Albania rescues dramatic draw against Croatia in Euro 2024 thriller
Albania players celebrate scoring the first goal of the game. Dan Mullan/Getty Images CNN —
Albania scored a stoppage-time equalizer to rescue a 2-2 draw against Croatia on Wednesday, a result which keeps its Euro 2024 campaign alive.
Klaus Gjasula’s 95th-minute strike capped off a thrilling encounter inside Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion stadium, as this year’s European Championships continues to deliver dramatic action and plot twists.
The No. 66 in FIFA’s world rankings, Albania had taken a surprise lead in the first half through Qazim Laci, but Croatia equalized in the 74th minute thanks to Andrej Kramarić’s composed finish.
Just two minutes later and Croatia took the lead with the most fortunate of goals. Albania’s defenders did well to block a shot but the ball ricocheted off Klaus Gjasula who inadvertently scored the cruellest of own goals.
Having lost its opening game against Italy, the defeat would have left Albania on the brink of elimination from the tournament, but there was one more twist to come.
With the clock ticking down, Gjasula redeemed himself in the final moments, leveling the score with a calm finish which sparked jubilant scenes from Albania’s traveling fans.
Croatia, ranked 56 places higher than Albania, looked disappointed by the result at full-time but a draw was probably a fair result.
Albania now sits third in Group B with one point, ahead of Croatia only on goal difference. Italy and Spain are set to play each other in the other group match on Thursday.
This story has been updated with additional information.