In a twist of events, Albania managed to hold Croatia to a 2-2 draw in Hamburg in the Euro 2024 group B match, thanks to Klaus Gjasula’s stoppage time equaliser. This dramatic finish kept Albania’s chances of progressing to the quarter finals alive. Remarkably, Croatia, who reached the 2022 World Cup semi-finals, had almost secured a astonishing turnaround victory. The initial lead was sparked by Qazim Laci’s early strike for Albania, which was negated by Andrej Kramaric in the 74th minute. Ironically, Gjasula then inadvertently guided the ball into his own net, putting Croatia ahead. In the dying moments, however, Gjasula redeemed himself by steering Albania’s attack into a stunning equaliser with a left-footed shot.
The contest heated up when, within 10 minutes since kickoff, Jasir Asani passed the ball to Laci who found the back of the net with a subtle header, trickling it past the Croatian goalkeeper, Dominik Livakovic. Kristjan Asllani nearly doubled Albania’s lead but was thwarted by a splendid save from Livakovic. The Croatian keeper was once again called into action just before halftime to deny Rey Manaj’s header.
Upon resuming after halftime, Croatia displayed greater determination. They missed a chance to level the score when Josip Sutalo’s header veered off-target. However, Croatia found the equaliser through Kramaric. He seized on a pass from Ante Budimir and let loose a shot that sneaked past Elseid Hysaj. Budimir was again involved in Croatia’s second goal, his assist being deflected off Gjasula into Albania’s net. However, Gjasula made up for his earlier mishap by converting a late chance into a goal, preserving Albania’s campaign.