Late drama: Albania holds Croatia to 2-2 draw
In what was a chaotic but entertaining end to the game, the Albanians rescued a point when Klaus Gjasula side-footed home in the 95th minute to send their supporters wild
Albania’s Klaus Gjasula celebrates with teammates after scoring the equaliser in 90+5 minutes
HAMBURG: Albania scored a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser to deny Croatia a victory that severely dents their hopes of reaching the knockout stage of Euros 2024.
In what was a chaotic but entertaining end to the game, the Albanians rescued a point when Klaus Gjasula side-footed home in the 95th minute to send their supporters wild.
It had looked like the game would finish in heartbreak for Albania, having let slip another early lead.
Qazim Laci struck in the 11th minute and his side then defended superbly for over an hour as they looked on the verge of producing a major upset.
But Croatia turned around an incredible game at Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion when former Leicester forward Andrej Kramaric drove in an equaliser, before Luka Sucic’s shot deflected off Gjasula and into the Albania net.
But Gjasula had the final say with his late strike, which means Croatia will now need to beat defending champions Italy in their final Group B game to have a chance of progressing.
Albania faces a tough test in their next game against Spain, but this is a performance and result that will live long in the memory of their fans.