Jakarta –
Riccardo Calafiori so sick at the moment Italia lost to Spain because of an own goal. Now Calafiori ‘paid for it’ by becoming the creator of the goal against Croatia, which beat Italy.
Duel Croatia vs Italy in the final match of Group B Euro 2024 held at the Red Bull Arena, Leipzig, Tuesday (25/6/2024) early morning WIB. Italy was on the edge after Croatia took the lead through Luka Modric’s goal in the 55th minute.
Croatia’s advantage lasted until the final minutes of the match. In the final seconds, Italy built an attack and Calafiori moved with the ball into the final third of the field.
Calmly, the Bologna defender then pushed the ball to the left side where Mattia Zaccagni was standing relatively unmarked. Zaccagni fired a curling shot which aimed at the top right corner of the Croatian goal.
Italy survived defeat. The 1-1 draw saw Gli Azzurri qualify for the last 16 of Euro 2024 as runners-up in Group B.
“Honestly, I don’t know where I got the energy from, it was a really tough match. I have to do something for the team that welcomed me well, I don’t want the journey to end here, so I want to give something positive,” said Calafiori to Sky Sport Italia.
After the match, Calafiori looked emotional. The 22 year old player lay on the pitch and was seen shedding tears.
“I can’t even think, I’m just happy. More than anything, it’s all the emotions I’ve had inside me over the last few days, because I didn’t have time to process it because we had to focus on the next game. It just came out,” Calafiori said.
“I want to make up for my own goal and make a positive contribution to the national team,” he said.
Also watch Video: Euro 2024: Beat Albania 1-0, Spain Perfect in Group Phase
(nds/aff)
