Euro 2024: Italy and Spain Seal Round of 16 Berths

Italy clinched a heartbreaking victory over Croatia in the final moments of their Group B match, while Spain dominated Albania to secure their place in the Round of 16.

Italy's Euro 2024 journey took a dramatic turn on the final day of Group B matches, as the Azzurri secured a hard-fought 98th-minute win against Croatia at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig. The victory propelled Italy to the Round of 16 as group runner-up, where they will face Switzerland.

The match was a tense affair, with both teams battling for control. Croatia took the lead in the 67th minute through Luka Modrić's penalty, becoming the oldest goal-scorer in Euros history at 38 years and 289 days. Italy pushed forward relentlessly, and their efforts were rewarded in the dying seconds when Mattia Zaccagni found the back of the net, sending the Azzurri into raptures.

Euro 2024: Italy and Spain Seal Round of 16 Berths

Meanwhile, Spain continued their impressive form by defeating Albania 1-0 at the Allianz Arena in Munich. Ferran Torres scored the lone goal in the 30th minute, ensuring Spain's passage to the Round of 16 as group winners. They will now face one of the third-placed teams in the knockout stage.

Spain's victory marked several milestones. They recorded a clean sheet in all three group stage matches, becoming the first team to achieve this feat in the Euros since the group stage began in 1980. They also became the only team to win all three group stage matches without conceding a single goal, a feat previously accomplished by Italy at Euro 2020.

Ferran Torres' goal extended his scoring streak for Spain to 15 matches, with the team remaining undefeated in all those matches. Dani Olmo continued his impressive form by providing his fifth assist in major tournaments, the most by any European player since 2020.

In another notable development, Jesús Navas became the oldest player to represent Spain in a major international tournament at 38 years and 216 days. Italy, on the other hand, fielded a starting 11 without Juventus players in a major international tournament for the first time since the 1998 World Cup.

Croatia finished third in the group with only two points, but their chances of advancing to the Round of 16 are slim as no third-place team has ever qualified with such a low tally.