June 19, 2024- The first match of the second matchday of Euro 2024 was between Croatia and Albania at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg. The match was full of excitement as Albania held Croatia to a draw after a stoppage-time goal by Klaus Gjasula. This match was vital for Croatia to advance into the knockout stages, but they lost their momentum in the start when Albania took advantage of the poor defense of Croatia and Qazim Laci scored a header in the goal during the 11th minute. In the second half, Zlatko Dalic's men were pressing Albania effectively, as birthday boy Andrej Kramaric leveled the score with an easy finish in the 74th minute, showing that they are 'not done' yet. Croatia took the lead in the 76th minute, as the tradition of own goals in this tournament was continued by Albania's Klaus Gjasula. The match ended with a top-class finish by Klaus Gjasula during the 90+5th minute after Croatia's Josip Sutalo's poor clearance. Both teams shared points as the match was held at a draw. Croatia's unsatisfactory performance persists due to their heavy reliance on their midfield trio and the absence of young players who bring speed and flexibility to the game. As of now, Croatia have to win their last game against Italy to keep hope for knockouts, as they are at the bottom of Group B, whereas Albania are sitting in third place, and gave a very strong answer to experts who termed them the 'Punching Bag' of the group.
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| Albanian players after their comeback draw against Croatia |
The second match of the day at MHP Arena in Stuttgart was between hosts Germany and Hungary. The match was quite exciting in terms of its quality. Germany beat Hungary to become the first nation in this edition of Euro 2024 to qualify for the round of 16. In one of the tournament's fast-paced encounters, Germany was constantly creating chances in the Hungarian box. During the 22nd minute, an unneeded attempt to clear the ball by Hungary's Willi Orban resulted in a goal for Germany, as Ilkay Gundogan wasted no time passing the ball to Jamal Musiala, who netted it easily. Hungary also created opportunities, but the tight defense of Germany couldn't let the ball into the goal. In the 26th minute, Hungary was awarded a free kick, and Dominik Szoboszlai curled the ball perfectly, but the safe hands of Manuel Neuer didn't let the ball inside his post. During the second half, Germany held most of the possession, and as Hungary was struggling to get the ball out of the half, the sublime passing of Germany doubled their lead as Mittelstadt delivered a through ball to unmarked Gundogan inside the box, who put the ball safely into the goal. Germany won the match and now sits comfortably at the top of their group. On the other hand, Hungary will have to sort out their plans to qualify for the knockouts, as they are last in the group.
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| Germany's captain Ilkay Gundogan celebrating after scoring goal |
Final Results
Report by Sarthak Khode
Contact- sarthakkhode@gmail.com
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