Two shots, one goal: Forgotten former Chelsea player nearly a Euro hero 2020 yesterday
Some Chelsea fans could be excused for not remembering much about Mario Pasalic, but he certainly gave them a reminder of his presence last night.
Pasalic scored a late equaliser in Croatia and Spain’s enthralling European Championship knockout tie yesterday evening.
Spain went 3-1 in front, before the 2018 World Cup finalists clawed their way back with two late goals.
Mislav Orsic bundled the ball over the line with five minutes to spare, before Pasalic headed home quite brilliant in extra time.
It was a fine impact all round from the Chelsea expat.
According to WhoScored.com, he managed two shots, found three key passes, and had a passing accuracy of 94.4%.
Croatia eventually crumbled, conceding twice in additional time to crash out of the competition.
But they definitely gave Spain a scare and proved to everyone there is still life in their ageing side.
Still struggling to put a face to Pasalic’s name, Blues supporters?
He joined Chelsea back in 2014 as a teenager and was on their books until last year.
During over half a decade, the midfielder never once made a senior appearance for the club.
His time was all spent on loan, spanning five different teams and four separate countries.
The 26-year-old is now permanently playing for Atalanta.
One performance that stood out last season was a Champions League tie with Bayern Munich, where he chipped in with a delightful left-footed finish.