Italy and Croatia continued their unbeaten runs in Group H as the two sides played out a 1-1 draw at the San Siro.
The hosts were ahead early on thanks to Antonio Candreva, who found the bottom corner with a powerful strike from the edge of the box, but Croatia were back on level terms five minutes later when Gianluigi Buffon allowed Ivan Perisic's effort to sneak past him.
Both sides enjoyed spells on top in the second half, but they were unable to find a winner on a night which is likely to be remembered by events in the stands after the game was stopped on two occasions due to flares being thrown onto the pitch.
Read below to find out how the match unfolded in Milan.
Good evening everyone. Our coverage of the Euro 2016 qualifying stage continues tonight as Italy host Croatia at the San Siro with both sides looking to protect their 100% records in Group H. Who will grab the advantage in the race for top spot in Milan?
It's a safe bet to assume that one of these teams will secure top spot in Group H, but both are expected to do enough to reach the tournament in France. Despite their impressive record, Italy manager Antonio Conte received criticism last month as his side struggled to uninspiring wins over Malta and Azerbaijan. The supporters will be demanding an improved display tonight.
Last month was full of success for Croatia, who followed a crucial 1-0 victory over Bulgaria by putting six goals past Azerbaijan. Niko Kovac has a squad full of talent, but he'll be fully aware just how difficult tonight's challenge will be for his side.
Italy: Buffon; Chiellini, Ranocchia, Darmian; De Sciglio, De Rossi, Marchisio, Candreva, Pasqual; Zaza, Immobile
Croatia: Subasic; Pranjic, Vida, Corluka, Srna; Brozovic, Modric, Olic, Rakitic, Perisic; Mandzukic
Conte has been forced to hand a few fringe players a rare start tonight due to a number of injuries picked up by members of his squad recently. The big news is that Daniele De Rossi wins his 100th cap in the centre of midfield. Manuel Pasqual also starts, while Simone Zaza partners Ciro Immobile in attack due to the absence of Mario Balotelli.
Niko Kovac has named a completely different side to the one which lost 2-1 to Argentina at Upton Park on Wednesday night. Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic start in midfield, while the likes of Ivica Olic and Ivan Perisic will be expected to provide support for lone striker Mario Mandzukic.
PREDICTION: There's plenty of excitement surrounding this fixture, and it has all of the ingredients required to be a great game. It's also a very difficult one to call. Italy haven't beaten Croatia in their past six meetings, and the visitors are sure to make it tough for Conte's side tonight. It should be close. I'll go for a 2-2 draw.
2 - Italy and Croatia have met twice in the European Championship Qualifiers: Azzurri have never won (1N, 1L). Obstacle.
— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) November 16, 2014
There's reportedly around 6,000 Croatian supporters inside the San Siro tonight. That's an incredible effort form the travelling fans. The players are out on the pitch now. Just the national anthems and the handshakes stand in the way of kickoff.
Plenty of noise coming from both sets of supporters throughout the national anthems. We're all set for a brilliant night of international football. Italy will get the game underway.
The game is being played at a quick pace in the early stages as both sides look to take control. Marchisio has been involved quite a bit already. Neither side are dominating possession yet.
Immobile is in a lot of pain in the middle of the park after being caught on the ankle by Rakitic. The referee eventually gives the free kick, but Italy lose possession again quickly.
Croatia are coming into this game now. The plan for the visitors will surely be to get the ball to Modric and Rakitic as much as possible. Both are seeing plenty of the ball in midfield, but very little of the match is being played in attacking areas of the pitch.
The first shot of the game is unleashed by Rakitic. It's a good strike from the Barcelona midfielder, and Buffon looks far from comfortable as he pushes the ball behind for a corner.
CHANCE! Croatia should be ahead. Italy do a terrible job of defending a corner, and the ball breaks loose to Perisic, who poked effort at goal is blocked by Buffon. The rebound falls to Vida, but he can only fire over from inside the box.
