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29 min: Croatia attempt to counter Italy’s gathering momentum with some sterile possession in midfield. They largely succeed. “As my wife Sara has just pointed out, you never see Luka Modric and Mackenzie Crook together,” notes detectorist Kev McCready.
27 min: Retegui’s neat run down the inside-left channel wins a corner. The set piece is worked towards Barella, just to the right of the D. He wedges a clever diagonal chip towards Bastoni, haring in from the left. Bastoni batters a header goalwards. Livaković tips over with a strong hand and nothing comes of the next corner. But Italy are in their groove now.
26 min: This is so much better from Italy now, who are beginning to hog the ball. The possession stat is still 63% in favour of Croatia, though, which shows how long it took the Italians to get going. Meanwhile BBC viewer Stephen McCrossan writes: “Classic bit of gammon-style stereotypicalism from the perennially dull Danny Murphy there as he tells us the Italian lads are more keen to fall over than most. You’d never get that from Kane or Saka obvs.”
24 min: Pellegrini threatens to break into space down the left, so Sučić clips him cynically. Into the book he goes.
23 min: The corner’s worked back down the left flank to Raspadori, who either crosses or attempts a curler towards the top right. Either way, it’s not very good. Goal kick.
22 min: Pellegrini takes it this time. Like Dimarco’s effort before, it’s poor and fails to beat the first man, but Italy regain possession and Dimarco swings in properly this time. Retegui takes the ball down, 12 yards out, but his snapshot is deflected wide left.
21 min: After a really slow and unsure start, Italy are beginning to get on top. Calafiori sends an outrageously good ball in from the left flank, Retegui rising at the far stick, six yards out. He should get a header on target at the very least, but the presence of Gvardiol is enough to put him off. The header’s going wide, but it flicks off the defender and here comes another corner.
Mateo Retegui of Italy (left) goes up for a header as Croatia keeper Dominik Livakovic eyes the ball. Photograph: Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA19 min: Pongračić misjudges a simple ball bouncing down the middle of the pitch, and as it sails over his head, is very fortunate Retegui steps on the ball and falls over. The striker would have broken clear otherwise.
17 min: Modric scoops a ball down the right for Kramaric, who can’t get the better of Bastoni. A decent interception, but the clearance isn’t all that, and Stanišić is allowed time to cross the ball. Not quite enough time, though, as it takes a deflection off Calafiori and loops into Donnarumma’s arms.
15 min: Corner for Italy on the right. Dimarco swings it to the near post, but it’s easily cleared, and Modric is on hand to barrel up the left flank. Barella does well to spot the danger and shoulder the little genius off the ball. For a second there, Italy looked exposed at the back.
14 min: Some breathing space for Italy: Spain have gone 1-0 up against Albania. Michael Butler has the details.
13 min: Kramaric finds some space out on the right and feeds a low diagonal pass towards Sicic. Calafiori does very well to hook clear.
11 min: Jorginho finds Dimarco in space down the left. Dimarco crosses low. Pellegrini attempts to steer a diving header goalwards from the edge of the Croatian box, but the effort is always flying wide left. Still, full marks for ambition. It would have been a Houchenesque, Van Persieist spectacular had it gone in.
9 min: Croatia back on the ball. Kramaric probes down the left but is forced to turn tail.
7 min: Italy clearly not yet fully recovered from the runaround they were given by Spain the other night. They try to clear their heads with some possession at the back of their own. Then finally they show in attack, Di Lorenzo curling in low from the right in the hope of finding Retegui in the middle. Pongračić hooks clear.
5 min: Nothing comes of the resulting corner, but that’s a very assured start by Croatia, who wasted no time in imposing themselves on Italy.
4 min: A long pass down the inside-right channel for Kramarić to chase. Bastoni ushers it out for a goal kick. But the ball’s soon coming back at Italy, and Sučić pearls a rising shot that Donnarumma is forced to tip over else it sneak into the top-left corner.
3 min: Croatia still have it.
2 min 03 sec: Italy touch the ball! Bastoni with a clearing header. Croatia regain possession and set about their business again.
2 min: Croatia spend the first couple of minutes pinging the ball around the back. Italy press but to no avail; they’ve not had a touch yet!
Croatia get the ball rolling. A huge roar. More Croatian fans than Italian in the ground tonight.
