match. In the first match against Italy he maintained his desire, drive and ambition.

Both in the first half and much of the second, the Albanians’ score was closer to 0:2 than the Croatians’ draw. Dominik Livakovic avoided a final collapse and Ante Budimir, who came on in the 69th minute, was the surprise hero, failing to score but playing a key role in his side’s comeback.

He first fed Andrej Kramaric and he scored in the 74th minute, and immediately afterwards Gjasula accidentally finished his desperate cross from the left into his own net to make it 2:1, causing excessive euphoria among the Croats and a logical and unfair depression among the Albanians. whose fans had already guessed about the logical, albeit unfair, and final defeat.

But the spirit eventually rewarded Albania and especially smiled at Gjasula, who in the penultimate game of the match scored a draw, to the despair of the Croatian, who will play heads or tails in Leipzig on Monday, the last day, which, depending on what happens this Thursday in Gelsenkirchen, it will be a real mess.