Croatia 2-2 Albania: Luka Modric and Co suffer ANOTHER Euro 2024 blow as they concede stoppage time equaliser to leave knockout hopes hanging by a thread

Zlatko Dalic’s message to the Croatian fans before the match was straight out of the Take That songbook: just have a little patience.

A 3-0 defeat to Spain in the opening match had caused panic in some parts of the country.

The Croatian newspaper Medimurske Novine called on Dalic and his players to ‘wake up’. There were ‘no more excuses’ to be found, according to the sharp editorial.

And for 73 minutes, whatever little patience was left upon arriving in Hamburg on Wednesday seemed to have completely evaporated. By minute 95, Dalic’s script seemed to be true, but Albania provided the final sting in the story.

Just when Croatia expected an impressive turnaround, Albania opted for kamikaze football. Formation 4-2-4, operation score at any cost. Initially they shook up their lines, flailing and disappearing into the penalty area.

Croatian manager Zlatko Dalic had asked his team to show patience going into the match

Klaus Gjasula scored the equalizer deep into stoppage time to keep his side’s hopes of a last 16 place alive

There were shouts of panic from the Croatian fans. And yet their panic and concern was justified when Albania ripped their hearts out with a dramatic late equalizer in the 95th minute.

“The key will be patience,” Dalic had said. ‘We must not lose our heads and our concentration. It would be nice to open the match in the most beautiful way, but we should not rush, we are going for the win, but a point is also important for us.

‘Patience, aggressiveness and an approach that guarantees us to be competitive is essential.’

In the end, it was a description that fit Albania’s resolve, even as it seemed like it was all being taken away from them. On Google’s live rankings, Croatia’s win probability stood at 99.8 percent when Klaus Gjasula, the man who had put Croatia ahead with an own goal, hit back to make amends with a last-second equalizer.

Patience is not really a word in the repertoire of this team from Albania. Against Italy they needed just 23 seconds to find the back of the net in their opener and so scoring in the 11th minute here was slow by their standards.

Jasir Asani, a difference maker on the day who led Croatia in Super Mario boots, was given far too much time to lift his head and smash a sumptuous cross straight onto Qazim Laci’s head.

The header, although good, went through the palms of goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, who did not cover himself in any glory. After scoring just twice in his first 26 games for Albania, Laci now has two goals in three games this month.

Albania went into this tournament labeled as the whipping boys of Group B, the so-called ‘Group of Death’. Albania were expected to lose all three of their matches. Although they are winless, they have shown that they are alive and kicking.

Qazim Laci had once again put his side ahead in the tournament with a fine effort in the first half

However, Croatia came from behind, with their first goal scored by Andrej Kramaric (left)

After scoring an own goal, Gjasula had the last word with a low goal seconds before the end

When the break came and Albania’s lead, although deserved, was only 1-0, they were left with missed chances and it almost came back to bite them.

Asani, once again at the heart of Albania’s best moves, whipped in a ball from the left after half an hour and the subsequent header fell from the sky to Elseid Hysaj on the edge of the penalty area before he fired over the ball.

A minute later, Livakovic made up for his mistake on goal by producing a stunning one-on-one save to deny Kristjan Asllani from close range. That felt like a game-changing moment, and it showed.

There was no patience left in the Croatian ranks in the second half after Dalic made two immediate changes, bringing on Mario Pasalic and Luka Sucic, both of whom had an impact.

Led by Man City’s Mateo Kovacic, who stepped on the gas in the second half, Croatia finally stung Strakosha’s gloves and managed a shot on target after 50 minutes. They eventually had to take off.

Reminiscent of Portugal’s total ball dominance against the Czech Republic 24 hours earlier, Croatia finally broke Albania’s resistance in devastating fashion.

Dalic showed anything but patience as he nervously paced back and forth as he waited for the final whistle

Ante Budmir, another substitute sent on by Dalic to save this, produced a brilliant flick into the path of Andrej Kramaric in the area and he looked at the goalkeeper before firing in, sending a plume of smoke from the Croatian fans .

Albania were rocking, their heads still spinning when Budimir’s cutback in the area was converted into his own net by Gjasula two minutes later. The comeback was complete, or so it seemed.

Dalic paced nervously; he didn’t look like a man with much patience as he waited for the final whistle.

When the 2-2 draw resulted in a share of the winnings, Dalic and Croatia fans looked as if their balloon had been popped. By the end it was another Take That song in my head… after a ferocious 96 minutes: how did it get to this point?