That’s me done for the night. Congratulations to Spain and Italy for making it through to the knockout stage. Commiserations to Albania and Croatia, although the latter are not dead in the water. They will have all eyes on tomorrow’s results.
Cheers for reading and for your emails and tweets. Until tomorrow!
Nick Ames' match report from Croatia 1-1 Italy
Updated
So it’s still possible that Croatia qualify, but they need a very specific set of results, but all the results are very possible.
I think this is correct, but still working it out.
• Portugal to beat Georgia
• Turkey to beat Czech Republic
• England to beat Slovenia by three or more goals
• Denmark to beat Serbia
As per Uefa, the four best third-placed teams across the six groups are determined, in the order given, by the following criteria:
1) Higher number of points
2) Goal difference
3) Goals scored
4) Higher number of wins
5) Lower disciplinary record
6) Position in the overall European Qualifiers rankings
Croatia when they find out a three-goal win for England will send them through pic.twitter.com/iusSEC9v3V
— Tom Williams (@tomwfootball) June 24, 2024
Because of that Italy goal, it’s possible a team with three points will go out and one with two points makes it through to the knockouts. What a system.
— tariq panja (@tariqpanja) June 24, 2024
Updated
when the euros serves me another last gasp goal deep in injury time to dump a team out of the tournament pic.twitter.com/EljRp4k62b
— Scott Chegg (@buckfastbadlad) June 24, 2024
Sid Lowe’s match report from Albania 0-1 Spain
Updated
That has huge ramifications for the final group table. This is how things finish after the three group games.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spain | 3 | 5 | 9 |
| 2 | Italy | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | Croatia | 3 | -3 | 2 |
| 4 | Albania | 3 | -2 | 1 |
Spain top the group. Italy squeeze into second place at the last. Had Croatia held onto their 1-0 lead, they would have finished second with four points. Now they are third with two points and will probably go home. Albania finish fourth and definitely are out.
Updated
Wooooooooow! Italy have scored a 98th-minute goal against Croatia. It’s full-time there now! Croatia 1-1 Italy!
Full-time: Albania 0-1 Spain. Albania are out!
Albania are out of the Euros. Spain top the group with nine points. And this result also confirms England’s passage to the knockout stage! England’s four points mean they will at least finish as one of the best third-placed teams.
Updated
90+4 min: Spain have not conceded a goal in any of their three games. Job done. Nine points if they have hang on here.
90+2 min: From a free-kick, Broja pounces on a loose ball, actually taking it off the toes of Djimsiti, but the Chelsea striker can only scoop his finish into the hands of Raya, who dives to his right to save.
Updated
90 min: Four minutes added on. Four minutes for Albania to save their tournament.
88 min: The game has become bitty, which suits Spain just fine at this stage. Berisha gets a yellow card for a stray arms on Fermin Lopez, before Vivian is similarly cautioned for bringing Broja down.
86 min: So, so disappointing for Albania. They earn a promising free-kick in a wide area. Asllani stands over the ball, and boots it straight out for a goal kick. Albania’s defender retreat back to their own half sheepishly.
84 min: An absolutely ridiculous touch from Lamine, who turns on a sixpence and beats two Albanian markers with one swish of the boot. But the Barcelona youngster chooses a pass when he might have gone for goal.
Spain make another change: Baena on for Olmo, who has been Spain’s best player.
83 min: Hoxha has made a real difference for Albania since coming on. He’s giving Navas all sorts of trouble but can’t find the final pass or shot.
Updated
81 min: Albania make one more change: Asani on for Muci.
79 min: A neat move from Spain, as Morata cleverly chests a lofted pass straight into the path of Grimaldo. The Bayer Leverkusen full back finds Olmo but his shot is blocked. From the resulting corner, Morata heads over.
77 min: Asllani again tries his luck from range and this effort whistles just past Raya’s left-hand post! The Internazionale midfielder is getting closer for Albania. You feel they need just one goal and this stadium will erupt, perhaps then Spain’s penalty area will be under siege.
75 min: Olmo has been been wonderful with the ball at his feet tonight but has also made two absolutely crucial interceptions on the edge of his own box. He’s operating as a No 10 for Spain but also doing his defensive work.
Updated
73 min: It will shock nobody that Spain have improved since the introduction of Lamine and Morata.
71 min: Further changes, as the two managers, Sylvinho and De La Fuente, try to wrestle for tactical control of this match.
Spain bring on their 16-year-old, Lamine Yamal, for the goalscorer Ferran Torres, while Joselu is also hooked for Morata. Laporte is off for Robin Le Normand, yet another Real Sociedad player to get some minutes in this squad.
Albania bring on Berisha and Hoxha for Laci and the booked Bajrami.
