Mattia Zaccagni expressed his elation after scoring a crucial last-minute goal for Italy in their Euro 2024 match against Croatia. The Lazio winger’s strike, his first for the Azzurri, secured a 1-1 draw and Italy’s qualification for the round of 16:
“It’s an immense satisfaction, I’m overwhelmed. It’s a beautiful evening that I’ll always carry with me,” Zaccagni said. He emphasized the importance of the result in securing second place in the group.”
Reflecting on the match, Zaccagni praised the team’s resilience: “We always suffer, whether on the bench or on the field. We did well to stay in the game and had a great second half. We deserved this draw.”
The forward commended coach Luciano Spalletti for creating a strong team dynamic. “The coach has been great in creating this group, he took everything he needed. We try to repay him on the field,” he explained.
Describing the moment of his goal, Zaccagni revealed, “Many images went through my mind. It’s an indescribable emotion to have scored the goal that gave Italy qualification. I hadn’t even realized it was the last ball of the match. When Calafiori passed it to me well, I didn’t think twice.”
Zaccagni also shared a personal connection to Italian football legend Alessandro Del Piero. “Del Piero has always been my idol. I had his poster in my room as a child,” he said. The striker mentioned meeting Del Piero at Coverciano before departing for Germany and subsequent interactions on Instagram.
