Albania scored a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser to deny Croatia a victory that severely dents the 2018 World Cup finalists’ hopes of reaching the knockout stage of Euro 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.
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Spain made an emphatic start to their quest to win a fourth European Championship with an impressive victory over Croatia at Olympiastadion Berlin. First-half goals by Alvaro Morata, Fabian Ruiz and Dani Carvajal essentially settled the outcome before the break and, although Croatia offered little, this must still go down as a statement win for La Roja.
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Manchester City have completed the signing of Croatia centre-back Josko Gvardiol on a five-year deal from RB Leipzig for €90m. He is the second most expensive defender of all time after Harry Maguire, who joined Manchester United for £80m from Leicester City in 2019. Gvardiol, 21, has impressed in his two seasons at Leipzig after joining from Dynamo Zagreb in July 2021.
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Croatia showed their class once more by clinching their third top-three finish at the World Cup with a play-off victory over history-makers Morocco. In a frantic opening, Josko Gvardiol gave Croatia the lead with a superb diving header but Achraf Dari levelled just two minutes later before Mislav Orsic curled in a sumptuous second for Croatia.
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A dazzling performance from Lionel Messi led Argentina to their sixth World Cup final with a 3-0 victory over Croatia at Lusail Stadium. Messi now gets one last chance to win the piece of silverware that has eluded him in his trophy-laden career, but 22-year-old striker Julian Alvarez also shone as Argentina ensured they will return on Sunday to face either France or Morocco.
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