Croatia’s midfielder Luka Modric reacted disappointingly at the end of the UEFA Euro 2024 Group B football match against Albania, which ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw. The match, which took place at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg on June 19, saw Albania’s Klaus Gjasula scoring at both ends, including a dramatic injury-time equaliser. After suffering a 3-0 loss to Spain in their opening match, Croatia found themselves behind again when Qazim Laci gave Albania an early lead.
However, Croatia showed improvement after making two half-time substitutions, with Andrej Kramaric levelling the score with 16 minutes remaining. Gjasula then put through his own net, giving Croatia the lead. But Albania’s midfielder Gjasula emerged as the hero of the match, scoring a last-gasp equaliser in injury time to secure a point for his team. The draw leaves Croatia in danger of an early exit from the group stage, and they will likely need to beat holders Italy in their final Group B match on June 24 to secure a spot in the knockout phase.
Although Albania has received praise for their performances against Italy and Croatia, they have struggled to hold onto leads in both games. To keep their hopes of reaching the last-16 alive, Albania will need to beat Spain in their final group match. Croatia’s ‘golden generation’ team, which reached the World Cup semi-finals in 2022, now find themselves in danger of an early exit from a major tournament due to a poor first-half display against Albania. The team’s coach, Zlatko Dalic, opted not to make any changes in formation from the Spain defeat but did make some lineup adjustments.
Despite their disappointing result against Albania, Croatia still has a chance to advance to the knockout stage of Euro 2024. However, they will need to put in a strong performance against Italy in their final group match to secure a spot. On the other hand, Albania will be hoping to secure a victory against Spain to keep their tournament hopes alive. The draw between Croatia and Albania was a thrilling encounter, with Gjasula emerging as the hero for his team. Fans will be eagerly anticipating the final group matches to see which teams will progress to the next stage of the competition.