69 min: Should mention that Bajrami was booked for simulation after a challenge from Navas. The Albania man was perhaps a little unlucky to be cautioned, but probably didn’t deserve a free-kick either.
68 min: Not sure if it is those changes, or just a bit of fatigue, but Spain have definitely dropped off. Asani, Albania’s right winger, tries his luck from range, but the shot takes a deflection and trickles into Raya’s hands.
64 min: Huge chance for Albania! From a quick Albania free kick, Raya makes a brilliant block from Broja, who had wiggled free from Joselu. Broja swivelled and hit a sort-of lob shot, but Raya was wise and showed excellent reflexes! Albania have really found some rhythm here. They realistically need two goals and a victory if they are to avoid an early Euros exit.
Updated
61 min: Both teams make changes. Chelsea and Albania striker Broja comes on for Manaj, while Spain’s Fermin Lopez replaces Oyarzabal, who looks extremely fed up to be taken off.
59 min: Albania fans have got wind of that Croatia goal and are now loudly urging their team forward. Spain, as they have for most of this game, have the ball.
GOAL FOR CROATIA AGAINST ITALY!
57 min: There’s been a goal in the other game in this group, and it’s gone to Croatia! Modric had a penalty saved just minutes earlier but the Madrid man has pounced to give his country the lead, which means Croatia leapfrog Italy into second place!
This is the group, as things stand. The holders, Italy, are in real danger of going out.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spain | 3 | 5 | 9 |
| 2 | Croatia | 3 | -2 | 4 |
| 3 | Italy | 3 | -1 | 3 |
| 4 | Albania | 3 | -2 | 1 |
Updated
55 min: Merino is probably the worst performer out there for Spain, and gives the ball away cheaply, before crashing into Ramadani in an attempt to get the ball back. Not sure the former Newcastle midfielder will be troubling Pedri, Rodri and Fabian for a starting berth in the knockout stage.
53 min: Better from Albania, breaking forward in numbers, although Asllani is guilty of overplaying when he had good options outside.
51 min: Bajrami is penalised for a foul, and Sylvinho is incensed on the sidelines. The Albania manager gets a yellow card, I think for dissent.
49 min: Asllani shoots on goal – blocked – but Spain pick up the pieces and break quickly. Olmo shakes off a marker, gets his head up, and shoots from his own half! But the RB Leipzig gets it all wrong and his shot dribbles wide.
47 min: So nearly one of the goals of the tournament! Grimaldo, who is doing a fantastic job of convincing De la Fuente to start him in the knockout stage, whips another dangerous cross to the edge of the six-yard box. Joselu, like a seam bowler in a phonebox, barely has any room to operate but contorts his body and somehow sticks out a leg, volleying the cross – Zlatan-style – just wide of Albania’s near post.
Updated
Peeeeeeep! And we’re underway again in Düsseldorf.
The teams are back out but the restart is delayed while we wait for Croatia v Italy to also be ready. The games must kick-off at exactly the same time.
This is how Group B stands at the half-way stage, assuming the games finish as they are. Not great reading for Albania or Croatia, but the latter only need one goal to leapfrog Italy into second place.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spain | 3 | 5 | 9 |
| 2 | Italy | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | Croatia | 3 | -3 | 2 |
| 4 | Albania | 3 | -2 | 1 |
You can follow Croatia v Italy, currently 0-0, with Scott Murray here.
Half-time reading/viewing: this excellent photo-essay from Tom Jenkins, our resident sport photographer in Germany.
A dominant half from Spain. Olmo and Navas have particularly caught the eye.
Half-time: Albania 0-1 Spain
The 2012 winners are in total control. Albania need at least two goals if they are to avoid going out of the tournament. Remember, if Albania fail to win, England’s qualification to the knockouts will be confirmed.
45 min: Asllani lets fly from range for Albania! Raya dives to his left and palms the ball away but that was travelling! The first time Albania have tested the former Blackburn goalkeeper.
Updated
44 min: Grimaldo finds more space out wide and drills a low cross to Merino just inside the Albania box but the former Newcastle midfielder curls his shot high and wide. Should have done better.
43 min: Albania are really struggling to deal with Spain’s full backs. Spain’s wingers, Oyarzabal and Torres, tend to tuck inside which leaves room for Grimaldo and Navas on the outside. They are two of the best crossers in the world.
40 min: Grimaldo whips a trademark cross to the back post, but Torres heads over when he might have done better.
37 min: Raya is rather lucky to see his clearance smash straight into the back of Laporte and fall kindly back into the goalkeeper’s arms. The Arsenal loanee has had a good season with the Gunners but definitely has a clanger in him. Remember this from the NLD back in April?
