Albania stun Croatia with late equaliser
Dramatic stoppage-time goal denies Croatia victory
Albania scored a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser to deny Croatia a victory that severely dents the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification hopes of the Balkan nation.
WEB 87 Croatia 2-1 Albania
What a difference Budimir has made
Maligned in some quarters after a blunt display in their opening match against Finland, Budimir showed his class with a stunning strike to give Croatia the lead.
However, Albania refused to lie down and fought back valiantly, with Klaus Gjasula levelling the scores in the second half.
Croatia thought they had won it when Budimir scored his second in the 87th minute, but Albania had the final say with Gjasula grabbing his second of the game in stoppage time.
The result leaves Croatia with just one point from their opening two matches, while Albania move up to four points after a surprise victory over Finland in their first game.
This was the first international match between Croatia and Albania.
Klaus Gjasula went through the gamut of emotions on Wednesday.
The Albania forward scored his side's first goal of the game, but he also missed a penalty in the second half.
However, Gjasula made amends for his earlier miss by scoring the equaliser in stoppage time.
Albania have won just one of their last 10 matches when facing a nation for the very first time (D5 L4).
Albania snatched an equaliser in added time for a stunning 2-2 draw against Croatia in a thrilling...
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