Italy’s Riccardo Calafiori shared his thoughts following the dramatic 1-1 draw against Croatia that secured the Azzurri’s place in the Euro 2024 Round of 16. The Bologna defender played a crucial role in the match, providing the assist for Mattia Zaccagni’s stoppage-time equalizer.
Speaking to Sky Sport, Calafiori reflected on his contribution to the team: “I don’t know where I found the energy, it was a tough match. I needed to give something to this national team, I gave it my all, and I’m happy to have made a contribution.”
The young defender also shared his emotional state after the final whistle: “The tears after the final whistle? I didn’t think much… I was just overjoyed. It’s difficult to explain. In these days, you couldn’t let out the emotions. I wanted to make amends after the own goal [against Spain], I can help the national team, and I think I did it well.”
Calafiori described the decisive play that led to the equalizer: “The coach shows us in videos what to do in these situations. You need to be clear-headed and ready to see the spaces well. I saw him [Zaccagni] with the corner of my eye and gave it to him there.”
However, Calafiori’s joy was tempered by the knowledge that he will miss the Round of 16 match against Switzerland due to suspension. He received a yellow card in the closing moments of the game, his second of the tournament, resulting in an automatic one-match ban. Despite this setback, Calafiori remained optimistic, quipping, “See you in the quarterfinals? Well, we have to!
