Italy defender Riccardo Calafiori will be suspended for their round of 16 tie at Euro 2024 after picking up a late yellow card against Croatia.

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• Calafiori suspended for round of 16 game
• Picked up a late yellow card against Croatia
• Burst into tears at full-time

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Calafiori grabbed the headlines last week after inadvertently helping Spain secure a narrow win over Italy courtesy of his own goal. The player has once again become the talking point after he picked up a late yellow card while trying to halt a dangerous Croatian counter-attack on matchday three. He will now miss the Azzurri's round of 16 tie through suspension as punishment for an accumulation of yellow cards.

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• WHAT RICCARDO CALAFIORI SAID

  Calafiori was seen bursting into tears after the final whistle against Croatia, but not because of his suspension. Speaking to after the 1-1 draw, the defender said: "I couldn’t even think, I was just so happy. More than anything, it was all the emotions I felt inside me over the last few days, as I didn’t have time to process it because we had to focus on the next match. It just came out. I wanted to make up for my own goal and make a positive contribution to this Nazionale."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The Bologna star made amends for his mistake against Spain by providing the crucial assist in the dying minutes of the match from which Mattia Zaccagni scored the equaliser and sent Luciano Spalletti's side to the round of 16.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ITALY?

  After finishing second in their group behind Spain with four points, the reigning champions will now play their round of 16 clash in Berlin on June 29.

Tags: Futebol
Category: News