A moment David Raya will not want to watch back 👀
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 28, 2024
Cristian Romero makes no mistake with the finish! 👇 pic.twitter.com/s2lVnPO8pn
34 min: Navas wins the ball on Albania’s byline! The Sevilla man crosses fierce and low to Olmo on the penalty spot, but a crunching tackle from Djimsiti prevents Spain from getting another shot on goal.
32 min: Laporte, the only Spain player to retain his place from the match against Italy and another European player based in Saudi who is impressing at this tournament, has been imperious so far but rather lucky to avoid being penalised for coming through the back of Manaj. Spain pounce on the loose ball, with Olmo playing another sumptuous pass to Torres, who drives to the byline, but can only cross to Balliu at the back post.
Updated
28 min: Vivian and Manaj get into a tussle on the edge of Spain’s box. Albania claim for a penalty but it was just strong defending from Vivian, who got his body across well.
25 min: The camera pans to Spain’s bench: Williams, Yamal, Pedri. Ridiculous. And if you are wondering where Rodri is (he’s not on the bench tonight), it’s because he is suspended, booked against both Croatia and Italy.
23 min: Marginally better from Albania. Asllani, undoubtedly this team’s talisman, has started to make some inroads in midfield. But the Internazionale man is yet to create a real chance of note.
21 min: Bajrami makes a good break down the left flank for Albania, and tries to nutmeg Vivian on the byline but the Athletic Bilbao defender, making just his third appearance tonight, makes an expert tackle.
19 min: After their initial flurry of crosses, Spain settle into a more familiar possession-based game. It’s up to Albania to come and get the ball now. The difference is under De la Fuente’s style, Spain’s players are not afraid to let fly with a cross or a shot from range. It’s a long way from tiki-taka, and arguably a lot more exciting. And tonight, with Joselu in the middle and with Grimaldo and Navas providing extra width, this style suits them.
17 min: De la Fuente was fairly audacious in announcing that he was manager of the best team at this year’s Euros, but he might be right you know. Not sure you can call Spain a dark horse, but I don’t think many had them as favourites above England, Germany or France coming into the tournament.
Albania don’t get close to Olmo in a pocket of space in front of their defence and the RB Leipzig man lays on a wonderfully-weighted pass inside the full back for Ferran Torres. Such is the quality of the ball that Torres simply runs onto it and sweeps it first time past Strakosha with his weaker left foot, in in off the post! A quality finish, but an even better assist from Olmo.
Updated
GOAL! Albania 0-1 Spain (Ferran Torres 14)
This was coming.
F Torres has scored for Spain in Euro 2008, 2012, 2020 & 2024.
— Richard Jolly 🇺🇦 (@RichJolly) June 24, 2024
Updated
12 min: Twice in a minute Spain so nearly take the lead from deadly crosses. Navas whips one towards Merino at the back post but Strakosha makes a brilliant save and Ajeti hacks away the rebound. Next, Laporte crosses from deep for Joselu, but the Real Madrid man heads just over!
9 min: For those of you surprised to see Manaj preferred to Broja up front for Albania, Manaj scored 18 goals in the Turkish league for Sivasspor.
7 min: After a frantic first seven minutes, Spain have started to get their feet on the ball. Navas has started pinging crosses towards Joselu, but Ajeti and Djimsiti hold firm in defence.
5 min: Quite the start from Albania, who press and counterpress to within an inch of their lives, and look confident and enterprising with the ball. A corner is won but cleared by Spain at the near post.
3 min: Albania pour forward again and get a dangerous cross into the box, Grimaldo makes a fine defensive header to get things clear at the back post for Spain. Have been impressed with Cucurella at this tournament, but surprised that Grimaldo appears to be the second choice to the Chelsea man. Grimaldo had a sensational season at Bayer Leverkusen and was crucial to their Bundesliga title. But De la Fuente evidently prefers Cucurella.
1 min: Albania striker Manaj, preferred up front to Chelsea’s Armando Broja, leaves one late on Navas. That’s a sore one for the veteran right back.
Updated
Peeeeeeeeep! And we’re off in Düsseldorf.
Updated
Jesús Navas, a World Cup winner in 2010, is Spain’s captain tonight at the age of 38.
Updated
The teams are out. Albania in their scarlet red, Spain in a changed yellow kit. It should be said that the crowd feels more Albanian than Spain tonight. The anthems are raucous, and even Albania’s Brazilian manager Sylvinho looks like he might either combust or burst into tears.
Just over five minutes until kick-off. We are also covering Croatia v Italy of course, which you can follow with Scott Murray.
This surely isn’t the first international match to feature two starting goalkeepers who play for the same club, but this is almost certainly the first international to feature two Brentford goalkeepers at either end. Perhaps a question The Knowledge can answer.
