- Albania fought back in added time and got a point against Croatia.
- Klaus Gjasula scored an own goal and then scored at the other end.
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Albanian midfielder Klaus Gjasula went from zero to hero at Euro 2024 after scoring an own goal before salvaging a point for his country in a 2-2 draw with Croatia.
Croatia, semi-finalists of the 2022 World Cup, seemed to have achieved a vibrant comeback after Andrej Kramaric canceled out Qazim Laci’s first goal.
Gjasula then inadvertently crossed his own goal after Luka Sucic’s deflected shot from a cutback bounced off him and past goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha.
But just when it looked like Albania was on the brink of an early knockout, Gjasula redeemed himself five minutes into stoppage time by scoring.
In doing so, the 34-year-old created a rare milestone.
Albania’s Klaus Gjasula scored at both ends in a 2-2 draw with Croatia at Euro 2024
Gjasula rescued a dramatic last-gasp point for his country in the fifth minute of added time.
The midfielder’s goal kept Albania’s hopes of qualifying in a difficult group in the balance.
According statistics guru OptaJoeGjasula became the first substitute in the history of the European Championship and World Cup combined to come off the bench and score both a goal and an own goal in the same match.
Incredibly, Gjasula was able to score at both ends of the field despite having been introduced in the 72nd minute, after having replaced Laci, the first scorer of the goal.
His impressive day culminated in injury time after he received a yellow card following a desperate lunge on Luka Modric to stop a late counter-attack.
Gjasula also achieved another record on Wednesday night.
Having scored the equalizer in the 94th minute and 23 seconds, his goal was the last tie in the history of the European Championship, excluding extra time.
Croatia will now need to beat defending champions Italy to have a chance to advance from Group B, while Albania will face Spain in their final match.
Spain and Italy lead the group after winning their first games.