Group B at the European Championships in Germany has been dubbed the “Group of Death” for its three heavyweights, and after Spain were eliminated with the first direct ticket to the last 16, defending champions Italy and 2022 World Cup third-placed Croatia will compete for second place and to stay in the competition today at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig. Italy need a draw to finish second in the group stage, but after their huge struggles against Spain, expectations are not high for the Azzurri.
The Italian team is looking forward to salvaging its mission, as it occupies second place in the group standings with three points to win with any result over Croatia, and will keep qualification for the next round in mind, as it will qualify for the round of sixteen if it avoids defeat against its Croatian counterpart, but it will not be able to qualify if it loses and Albania wins. Spain is the “group leader” in the other match in Group Two.
The Italian national team has never lost two consecutive matches in the European Nations Cup, but it will face an opponent that it has failed to defeat in its last eight confrontations. The Italian national team is trying to save its mission in the continental championship, after losing with a goal to Spain last Thursday, while the Croatian national team tied (2-2). 2) With Albania.
On the other hand, the Croatia national team is looking for compensation after its calculations in the group became complicated, as the Croatian national team, which won second and third places respectively in the last two editions of the World Cup and runner-up in the last edition of the European Nations League, is on the verge of bidding farewell to the continental championship in the group stage after… He scored one point from the first two matches he played in the last two rounds.
The Spaniards to confirm their advantage over Albania
The Spanish team is looking forward to confirming its advantage when it meets its counterpart, Albania, where the Spanish team plays the match without pressure after ensuring qualification to the round of sixteen by winning its first two matches, leaving the competition to the other three teams in the group for the second qualification card in addition to the possible third card. Awarded to the four best teams that finished third in the group stage.
The Spanish national team leads the standings of Group Two with six points, and Italy is in second place with three points, compared to one point for Croatia and Albania, after the Spanish national team defeated Croatia by three clean goals in its continental campaign, while Italy won over Albania with a score of (2-1) and in the round. In the second, Spain beat Italy with a goal, and Croatia tied with Albania with a score of (2-2). On the other hand, the Albanian national team is seeking a good start, and did everything in its power to win over Spain to continue in the continental championship, after scoring in its first two matches, but it is still searching for its first continental victory.
De Ligt seeks the help of a psychiatrist
Netherlands national team centre-back Matthijs de Ligt sought the help of a psychiatrist after sitting on the bench in his country’s first two matches in the 2024 European Cup finals in Germany.
De Ligt (24 years old), Bayern Munich’s German defender, was hoping to participate as a starter, and he said before facing Austria that he spoke to a psychiatrist and his family. De Ligt told Dutch media, “Moments like these can be difficult. By talking about them, you make things easier and you can return energy to the field instead of wasting it on such thoughts.”
He continued, “I always train to develop myself, and this is not necessarily different now. What is a little different is the feeling after winning.” Of course, you are also happy as a substitute, but a little less than if you had participated in the starting lineup.
He added, “I had a feeling that I was in good shape, and I showed that at Bayern in the second half of the season… I would have liked to continue this streak here, and in this sense it is a wrong start in the tournament.”
Croatia fined for the second time
UEFA fined its Croatian counterpart for incidents that occurred in the stands during the Croatia-Albania match in the 2024 European Cup (2-2), according to what the local federation announced.
The Croatian Federation stated in a statement on its official website that it was fined 29,900 US dollars (28,000 euros) for “igniting firecrackers and throwing foreign objects by Croatian fans during the match held on the 19th of this month in Hamburg.”
The statement added: “The Croatian Football Federation thanks the Croatian fans for their wonderful support and calls on them once again to refrain from lighting and throwing fireworks.” The Croatian Federation was also fined after its national team’s first match in Group Two, which it lost to Spain 0-3.
The Croatian Federation was fined 87,875 euros for fans throwing plastic cups on the field and lighting fireworks.
Security measures due to Ronaldo
The European Football Association (UEFA) intends to tighten security measures on the side of the stadiums, to prevent fans from reaching the players in the European Nations Cup “Euro 2024”, after the problem reached its peak when at least 6 fans tried to take personal photos with Cristiano Ronaldo.
“Additional safety measures will be in place at all ten stadiums in Germany, although an updated plan to prevent intruders who face criminal prosecution has not been revealed,” UEFA said in a statement. “Any intrusion into the stadium constitutes a breach of stadium rules and will result in expulsion from the stadium, a ban on all matches, and a formal criminal complaint for trespassing.”
Four fans stormed the field to chase Ronaldo during the match in which Portugal beat Turkey 3-0, and many also tried to reach him after the match ended.
Bruno Petkovic: We will beat Italy
Striker Bruno Petkovic, who missed a penalty kick against Spain, called on the Croatian fans to provide great support for their team in Germany, and said: “The responsibility lies with us. We owe it to our fans to show more.”
He added, “I expect that we will win against Italy, and I hope that will happen.” “We are aware of everything we did or did not do in the first two games, and we have to fix that.”
“I have learned some things in these seven years, as the successes have been much greater than the failures,” he said. He continued: “We control our destiny, and this is a good thing.”