In one of the most chaotic and entertaining matches of Euro 2024 so far, Croatia and Albania went blow for blow until the referee finally called time on a frantic contest.
Croatia, who trailed at half-time and looked bereft of ideas in attack, thought they had completed an impressive turnaround after the break.
The equaliser was scored by Andrej Kramaric, who found himself free and unmarked in the box, before guiding a low shot through the legs of Elseid Hysaj and into the bottom left corner.
And just two minutes later, Croatia were in front. A powerful run down the left from substitute Mario Pasalic led to a cut back and a hurried shot. Albania’s goal had led a charmed life for some time but their fortune ran out as a ricochet off Klaus Gjasula flew into the net, leaving goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha helpless.
Both goals were crucial for Croatia, who despite their second-half dominance had looked in real danger of falling to an ignominious defeat against one of the lowest ranked teams in the tournament.
But the drama did not end there. In added time, Gjasula made amends for his own goal, latching onto a cross and finishing coolly to send the Albanian fans into raptures.
Like in their opening game against Italy, Sylvinho’s side were unable to hold onto their narrow lead, despite some resilient defending for long periods. This time, though, they rallied themselves after conceding twice and earned a deserved draw in a finale that left the commentators breathless.
Croatia’s players were visibly dejected at full time. They will know that qualification is now likely to depend on beating Italy in their final group match.
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