Croatia Held to Dramatic Draw by Albania
Albania Score Late Equalizer to Deny Croatia Victory
Croatia's World Cup Hopes in Jeopardy
WEB 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 stages of the UEFA EURO Group stage. Despite taking an early lead through a first-half penalty, Croatia were pegged back by Albania's resilient defence and an inspired second-half performance.
As the match entered stoppage time, it looked like Croatia would secure a vital three points, but Albania's captain, Bekim Balaj, had other ideas. With just seconds remaining, Balaj latched onto a long ball and fired a stunning shot past the Croatian goalkeeper, sending the Albanian bench into raptures.
The result leaves Croatia with just one point from their opening two matches, while Albania moved to four points and boosted their chances of progressing to the knockout stages. Croatia now faces an uphill battle to qualify, as they must defeat current group leaders Italy in their final match and hope for a favourable result in the other group fixture.
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