Poor decision from De Rossi as he volleys the ball out for a corner, despite not being under any pressure. Croatia take the corner short on this occasion, allowing Modric to test Buffon with a low shot from outside the area. The visitors are on top now.
GOAL! ITALY 1-0 CROATIA (CANDREVA)
Croatia were on top, but it's Italy who take the lead! Zaza's path to goal is blocked when his shot hits a Corluka. The forward does well to retain possession before teeing up Candreva, who fires the ball into the bottom corner from outside the box to give Subasic no chance. That's his first goal for Italy and it was a great strike.
Italy are quickly growing in confidence. A clever flick from Zaza gives the ball to Candreva in space, but he is left staring at the pitch when an awkward bounces results in him sending a cross out of play.
GOAL! ITALY 1-1 CROATIA (PERISIC)
Croatia are gifted an equaliser! The visitors work the ball well from right to left and it's Perisic who cuts inside from the wing before hitting a low effort which somehow manages to sneak underneath the body of Buffon. It's an awful mistake. Remember the date because the veteran doesn't make those kind of errors very often.
The game is delayed for a few moments when a flare is thrown onto the pitch. A couple of firemen are on the scene to remove the flare. Italy attempt to get back onto the front foot immediately, but their progress is halted when Candreva strays into an offside position.
Neither side appear willing to take a step backwards. Croatia are seeing more of the ball, but Italy's midfield and defence are making it difficult for the visitors to find space. Kovac will want to see his side use the wings more effectively. We've seen very little of Darijo Srna on the right.
Lovely football from Croatia as they comfortably knock the ball about in midfield before threatening through Rakitic, who forces De Sciglio to concede a corner. The delivery is poor from the set piece and Italy are able to clear the danger.
Worrying signs for Modric as he limps away from a challenge holding his upper thigh. He looks in a lot of pain, but there's no movement on the bench yet. Croatia will not want to lose the influential midfielder.
Modric's decision to stay on the pitch comes back to haunt him as he collapses while trying to challenge Immobile. Carlo Ancelotti will be watching on nervously, too. It looks like a thigh injury.
SUBSTITUTIONS: Changes from both managers at the San Siro. Conte doesn't appear to be happy with the current plan as he sends on Sampdoria midfielder Roberto Soriano to replace Pasqual. Modric is finally removed, with Mateo Kovacic his replacement.
Kovac will not be happy with how his side have struggled to get the ball to Mandzukic, who has been left isolated in attack, despite Croatia doing a good job of keeping the ball in midfield. The pace of the game is still very high. There's not a lot between these two teams.
Despite the introduction of Soriano, Italy do not appear to have strayed from the 3-5-2 formation. Soriano has slotted into midfield, with Candreva now being asked to play as the right wing-back. It's Candreva who creates the latest chance with an excellent cross to Immobile, who is unable to make the necessary contact to trouble Subasic with his header.
Italy have stepped up the tempo of their play in the past couple of minutes. Soriano does very to earn space on the right, before curling an inviting ball to the back post. De Sciglio is unmarked, but he can only miscue a volley.
YELLOW CARD! The first booking of the game goes to a substitute as Kovacic is penalised for a slightly late sliding tackle on Soriano. A replay proves he wasn't far away from getting the ball, but that's the risk when you go to ground.
Chiellini is furious when he is adjudged to have fouled Olic, but it was clear that he had challenged for the header unfairly. That allows Croatia to relieve some of the pressure which had been building. Conte's decision to move Candreva out to the right is paying off. He's looking very dangerous on the ball.
Another Italian foul hands Croatia a free kick in a dangerous position. A routine from the training ground sees the ball reach Srna, but his effort from outside the box sails wide of the target. Poor from a player who is usually accurate from that distance.
Both sides have enjoyed spells on top in a first half which has been very easy on the eye. Croatia are improving once again as they dominate possession in midfield for an extended spell. Rakitic sends a speculative shot wide of the post. Buffon then makes a good save to keep out a header from Corluka, but the defender had strayed into an offside position. Four minutes of stoppage time to be played.
