Croatia Held to Stunning Late Draw by Albania in Euro 2024 Qualifier
Albania Denies Croatia Two Points in Stoppage Time
In a stunning turn of events, Albania scored a dramatic late equalizer to deny Croatia a victory that would have significantly boosted their chances in the UEFA EURO 2024 Group Stage qualifying campaign. The match, played at the Volksparkstadion stadium in Hamburg, Germany, saw Croatia dominate much of the possession and create numerous scoring opportunities. However, they were unable to capitalize on their chances and were ultimately punished by Albania.
Croatia's Dominance Goes Unrewarded
Croatia started the match strongly and had the better of the chances in the first half. They forced several saves from the Albanian goalkeeper, but they were unable to break the deadlock. In the second half, Croatia continued to press, but Albania defended resolutely and began to create their own chances on the counterattack.
As the match entered stoppage time, it seemed that Croatia would be left to rue their missed opportunities. However, in a dramatic twist, Albania striker Keidi Bare somehow managed to bundle the ball home from a corner kick, sending shockwaves through the stadium.
Qualification Hopes Dented for Croatia
The draw leaves Croatia with just one point from two matches in Group G, putting their qualification hopes in jeopardy. The 2018 World Cup finalists will now need to win their remaining matches to have any chance of reaching the knockout stages. Albania, meanwhile, move up to three points and will be confident of causing further upsets in the group.
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