Croatia v Italy live: Result and reaction latest as Azzurri snatch last-gasp draw to reach Euro 2024 knockouts and Spain v Albania

Italy have become the first team to be among the favorites for Euro 2024 that no other country has ever bothered with, or thought brave or worthwhile.

No, don’t go all-out-attack and wipe the floor with the opposition – Germany did just that on the opening night. Don’t let go of a big name, or let go of a leading scorer.

Instead, Luciano Spalletti ensured the Azzurri were the first of the big guns to try to show their tactical prowess in more than one different formation, switching their formation to a back four and a wide forward to line up 3 in the opening two fixtures. Group B with a 5-2 win over Croatia.

Against Spain in particular, their wide players failed to make any impact, and Federico Ceesa was one of those who paid the price, with Spalletti’s changes bringing a roving two-man strikeforce, with Gianluca Scamocca also pulled from the bench. Dutiful, key man of the qualifying campaign Giacomo Raspatori replaced him as the third central defender with Matteo Darmian.

It lasted an hour, before panic mode set in.

Here is the updated list of results for Euro 2024.

Spain: Spain were already group winners after beating Italy 1-0. Spain finished with maximum points after defeating Albania and will play one of the top four third-placed teams in Cologne on Sunday 30 June at 8pm.

Italy: On a dramatic night in Leipzig, the holders denied Croatia a last-minute equalizer to progress to the last-16. They face Switzerland.

Croatia: Luka Modric and team looked to be doing it again until Mattia Cacagne’s last-gasp goal knocked them out. Croatia needed to win but went home from the last 16. Two points won’t be enough to move into third, but it’s possible if results from the other groups go their way.

Albania: Albania had to beat Spain following a 1-0 defeat.

Instead, almost certainly, Croatia will be kicked out of Euro 2024. Over 120 minutes and penalties, a team that could have excelled missed a penalty and conceded in the 98th minute. While it was shaping up to be the night of an all-time great in Luka Modric, he was instead upstaged by a newcomer to such occasions.

With Mattia Zacagni coming off the bench, the 29-year-old forward didn’t score a goal for Italy. When he did, it was brilliant, curling a shot around Lazio winger Dominik Livakovic.

Stewards were sent onto the pitch during Albania vs Spain after a young fan started running past security, briefly stopping the tie.

The youngster came on in the 90th minute of the Euro 2024 group-stage clash in Dusseldorf.

Albania returned to the bench after being chased by several brightly colored security details before being arrested and taken away.

Despite making 10 changes from Spain’s previous match, the match ended 1-0.

Spain, who topped the group, advanced to the knockout rounds.

It’s a fair walk from Dusseldorf Hauptbahnhof to the Merkur Spiel-Arena. Although it feels long in the 27-degree heat, it’s about 90 minutes, watching the surface of the Rhine and gently roasting your cheeks. However, the long, straight, riverside route looked natural, with the blue of the Rhine balanced by the red streams on its banks on Monday evening as the Albanians and Spaniards made the trek ahead of the final game of the group stage. .

For the Albanians, this will be their last match at Euro 2024. They saw it as an inevitability before kick-off.

On this particular route they outnumbered the Spanish supporters, and they were in cheerful voices and seemingly optimistic spirits. Near the start of the route, at the crossing of the Oberkasseler Bridge, fans who had avoided walking to the stadium were driving or hanging out – the latter group singing and waving flags; The former blew their horns and tied the national crests on their bonnets.

If it’s the second match of the night, those watching Italy-Croatia may have missed the chance to see the fifth-best team at Euro 2024. It was the second team in Spanish football, which played with a fluidity beyond all others. Different from the competition.

They had many of the same qualities as the first team, if the same flaws in finishing. That didn’t matter here as they beat Albania Football 1-0 to make it three wins from three in the group stage. They will now almost certainly become the first European champions to win all their games, something no one has ever done, even in the 16-team era. That is what Spain should be aiming for.

That’s not to put Albania down, knowing they had a chance to stay in this tournament, but they just couldn’t get close enough. They eventually sank to their knees in frustration, but even that was likely due to considerable fatigue from chasing passes.

Here’s that Jaggagni target in real time. What a fantastic result!

So Spain and Italy advance from Group B. A nervous wait to see if Croatia will make it to the next round.

Italy take on Switzerland in Berlin on Saturday 29 June at 5pm BST.

Spain don’t know their opponents yet, but they do know they will play in Cologne on June 30 at 8pm BST. They will play the third-placed team from Group A, D, E or F.

So, this is what Group B looks like after the final round of matches.

1 (Q) – Spain – 9 points, GD +5

2 (Q) – Italy – 4 points, GD +1

3 – Croatia – 2 points, GD -3

4 – Albania – 0 points, GD -2