Copa America and Euro 2024 | Joy for trio after Monday’s action

Guglielmo Vicario’s Italy secured their place in the knockout stages of Euro 2024 in dramatic fashion on Monday evening as a 98th-minute equaliser against Croatia sent them through as runners-up in Group B.

Mattia Zaccagni curled beautifully into the top corner to make it 1-1 in Leipzig, ensuring the defending champions will take part in the last 16 after amassing four points from their three games to date.

Opponents Croatia looked to be heading through in second place behind group winners Spain after ex-Spur Luka Modric’s second-half strike, but Zaccagni had other ideas as he made sure of his nation’s continued involvement in the competition with the last action of the game. Italy could still have progressed as one of the best-performing third-placed sides if they’d lost to Croatia, but the draw means they’re definitely through and will face Switzerland in the last 16 on Saturday (5pm UK).

Goalkeeper Vicario was again an unused substitute with Italy skipper Gianluigi Donnarumma his nation’s number one, but was in the thick of the celebrations after the late drama.

Monday evening’s other result in Group B – Spain’s 1-0 win over Albania – means that Micky van de Ven’s Netherlands are also assured of a place in the next round, along with France and England.

All three of those nations currently have four points with a game to spare, a total that will now prove sufficient to see them through among the best-performing third-placed teams at a minimum.

In the Copa America, during the early hours of Monday morning, Rodrigo Bentancur featured as a late substitute for Uruguay as they began their Group C campaign with a 3-1 victory over Panama in Miami, Florida.

The midfielder stepped off the bench in the 85th minute in place of Federico Valverde, just as Darwin Nunez made it 2-0 to Uruguay. There were still more goals to come as Matias Vina made it 3-0, before Michael Amir Murillo’s late consolation for Panama.