Italy snaps 281-minute cold spell with historic equalizer

Italy has historically never been known for a high-octane offense, but its recent struggles in getting shots on target — let alone scoring goals — reached a boiling point on Monday night.

The Azzurri went yet another 98 minutes (including injury time) without a strike against Croatia, extending their goalless cold spell to a whopping 281 minutes. The streak began in the final 70 minutes of their Euro 2024 opener against Albania and extended to their scoreless loss to Spain. 

Just then, the unlikeliest goal came from the unlikeliest player as Mattia Zaccagni — in just his seventh international appearance — scored in the 98th minute to stun Croatia. The goal could be attributed to Croatia's defense taking their foot off the gas in the literal final minute of added time, allowing Zaccagni to find himself free on the left. The Lazio forward blitzed past a few Croatians caught napping and curled a beautiful strike beyond the outstretched arms of Dominik Livakovic.