📸 The moment that threw Italy's EURO knockout hopes in jeopardy | OneFootball

Initially, Monday’s EURO 2024 group encounter between Croatia and Italy didn’t live up to its lively billing.

Neither team had made any real impact in Leipzig until one moment early in the second half lit a fuse in proceedings.

Davide Frattesi’s handball saw the defending holders concede a previously unlikely penalty just five six minutes after the interval.

Although Gianluigi Donnarumma denied Luka Modrić from the ensuing spot kick, the moment proved a turning point for Zlatko Dalić’s side.

Within minutes of his miss, Modrić broke the deadlock for Croatia to put his country on the verge of progressing as Group B runners-up.

The Real Madrid veteran also became the oldest-ever scorer in European Championship history with a strike which could leave Italy’s last-16 hopes in jeopardy.

A third-place finish would still be enough for Luciano Spalletti’s side to progress to the knockout stage if they were among the best-placed teams but would have to wait for that outcome.

But with almost the last kick of the game, Mattia Zaccagni salvaged the Azzurri’s blushes with a stoppage-time equaliser to set up a last-16 meeting with Switzerland.