By Anna Italia
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% Ball Possession ITALY and % Ball Possession CROATIA
Italy 1 – 1 Croatia
11′ Antonio Candreva                       15′ Ivan Perisic

 

A chaotic game among match delays after flares thrown onto the pitch, suspended twice. Italy playing the UEFA Euro 2016 Qualification, Matchday 4, against Croatia at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium.   A goalless draw in this direct match Italy and Croatia remaining with 10 points each  with Croatia holding the 1st position in Group H for a better goal difference of +9 while Italy having +4.  The curse continues, Italy have not won all their 4 Euro qualification games since 1987.

 

Here is the current Standing after Matchday 4….  Italy remaining in second position.

 

UEFA Euro 2016 Qualification Up to Matchday 4	P	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	Pts
Croatia	4	3	1	0	10	1	9	10
Italy	4	3	1	0	6	2	4	10
Norway	4	3	0	1	6	3	3	9
Bulgaria	4	1	1	2	4	5	-1	4
Malta	4	0	1	3	1	7	-6	1
Azerbaijan	4	0	0	4	2	11	-9	0

 

 

Highlight of the match, midfielder Daniele De Rossi playing his 100th game with Italy National Football team.   Interesting also to see Sassuolo teammates adversaries for one day!  Sassuolo forward Simone Zaza playing for Italy while Sassuolo defender  Šimel Vrsaljko playing for Croatia.

Spectacular opening at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium!  Players making their way to the pitch and have goosebumps just by listening Italy national anthem “L’Inno di Mameli.”

Italy opening the score in the 11th minute with midfielder Antonio Candreva from about 20 meters defeating Croatia goalkeeper Danijel Subasic  with a right footed shot to the lower left corner.  The assist is by forward Simone Zaza.

 

Photo facebook.com/FIGC

 

Photo facebook.com/FIGC

 

Oh well, the situation complicating for Italy in the 15th minute because Croatia equalize!  It is midfielder Ivan Perisic to defeat Italy goalkeeper Gigi Buffon  with a right footed shot.. an error by Buffon, what a papera!

Perisic author of the goal for Croatia

 

Problems for Italy!   Head Coach Antonio Conte forced to make a first substitution in the 28th minute because midfielder Manuel Pasqual cannot continue for injury and is replaced by midfielder Roberto Soriano.   Historic moment for Soriano making his debut  with Italy team.

Croatia making a substitution in the 28th minute too replacing for injury midfielder Lucas Modric for  Inter midfielder Mateo Kovacic.

Referee Björn Kuipers giving the first yellow card of the match in the 37th minute to Croatia midfielder Kovacic after a foul on Italy midfielder Roberto Soriano resulting in a free kick.

First half ending 50% ball possession Italy and 50% ball possession Croatia.

In the 47th minute, Referee Kuipers giving a yellow card to Italy forward Ciro Immobile after a foul on Croatia defender Domagoj Vida resulting on a free kick.

 

 

Italy making the second substitution in the 52nd minute replacing forward Ciro Immobile to bring forward Stephan El Shaarawy.

Referee Kuipers giving a yellow card to Croatia defender Ivan Perisic after a foul on Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini in the 65th minute resulting on  a free kick for Italy.

Croatia making another substitution in the 69th minute replacing forward Ivica Olic for forward Andrej Kramaric.

 

 

Tough situation at the Giuseppe Meazza because Referee Kuipers suspend the game in the 75th minute sending players to the dressing rooms after  fans throwing  flares onto the pitch

 

Referee Kuipers deciding to resume the game in the 76th minute

 

Croatia making the last substitution in the 83rd minute replacing midfielder Marcelo Brozovic to bring Fiorentina midfielder Milan Badelj.

Italy closer to the goal in the 83rd minute with forward El Shaarawy challenging Croatia goalkeeper only to see his right footed shot saved!

 

Croatia forward Mario Mandzukic challenging  Italy defender Matteo Darmian

 

Stats before the game. Italy’s seven matches against Croatia have ended 1 win, 3 draws, 3 lost  with two of those matches at final tournaments: the 1-1 draw at UEFA EURO 2012 and a 2-1 win for Croatia at the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Ibaraki, Japan.  Challenge for Italy is to win this home game because they have not win against Croatia in the last 6 games. 

Here is ITALY starting official lineup by coach Antonio Conte:

Italia (3-5-2): Gigi Buffon; Darmian, Andrea Ranocchia, Giorgio Chiellini; Mattia De Sciglio, Antonio Candreva, Daniele De Rossi, Claudio Marchisio, Pasqual;  Ciro Immobile, Simone Zaza.

Here is CROATIA official starting lineup by coach Kovac:

Croatia (4-4-1-1): Subašić; Srna, Vida, Corluka, Pranjić; Perisić, Modrić, Brozović, Olić; Rakitić; Mandžukić.

 

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Photo facebook.com/FIGC

Italy and Croatia lineups for the group photo

 

Photo facebook.com/FIGC

Here are ITALY official starting lineup selected by Head Coach Antonio Conte for the game against Croatia.

 

 

Photo facebook.com/FIGC

 

Candreva celebrating after scoring against Croatia

 

 

Photo  Sassuolo Facebook

 

 

 

Italy Head Coach Antonio Conte

 

 

 

UEFA EURO 2016
Qualifying round
Group H

Italy 1 – 1 Croatia
16 November 2014
Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, Milan, Italy
20:45 CET

Referee: Björn Kuipers (NED)
Assistant referees: Sander van Roekel (NED) and Erwin Zeinstra (NED)
Fourth official:Mario Diks (NED)
Additional assistant referees: Pol van Boekel (NED) and Richard Liesveld (NED)

Goals: 11′ Antonio Candreva (I), 15′ Ivan Perisic (C)

Official formations – lineups:

Match Stats