Italy secured a place in the EURO 2024 Round of 16 after a 1-1 draw against Croatia: here are three talking points from the dramatic match in Leipzig, including the best Azzurri player in the tournament so far.
Italy will meet Switzerland in the EURO 2024 Round of 16 on Saturday, June 29, following an epic draw against Croatia last night. One point was enough to progress to the knock-out phase, but the Azzurri struggled to get the result, so what did we learn in Leipzig?
System
Spalletti picked a three-man defence for the first time at EURO 2024, and, for the first time in this tournament, he changed the Azzurri starting XI. It was expected after a poor performance against Spain, but the outcome was not entirely convincing, save the result. Croatia had a strong start and, as Spalletti had predicted, the Azzurri defended with a low block at times, but there were moments when they tried to press high to win the ball in the opponents’ half. To be fair, the result was a pretty confusing performance where Italy managed to create clear-cut chances only from set pieces, except for a promising Chiesa pass inside the box and Zaccagni’s late goal. Spalletti said players didn’t show the quality they have and even blamed them for not winning enough duels. There is still a lot of work to do before Saturday. The question is always the same. Is there enough time? The answer is also known: probably not and the CT irritability after the final whistle proves he has several things to fix.
Calafiori rollercoaster
One of the best players on the pitch against Albania. An own goal against Spain. A superb assist against Croatia. Calafiori’s Euros have been a rollercoaster so far, but one thing the Azzurri defender has never lacked is personality. That’s what he showed last night when he sprinted into the final third to set up Zaccagni for the decisive goal. It’s something we’ve already seen this season, and coincidentally, the Bologna centre-back had delivered a similar pass during preparation at Coverciano before the Euros when Spalletti used him as a No.10 in a 12 v 12 training match. The product of Roma Academy is undoubtedly among the most surprising players in this tournament and one of the best in the Azzurri ranks in Germany.
Best Italy player so far
There is just one option here: Gigio Donnarumma. Like it or not, the ex-Milan star was decisive in every game Italy played so far. The save on Rey Manaj in the dying minutes of Italy vs Albania helped the Azzurri secure a key win. Against Spain, a match where Italy didn’t even produce a shot on target, the PSG star made eight saves and it was only thanks to him that the scoreline didn’t reflect Spain’s domination on the pitch. Last night, he saved another penalty kick, this time on Luka Modric, and 30 seconds later he denied Ante Budimir but could do nothing to avoid Modric’s tap-in goal. The Azzurri captain has been the best and most consistent Italian player at the Euros so far and should be much more respected in the country. I’ve said this already, but better to reiterate because I’m pretty sure haters will emerge again as soon as Gigio makes his first mistake.