In a small corner of the Croatian technical area, Modric sat silently, seemingly holding back tears. A few dozen seconds is not long, but this time it seemed endless, and heavy. His team had just fallen from the peak to the abyss in that time. Until the 7th minute and 18 seconds of the eight minutes of added time, Croatia still led 1-0 and had a great chance to advance to the round of 16. However, Modric’s teammates – who were substituted in the 80th minute – could not protect it.

They allowed Italy to a𝔱𝔱ack directly, straight into the penalty area in what was almost the final act of the second half. Right-back Josip Stanisic’s move inside to mark Gianluca Scamacca left space open for Zaccagni, who received a pass from centre-back Riccardo Calafiori. From a position on the left, the substitute coolly curled the ball into the far corner, giving goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic no chance of stopping it.

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Zaccagni runs to the corner post to celebrate after Italy equalised, behind him is Croatia’s disappointment

Despite winning the ticket to the next round, fans could not be satisfied with Italy’s performance. After falling behind, they lacked the necessary tactics to a𝔱𝔱ack even though their opponents actively retreated. Apart from the aerial battles of center-back Bastoni, Italy had no formidable weapons. Both strikers Mateo Retegui and Gianluca Scamacca lacked the skills to create breakthroughs. The player who was expected to create the most different moments, Federico Chiesa, was not in good form.