June 19, (THEWILL)- Albania produced a remarkable late comeback to earn a potentially crucial 2-2 draw against Croatia in their Euro 2024 Group B clash on Wednesday. The result leaves both sides on one point each heading into the final round of group games, with progression to the knockout stages still up for grabs.
The underdogs got off to a dream start in Bucharest, taking a surprise 11th-minute lead through Qazim Laçi’s near-post header. Croatia pushed hard for an equaliser but struggled to create clear chances as Albania defended resolutely and looked threatening on the counter-attack.
Croatia finally levelled in the 74th minute when Andrej Kramarić fired home on his birthday. Substitute Ante Budimir then turned the game around, his cut-back leading to an own goal by Klaus Gjasula. Yet, there was late drama as Gjasula atoned for his error by heading home deep into stoppage time to snatch an unlikely point for Albania.
While Croatia avoided their first back-to-back losses at a major tournament since Euro 96, they will likely need a result against defending champions Italy to secure a knockout round spot. As for Albania, Sylvinho’s side have it all to play for against Spain after this morale-boosting fightback.
The final Group B games take place on Monday, with Croatia facing Italy and Albania taking on Spain.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