Albania’s Thomas Strakosha has featured just four times for the Bees this season, but the former Lazio man remains an experienced pair of hands, while Spain’s David Raya has shone on loan at Arsenal from the west London club.
Updated
Thought this was a very interesting read on the history of football in Albania.
And here’s our team guide on the squad for Euro 2024, led of course by the former Arsenal defender Sylvinho.
“German regulations, that’s what will get England through,” emails Charles Antaki. “It’s true that’s apart from Spain no other team has under- 17s in their squad, but there must be other regulations which will knock out a few obstacles along the way – Slovenia must surely have somebody who hasn’t filled in their TV licence application correctly, France is probably full of players who’ve filed their tax returns late, and Germany … well, the strategy probably falls down at that point, but at least England should find out in the final”
Nico Williams, another Spain star on the bench tonight, has been one of the most exciting players so far.
Here’s Sid Lowe on the Athletic star after his performance against Italy.
Unsurprisingly, Williams is on this list.
Updated
It is perhaps not surprising that 16-year-old wonderkid Lamine Yamal is on the bench tonight, as Spain could be subject for a fine for playing him. German regulations prohibit those under 18 from working past 8pm local time, but athletes can play until 11pm, including time for showering and media duties. Seeing as this game is due to finish just before 11pm, it’s unlikely that Lamine will be out of the stadium by the required time.
It should be noted that most of the knockout games are at 9pm CET, so this is going to be a recurring problem for Spain. Lamine doesn’t turn 17 until the day after the final. German authorities have yet to confirm if Spain will receive special dispensation regarding Lamine.
You might notice that Albania striker Mirlind Daku is not in the squad tonight after receiving a two-match ban for using a megaphone to join supporters in nationalist chants after Albania’s draw with Croatia.
That’s a fascinating Spain XI, based upon Luis de la Fuente’s press conference yesterday, in which his comments suggested that there would not be sweeping changes.
There’s a lot at stake tomorrow – there’s prestige, recognition and we want to keep improving. We’ll approach this game as we have all the others, as if it’s the last. Of course, we have a game plan for the players we feel are apt for this game. We’re only focusing on winning because we want to win every game.
The last thing we want is injuries. We’re only focused on sending out the best players for our game plan. Of course, you might say this player is rested or that one is rested, but this is a tournament with seven games. We can’t worry about injuries or suspensions.
Just look at that Spain team! A whopping 10 changes from the XI that started in the last match against Italy! Ten!
The teams!
Albania: Strakosha, Balliu, Ajeti, Djimsiti, Mitaj, Ramadani, Asllani, Asani, Laci, Bajrami, Manaj.
Subs: Etrit Berisha, Hysaj, Gjasula, Broja, Kastrati, Mihaj, Seferi, Medon Berisha, Muci, Ismajli, Abrashi, Kumbulla, Aliji, Hoxha.
Spain: Raya, Jesus Navas, Vivian, Laporte, Grimaldo, Zubimendi, Merino, Torres, Olmo, Oyarzabal, Joselu.
Subs: Carvajal, Le Normand, Morata, Fabian, Remiro, Baena, Williams, Yamal, Gonzalez, Simon, Cucurella, Lopez, Perez.
Referee: Glenn Nyberg (Sweden)
If Albania fail to beat Spain, it should be said, England qualify for the last 16, at least as a third-placed team.
Preamble
As Flight of the Conchords once proclaimed: it’s business time. The New Zealand duo might have been talking about the importance of recycling and the birds and the bees, rather than the conclusion of Group B at the 2024 European Championships, but the point stands: things are hotting up and there’s everything to play for.
Well, nearly everything. Spain have already topped the group, owing to their superior head-to-head record over Italy, but that’s pretty much all that has been decided.
Here’s how Group B stands going into the final game. As per all final group games Albania v Spain and Italy v Croatia are running concurrently, both a 8pm BST/9pm CET kick-off.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spain | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| 2 | Italy | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | Albania | 2 | -1 | 1 |
| 4 | Croatia | 2 | -3 | 1 |
As mentioned, Italy, Albania or Croatia could still have a chance of qualifying if they fail to finish at least second in becoming one of the four best third-placed teams. As per Uefa, the four best third-placed teams across the six groups are determined, in the order given, by the following criteria:
1) Higher number of points
2) Goal difference
3) Goals scored
4) Higher number of wins
5) Lower disciplinary record
6) Position in the overall European Qualifiers rankings
Confused? Don’t be, I’ll guide you through it as we go. But the basic point to remember, in this group at least, it’s (nearly) all up for grabs.
Kick-off: 8pm BST/9pm CET.
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