Croatia vs Italy: Zaccagni’s Late Strike Sends Italy Through in Euro 2024. Mattia Zaccagni’s dramatic 98th-minute goal was the heartbreaker for Croatia, sealing Italy’s qualification for the Euro 2024 knockout stage instead of them.
Luka Modric, at 38 years and 289 days, etched his name in Euro history by becoming the oldest scorer, rebounding from a missed penalty with a goal just 33 seconds later, but his heroic effort ultimately proved futile.
Italy’s late equalizer means they will meet Switzerland in Berlin on June 29th, while Croatia faces an anxious wait to see if they qualify as one of the top third-place finishers, a scenario that seems improbable given their mere two points. The Opta supercomputer, echoing sentiments, gives them just a 2.7% chance of progressing beyond the group stage.
The first half was a tense affair, marked by caution and a midfield stalemate, with neither side willing to concede ground easily.
Despite Croatia dominating possession, Italy created more promising chances early on. Alessandro Bastoni tested Dominik Livakovic with a powerful header off Nicolò Barella’s superb cross in the 27th minute, the Croatian keeper tipping the ball over the bar with an acrobatic save.
Croatia, needing a victory to advance, upped their intensity in the second half. Their opportunity came swiftly, seven minutes post-break, when VAR awarded a penalty for Davide Frattesi’s handball in the box.
However, Modric’s spot-kick was thwarted by Italian captain Gianluigi Donnarumma, marking Croatia’s third straight penalty miss in major tournaments, excluding shootouts—a streak that included Bruno Petkovic’s earlier miss against Spain and Modric’s World Cup misfire versus Denmark.
But Modric swiftly redeemed himself, capitalizing on Donnarumma’s subsequent save from Ante Budimir’s strike to rifle the ball into the net, becoming the oldest scorer in European Championship history in the process.
Earning his 178th cap for Croatia, Modric’s goal appeared to extend his national team legacy further into the summer, until Zaccagni’s stunning late curler potentially marked the end of the midfielder’s international career. If so, it would be a poignant conclusion to an illustrious 18-year tenure in the Croatia shirt.
With Italy’s fate hanging on a third-place finish, they ended a 281-minute Euros goal drought in style, as substitute Zaccagni curled in a perfect strike. His goal, the ninth scored in second-half added time at Euro 2024, already matched the tournament’s highest total.
For Italy, Group B proved challenging from the outset, pitting them against Spain and Croatia. While they managed an expected victory over Albania in their opener, even securing three points in that match proved more laborious than anticipated. Notably, they didn’t register a single shot on target in the second half until Zaccagni’s decisive strike almost at the final whistle.
The Opta match center provides a comprehensive breakdown of Croatia vs. Italy stats from their Euro 2024 clash at Leipzig Stadium in Germany. It includes team and player stats, expected goals data, passing networks, an Opta chalkboard, and more, facilitating in-depth match analysis.
Below the match center, official Opta stats on the game offer further insights.
Post-Match Facts: Croatia vs. Italy
- Luka Modric, at 38 years and 289 days, became the oldest player to score at the UEFA European Championship finals.
- Italy came from behind to avoid defeat in two of their three group games at Euro 2024, matching their previous efforts only twice in the competition’s history (2-1 wins over Bulgaria in 2004 and a 1-1 draw against Romania in 2008).
- This is only the second time Croatia has failed to win any group games at a Euro finals (D2 L1), previously doing so in 2004 (D2 L1).
- Each of the last four meetings between Croatia and Italy in all competitions has ended in a draw, since Croatia’s 2-0 victory in a friendly in August 2006.
- Croatia has now missed three consecutive penalties in major competitions, scoring only two of their last six penalties (excluding shootouts).
- There was just 33 seconds between Luka Modric’s saved penalty and his subsequent goal, his sixth at major competition finals for Croatia. He is only the second player to score at four different Euros editions after Cristiano Ronaldo (5 goals).
- Including shootouts, Italy’s Gianluigi Donnarumma has saved four of his last seven penalties faced at Euro finals, with one hitting the woodwork.
- Mattia Zaccagni scored his debut goal for Italy, timing it at 97 minutes and 19 seconds, marking the second-latest goal in a Euros game (excluding extra time), behind Hungary’s Kevin Csoboth’s strike against Scotland (99:33).