CHANCE! Great move from Croatia as they break quickly in numbers. Mandzukic is too strong for Buffon as he meets Perisic's cross with a header. Buffon is caught out of position when the ball breaks to Olic, whose header is then cleared off the line by Rannocchia.
Croatia have recovered well following that spell of pressure from Italy. They're in control heading into the break, but apart from the chances handed to them by Buffon's mistakes, they've struggled to cause problems for the Italian defence.
HALF TIME: ITALY 1-1 CROATIA
An entertaining first half comes to an end with the two teams on level terms. Croatia have probably been the better side, but Italy have looked dangerous when they attack at pace on the wings. Both teams will feel they can pick up all three points tonight.
Mandzukic proved what he can do at the end of the first half if Croatia can deliver better balls into the box for the Atletico Madrid striker. Buffon appears to be having a rare poor night in goal, and the visitors need to keep testing the veteran by bringing Mandzukic into the game more.
BENCH WATCH: Both sides have plenty of talent in reserve. Conte may be slightly disappointed with how Immobile and Zaza have kept the ball when the hosts do launch attacks. Southampton's Graziano Pelle, who has impressed in the early stages of his international career, would provide a different threat for Italy.
Losing Modric to injury was a big blow to Croatia, and the pressure is on Rakitic to control the midfield now. It's the Barcelona midfielder who will be asked to bring Mandzukic into the game more often in the second half. De Rossi, who has been caught out on a couple of occasions, needs to cut off the supply.
No more changes just yet from either manager. Croatia will get the game back underway.
YELLOW CARD! Immobile raises his arm while challenging Vida for a high ball, and he's punished with a caution from the referee. Good start to the second half from Croatia.
SAVE! Great work from Zaza as he collects the ball in midfield before turning and sprinting at the Croatian defence. He unleashes a powerful strike which is swerving towards the bottom corner before Subasic makes a good save.
Kovac will be delighted with how his side have kept the ball tonight, but they're still lacking a cutting edge in the final third of the pitch. Srna's poor cross appears to have ended a promising move until Marchisio's attempted clearance strike Kovacic. Buffon reacts well to make the save.
Darmian loses concentration for just a moment, which allows Mandzukic to peel away from the defender at the back post before heading straight at Buffon, who makes an easy save.
SUBSTITUTION: Stephan El Shaarawy is off the bench as Conte uses his second change to bring the AC Milan forward on for Immobile.
A clear pattern has emerged in the second half as Italy drop deeper to restrict the space on offer as Croatia continue to dominate possession. The visitors hope that El Shaarawy and Zaza can cause problems on the break, but they are seeing very little of the ball in the second half.
Zaza is furious with the referee for not blowing his whistle when Vida appears to prevent the forward from launching an attack with a pull of the shirt. The home fans aren't happy with the decision. Italy are quickly forced onto the back foot once again.
Croatia are gifted a free kick on the left wing when Candreva commits a silly foul on Rakitic. It's Rakitic who delivers an inviting ball into the box, but Perisic is unable to find the target with a header after losing his marker.
Croatia are in complete control of this game. Srna decides against shooting from the edge of the box as he shifts the ball to Rakitic, whose powerful strike is easily stopped by Buffon. Italy are far too deep, but Croatia are struggling to take advantage. The visitors need to score while they are on top.
SUBSTITUTION: No surprise to see Pelle introduced as a replacement for Zaza. The Southampton forward will surely be able to help Italy retain possession in advanced areas of the pitch.
YELLOW CARD! Perisic can't believe the decision, but must accept the booking. Replays prove that he barely touched Chiellini, who threw himself to ground moments after Italy had stopped another attack from the visitors.
Olic is the latest Croatian to argue with a decision when De Rossi wins a free kick after putting himself under pressure on the edge of Italy's box. The visitors are still dominating possession, but their final delivery has been poor.