The teams are out! Croatia wear their famous red and white checks, while Italy sport their storied blue. National songs are sung: paeans to the Drava, Sava and Danube, hosannas sung from the Alps to Sicily. Both are nape-of-neck-bothering bangers. Amid a wonderful atmosphere at the Zentralstadion, hands are being shaken, fists bumped, coins tossed, and pennants swapped. We’ll be off in a couple of minutes!
Fans back in Milan watching the game on a big screen belt out their national anthem. Photograph: Claudia Greco/ReutersGiven the manner in which Italy have failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, yet won the European Championship in between, you’d think the current squad would be well versed in the thin line between glory and abject failure. However, on the off-chance they’re not, the team Spain have put out against Albania tonight should have snapped them out of any residual complacency. The Red Fury are already through to the knockouts as group winners and, as the more cynical among us would have expected, have taken the opportunity of resting some of their top talent. Ten changes! So should Albania pull off a win and Croatia register another victory against a country they’ve got the sign over … well … addio, Italia, we hardly knew ye. Michael Butler has all the details of Luis de la Fuente’s Selección, and his MBM will be required reading tonight. Get toggling those tabs, kids.
Zlatko Dalic makes four changes to the Croatia XI that started the 2-2 draw with Albania. Josip Stanišić and Marin Pongračić replace Josip Juranović and Ivan Perišić in defence, while Mario Pašalić and Luka Sučić come in for Bruno Petković and Lovro Majer up top.
Luka Modric leads the Croatian team out for the warm up prior to the Euro 2024 group game against Italy. Photograph: Boris Streubel/Uefa/Getty ImagesItaly coach Luciano Spalletti makes three changes to his side in the wake of the more-comprehensive-than-it-sounds 1-0 defeat by Spain, and they’re all in attack. Out go Davide Frattesi, Gianluca Scamacca and Federico Chiesa; in come Giacomo Raspadori and Mateo Retegui up front, with Matteo Darmain adding some ballast to the back line.
The teamsCroatia: Livakovic, Stanisic, Sutalo, Pongracic, Gvardiol, Modric, Brozovic, Kovacic, Mario Pasalic, Kramaric, Sucic.
Subs: Erlic, Majer, Labrovic, Perisic, Budimir, Petkovic, Ivanusec, Sosa, Pjaca, Vida, Juranovic, Ivusic, Marco Pasalic, Baturina.
Italy: Donnarumma, Darmian, Bastoni, Calafiori, Di Lorenzo, Barella, Jorginho, Dimarco, Pellegrini, Retegui, Raspadori.
Subs: Buongiorno, Gatti, Frattesi, Scamacca, Vicario, Chiesa, Bellanova, Cristante, Mancini, Zaccagni, Fagioli, El Shaarawy, Cambiaso, Folorunsho, Meret.
Referee: Danny Makkelie (Netherlands).
PreambleNeither of these teams have particularly impressed so far. Italy conceded a goal after 23 seconds against Albania, then were thrashed 1-0 by Spain; Croatia put up a slightly better show against the Spanish in a 3-0 defeat (funny old scoring system, football) but shipped a late, late, late equaliser against the Albanians. All of which means this …
… which in turn means Croatia almost certainly need to win tonight if they’re to make it through to the knockout stage. This is most likely the last hurrah for their golden generation, who have come second and third at the last two World Cups, and were runners-up in last year’s Nations League. But Croatia have never quite made it at the European Championships: their deepest run, to the quarter-finals in 2008, is best remembered for the wild celebration of a 119th-minute “winner” against Turkey that was equalised in stoppage time before the subsequent inevitable penalty loss. So perhaps the Euros owe them a little something.
The reigning champions Italy face plenty of jeopardy of their own. A draw will be enough to see them through to the knockouts, but if they lose tonight they’d go out should Albania shock Spain – who have already qualified as group winners and could be forgiven for easing off the gas, so nothing’s off the table. Worryingly for the Azzurri, their record against Croatia is not great: in nine matches they’ve only won once, losing three. They’ll gain succour from the fact that the last three meetings between the countries have ended 1-1, which would be more than enough tonight. So with both sides in vague states of desperation, this is poised deliciously. The fun in Leipzig begins at 8pm BST. It’s on!