Standing in his way, Italy, defending champions and stereotypical villains of the footballing world.
Which is when Riccardo Calafiori decided to go on a run.
Italy's defender #05 Riccardo Calafiori (R) plays a pass for Italy's forward #20 Mattia Zaccagni (not pictured) to score.
A heavy touch lured Josko Gvardiol out of position, but just before the Croat could get to it, he poked it to his left......where Mattia Zaccagni was in acres.
For that, for the incredible run-assist and the lovely finish, for the fairytale-smashing climax... Riccardo Calafiori and Mattia Zaccagni take our Moment of the Day of day 11 of Euro 2024.
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This was going to be the next chapter in one of European football's great fairytales: Luka Modric, hair greying, powers waning, pulling his socks up and taking Croatia on yet another knockout adventure. You could sense the tributes loading, the edits compiling, the collective Mexican wave of goosebumps on the arms of those watching.
It had all the ingredients of a great one, after all. In Modric, a hero beloved by all. Standing in his way, Italy, defending champions and stereotypical villains of the footballing world. Everything about it was perfect. In the story of Modric's career was the background-setting tale of a man who had worked up, the hard way, from tiny Zadar to the greatest teams on the planet. Within the match itself, the immediate context he'd set up was one any writer would bite your hand off for... he'd stepped up for a penalty, seen it saved by an incredible Gianluigi Donnarumma dive, hung around in the box and pounced on a rebound a minute later to smash the ball past the evil (for the purposes of this fairytale) giant.
That had made the score 'Croatia 1-0 Italy' five minutes before the hour mark. To add record-making heft to the tale, it had also made Modric the oldest goalscorer in European Championship history (at two months short of 39). Till the last minute of stoppage time, the seemingly perennial underdogs never really came close to ceding that lead. Needing a win to guarantee progress, they could almost taste the round-of-16. Till the last minute. Till 90'+8'.
Which is when Riccardo Calafiori decided to go on a run.
Calafiori had already taken a lot of people by surprise this tournament. For the many who are not regular watchers of the Serie A, Calafiori was something they'd never even heard of before: an attacking Italian centre-back. If ever there was an oxymoron, eh? A left-back from the Roma academy, Calafiori has gone through the grinder already, despite being only 22. Six years ago a serious knee injury almost ended his playing career before it began, but he worked his way back into the game. Through Roma, Genoa, Basel he finally got to Bologna. There, innovative coach Thiago Motta converted him from left back to centre-back and he blew Serie A away.
Italy's defender #05 Riccardo Calafiori (R) plays a pass for Italy's forward #20 Mattia Zaccagni (not pictured) to score. RONNY HARTMANN/AFP via Getty Images
Given an Italy debut earlier this month by Luciano Spalletti, no one had really expected the man with 95 minutes of previous Azzurri experience to start the Euros, but he had. There was something about him that Spalletti simply couldn't ignore. Despite scoring an unfortunate own goal against Spain, he'd left a deep impression already. That was going to get deeper still.
Collecting the ball inside his own half, he strode forward, moving diagonally to the right. At the centre-circle he moved it onto Davide Frattesi before switching direction and putting on a burst of acceleration to complete the one-two. By now, he'd scythed through Croatia's till-then solid central midfield, and he kept flowing forward. A heavy touch lured Josko Gvardiol out of position, but just before the Croat could get to it, he poked it to his left...
...where Mattia Zaccagni was in acres.
Attracted magnetically by Calafiori's swashbuckling run, the Croatian defence had caved in upon themselves in the middle and could just stand by and watch as Zaccagni -- frozen out by ex-coach Roberto Mancini, but valued as a super-sub by the current regime for his pace and directness -- channelled his inner Del Piero, leant back and curled an absolute pearler into the far top corner first-time.
With the very last kick of the match, Zaccagni had sent Italy through and put Croatia teetering on the brink of elimination. Fairytale smashed to smithereens.
This may very well have been Luka Modric's last appearance at a major tournament for his nation and on his 178th appearance in the famous red-and-white checks, his thunder had been stolen by two players with a combined twelve caps between them. For the fourth time this Euros, a team had scored after the 94th minute but this one may just have knocked an all-time European great out.
For that, for the incredible run-assist and the lovely finish, for the fairytale-smashing climax... Riccardo Calafiori and Mattia Zaccagni take our Moment of the Day of day 11 of Euro 2024.