SHOT! We've not seen much of El Shaarawy since his introduction, but he comes close to putting Italy ahead when he cuts inside from the left wing before hitting a powerful strike just over the crossbar. Great effort from the Milan attacker.
SUBSTITUTION: Kovac uses his second change to replace Olic with Andrej Kramaric, who has scored an incredible 21 goals in 14 games for Rijeka this season.
Italy are starting to see a bit more of the ball, and Conte will be happy just to see his side on level terms after spending so much of the second half chasing Croatian shadows. The next goal is going to be crucial.
PLAY STOPPED! Terrible scenes at the San Siro as the referee is forced to stop the match for the second time. A number of flares have been thrown onto the pitch from the area of the stadium where the Croatian fans have gathered. There's a few fireworks going off in the stands, too. UEFA will surely have to act after the game.
Play had resumed for a few moments, but Bjorn Kuipers has now taken the players off the pitch after another flare is thrown onto the pitch. It's been a very good game to watch, so it's a shame to see scenes like this at the San Siro.
The players haven't returned to the dressing rooms yet, but it looks like they could be off the pitch for a while. The situation in the stand isn't getting any better. It now looks like Croatian fans are clashing with Italian police. Awful scenes in Milan.
No progress is being made at the San Siro. Croatia's players are knocking the ball around in an attempt to stay fresh, but the referee isn't ready to get the game back underway yet.
If the match had been abandoned, the result would have stood, but it looks like the match is going to start again in a few moments. Another flare will surely force the referee to take the players off.
Italy are on top as the match gets back underway. Croatia look nervy at the back as a cross to the back post reaches El Shaarawy, whose effort is eventually blocked by Vida. Can anyone find a winner late on?
The break in play hasn't helped Croatia. Vida is forced to come to the rescue as he somehow manages to get his head in the way of a powerful strike from El Shaarawy. Italy are looking dangerous now.
Great work from Pelle to hold up the ball under pressure from three Croatians, but he's unfortunate to be penalised for a foul on Rakitic moments later. Croatia are struggling to keep the ball now as Italy search for what would be a crucial opening.
Italy waste a free kick in a good position when Candreva hits the wall from 25 yards. The pace of the game has increased once again in the past couple of minutes. Kramaric has seen very little of the ball since coming on, and he is unable to cause problems for Buffon with a weak effort from outside the box.
SUBSTITUTION: Kovac's final change sees Brozovic make way for Milan Badelj, who will add some much needed fresh legs in midfield.
El Shaarawy has frustrated a few of his teammates with his eagerness to shoot in the second half, but he refuses to stop his pursuit of a goal as he volleys past the post from the edge of the box. If this match finishes as a draw, it will be due to a lack of quality in the final third of the pitch.
CHANCE! Croatia should be ahead. There's plenty of space for the visitors to attack when the ball is won in midfield. Rakitic leads the way for his side before playing an inch-perfect pass into the path of Perisic, who finds himself in plenty of space inside the box. However, he drags a shot a few inches wide of the post. What an opportunity to win the game!
Corluka can't believe he is penalised for a foul after beating Pelle to a header. De Rossi stands over the ball 40 yards from goal, but his deep cross into the box can only be flicked behind by Rannocchia.
The fourth official confirms that there will be three minutes added on. Both sides look eager to find a winner, but will there be a better chance created than Perisic's a few minutes ago?
Pelle handles the ball as another Italy attack comes to an end. Mandzukic requires treatment for a knock to the head, but he will be fine to finish the match.
Both teams look to have tired in the closing stages. A winner now appears to be very unlikely as Pelle gives away another free kick for a foul on Badelj.
FULL TIME: ITALY 1-1 CROATIA
The headlines will probably be dominated by events in the stands, but there was plenty of excitement on the pitch at the San Siro. Both sides lose their 100% records, but they remain on course to secure qualification from Group H.
That's all from our live coverage, but you can now read a full report of the 1-1 draw in Milan. Thanks for joining me. Goodnight.
Written by
Callum Mulvihill
Callum Mulvihill
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