Any time you get a group which features the reigning title holder, a former semifinalist and a team that went to a World Cup final and semifinal of late, it’s going to be a tense competition. That’s the case in Group B, where reigning Euro title holders Italy meet 2021 semifinalists Spain and 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia for the top two spots. There’s a chance the third-place team makes the knockout round as well, but that is not guaranteed. Albania comes in as the fourth team in Group B hoping to be the surprise unit of the tournament.
Here’s a look at the standings and game results for Group B at Euro 2024.
Group B Standings
Spain, 3-0-0, 9 points, +5 GD
Italy, 1-1-1, 4 points, 0 GD
Croatia, 0-2-1, 2 points, -3 GD
Albania, 0-1-2, 1 point, -2 GD
Group B Results
Spain 3, Croatia 0
Whenever two heavyweight teams are meeting, the game results are going to have seismic impacts. Spain got a huge boost with this win, although La Furia Roja did have some lucky breaks in this game against a Croatia team that didn’t get set for much of the contest. Even a late penalty couldn’t be put away, and Croatia were lucky to not give up a few more goals given how the back line played. It’s a big win for Spain to start Group B and gives Croatia a bigger uphill climb to try to make the knockout round.
Italy 2, Albania 1
This was a dream start for Albania with a goal in the 23rd second off an Italy mistake but it quickly became all Azzurri from there. Alessandro Bastoni and Nicolo Barella scored goals to give Italy a 2-1 lead after 16 minutes and it was relatively smooth sailing until the waning minutes. Gianluigi Donnarumma made a spectacular save to prevent Albania from drawing the match, giving the reigning Euro holders three crucial points in Group B.
Croatia 2, Albania 2
It was a wild back-and-forth affair between the two Eastern Europe sides, with Albania actually taking the early lead and maintaining the edge for a good chunk of the match. Croatia took a 2-1 lead thanks to two goals in a span of two minutes, with Albania’s Klaus Gjasula giving up an own goal on the second score. Gjasula made up for that in stoppage time with an equalizer, which means the points are split between both teams.
Spain 1, Italy 0
The fifth own goal already in this year’s European Championship went against Italy, although Gianluigi Donnarumma was the only reason that was the difference in this game. Spain was on top of Italy for the duration of the contest, having several chances to put the game away but failing to get past the Italian keeper. The Azzurri were unable to get much going offensively and now head into a massive final group game against Croatia while Spain have secured a spot in the knockout round.
Spain 1, Albania 0
Spain did not play its top side having already qualified for the group stage, but it helped out both Croatia and Italy by taking care of Albania in what ended up being a rather sloppy effort. Ferran Torres was the difference in this match for La Furia Roja, who head into the knockout round looking like one of the favorites to lift the European championship.
Croatia 1, Italy 1
A colossal clash between two sides desperately needing a win lived up to its billing, although Croatia were the more desperate team due to the draw against Albania. Luka Modric put his side up in the second half and it looked like Croatia would hold on but Italy’s Mattia Zaccagni slotted home an equalizer in stoppage time to send the Azzurri to the knockout round. This is good news for Hungary, who have one more point than Croatia among the third-place teams.