Published:
28.06.2024, ora 18:10
- The national team of Croatia drew with Italy on the last matchday of the group stages, meaning they finished with only 2 points.
- While it wasn’t the favorite to win the group, most fans expected Croatia to qualify to the Round of 16, given their great players.
On the 24th of June, during matchday 3, the last of the group stages of the Euro 2024, Croatia faced Italy at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, which resulted in the Croatians not qualifying for the next stage of the tournament. It is the biggest name not to qualify further, as it’s ranked number 9 globally by FIFA.
It was an exciting, yet very even match, where Croatia dominated on the scoreboard until the last minutes, thanks to the goal of Luka Modrić (38 years old). This goal came after the Croatian captain missed a penalty due to an incredible save from Gianluigi Donnarumma (25 years old)> With their last breath, the Italians managed to score in the 98th minute, through the beautiful strike of Mattia Zaccagni (29 years old).
From Zero to Hero
Riccardo Calafiori (22 years old), is an Italian center-back that currently plays for Bologna FC. During the second matchday, when Italy went up against Spain, he scored an unfortunate own goal which was the ultimate decider of the game. He did not particularly stand out in the match against Croatia either, as he received his second yellow card of the group stage, meaning he will miss the next game.
However, a last-minute effort was transformed into an amazing run from the Italian, who sprinted with the ball near the opposition’s box, where he assisted Zaccagni. If it weren’t for that goal, it would have been Italy that would not have qualified further.
Calafiori was also a big part of Bologna’s historic season, where they finished 5th in the Serie A and secured Champions League football for the first time since 1960. Calafiori played 30 matches, scored twice, and assisted 5 times for his club.
The Downfall of a Generation?
Croatia were part of the Group B of the Euro 2024, alongside Spain, Italy and Albania. Many fans named it “The Group of Death”, as 3 teams out of 4 are ranked in the top 10 of national teams, according to FIFA.
The Croatian team was demolished by Spain in the first game, which ended 3-0. Then, they surprisingly drew 2-2 against Albania in one of the most entertaining matches of the group stages. In the end, they also drew against Italy, therefore collecting only 2 points and finishing 3rd in the group. While there was still technically a chance to qualify from the 3rd place, their low amount of points made it impossible to continue this tournament.
Since around 2016, Croatia had possibly the best national team in their history, led by Luka Modrić. They managed to get on the podium in back-to-back World Cups, 2nd place in 2018 and 3rd place in 2020. In 2016 and 2020, they got past the group stage at the Euros but were eliminated in the Round of 16. They were also runners-up in the 2023 Nations League. All of these amazing results were achieved by massive players like Modrić, Ivan Perišić (35 years old), Ivan Rakitić (36 years old), and Mateo Kovačić (30 years old), only to name a few.
However, with this shocking result of the 2024 Euros, it seems this so-called “Golden Generation” of Croatia is reaching the end of its powers, as the players are getting older and older, therefore losing some of their past abilities.
