5 things to know about Italy’s Mattia Zaccagni, the man who broke Croatian hearts

On June 24, Italy faced the prospect of elimination as they trailed Croatia 1-0 in their final Euro 2024 Group B fixture while heading into stoppage time.

The Azzurri were then down in third place, needing an equaliser to secure qualification while the Vatreni had to win to advance.

But in the eighth minute of stoppage time, Italy substitute Mattia Zaccagni curled a right-footed shot past Dominik Livakovic to put Croatia on the brink of elimination.

Luka Modric and company will be knocked out of the tournament on June 25 if England do not beat Slovenia 3-0 or by four goals, or if Denmark fail to defeat Serbia.

Who is this 29-year-old Italian winger who broke the hearts of millions of Croatians with the last kick of the match?

1. Late bloomer

Born in Cesena, dubbed the “city of three popes”, Zaccagni began his football career in the fourth tier of Italian football with AC Bellaria Igea Marina in 2012. He was initially utilised as a central midfielder and playmaker in a 4-3-3 formation by then-manager Marco Osio.

The 29-year-old earned a move to Serie A side Hellas Verona in 2013 but spent the next few seasons in the lower leagues with loan spells at Citadella and Venezia.

It was not until 2019, when manager Ivan Juric took charge, that Zaccagni’s career took flight. While he was not known for his goals, his ability was spotted by Maurizio Sarri who brought the Cesena native to Lazio for the 2021-22 season.

Capitalising on teammate Ciro Immobile’s injury woes, Zaccagni notched double digits for the first time in his career the following season and debuted for Italy at 26 in a 2022 friendly against Turkey.

He has since amassed seven international caps.

2. Recreated Del Piero’s famous goal

Not only was the dramatic stoppage-time equaliser Zaccagni’s first international goal, but it also bore an uncanny resemblance to Italy legend Alessandro Del Piero’s goal against Germany during the 2006 World Cup semi-finals.

Del Piero’s goal also came in stoppage time – during extra-time – and sealed Italy’s progression into the final. It was an identical first touch, top-right corner finish that eerily mirrored the Cesena native’s goal.

Zaccagni said in a post-match interview: “Del Piero is my idol. I had his poster in my room as a little kid.”

Remote video URL

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3. Versatile and adaptable

Brought on to replace Matteo Darmian at left-back in the 81st minute, Zaccagni’s history as a utility player made him the perfect fit for that match.

When he played for Hellas in 2016, then-manager Fabio Pecchia used him as a left-back in a Coppa Italia match against Bologna. He has since been converted into a goalscoring winger by Sarri at Lazio, with his penalty box instincts proving vital for Italy.

4. History of scoring crucial goals

The 29-year-old has netted only 43 goals in his entire club career across 352 appearances, but he has a knack for scoring the most important of goals.

During the 2022-23 season, he netted Lazio’s winner in the Rome derby against rivals Roma to secure a 1-0 victory. Sarri’s side went on to finish second in the Serie A and qualify for the Champions League.

5. He nearly missed out on the final 26-man squad

Italy manager Luciano Spalletti axed three players – goalkeeper Ivan Provedel, midfielder Samuele Ricci and winger Riccardo Orsolini – from his initial 29-man training squad for Euro 2024.

As the only left-footed attacker in the squad, it was thought that Orsolini would avoid getting cut. But after a poor performance in the final preparation fixture against Turkey, it was Zaccagni who booked his ticket to Germany instead.

According to Italian media outlet Gazzetta, Zaccagni’s dribbling skills gave him the edge despite the Lazio winger scoring six league goals in 2023-24 against Orsolini’s 10.

Spalletti’s late decision proved to be the difference in Leipzig as Zaccagni rewarded the faith of his manager.