In the early hours of June 25, the final round of Group B of the Euro 2024 group stage was played, and Italy drew 1-1 with Croatia in the last minute to advance to the second place in the group. Italy faced Switzerland in the 1/8 finals.
After the start of the game, the two sides attacked and defended each other. In the 4th minute, Sucic shot from outside the box and Donnarumma saved the ball. In the 10th minute, Dimarco crossed from the left and Pellegrini headed the ball wide. In the 26th minute, Barella took the ball down the right and Bastoni's header was saved by Kovakovic. In the 35th minute, Manuel Pellegrini dribbled into the box and shot with his feet, and Kovakovic got the ball. The first half ended with a score of 0-0 for both teams.
In the second half, in the 52nd minute, Kramaric kicked up in the penalty area, Frattesi was fouled for handball, and the referee finally awarded a penalty after using VAR. Luka Modric's penalty is saved by Donnarumma. Croatia then attacked again after breaking the ball in midfield, Pasalic cut inside on the left and crossed, Bodimir's header was saved by Donnarumma, and Modric scored from the post to give Croatia a 1-0 lead. In the 60th minute, Italy won a corner kick on the right side, and Bastoni headed the ball high. In the 87th minute, Chiesa crossed from the right, and Scamacca outflanked the ball without touching it. In the 97th minute of stoppage time, Calafioli crossed the ball diagonally into the box and Zaccagni slotted home. In the end, Italy drew 1-1 with Croatia.
After being crushed by Spain, Italy reverted to a back three against Croatia. Although the back three increased the density of personnel at the back and compressed the opponent's attacking space at the cost of being far from the center of the formation, it was good for the defense and allowed Italy to return to its old traditions.
In this game, there was a return to a three-centre-back, and despite the lack of perfection at the back, Dotruma is currently in excellent form in the European Championships, saving Luka Modric's penalty in this game, and Calafioli has attacking attributes at the back. With a lack of midfield ability and a weak forward line, Italy's three central defenders may be the most important option in the knockout stage of the European Championship.
For Croatia, a 1-1 win saw the Plaid Army overtake Albania to finish third in the group and have a chance to progress to the knockout rounds thanks to four third-place finishes. However, Croatia currently have only 2 points and a goal difference of -3, which is no longer an advantage in the competition with Hungary and Group E teams.