Italy, overcame an early setback to win a 2-1 victory over Albania in their opening match of the Euro 2024.
Nedim Bajrami made history when he scored for Albania just 23 seconds, and his goal ended up being the fastest goal ever scored at a European tournament.
In spite of this, Alessandro Bastoni scored the equalizer in the eleventh minute, and then five minutes later, Nicolo Barella put Italy ahead of the game. Italy were able to successfully navigate their way to all three points in their first game of Group B.
It is shaping up to be an intriguing group, with Albania certainly being up against it when it comes to advancing to the knockout stage of the competition. Spain set the tone in Group B earlier in the evening with a three-goal victory against Croatia, and it is shaping up to be a fascinating section.
Barella, who had been recovering from a thigh injury, was given the opportunity to play in the middle of the field, and Gianluca Scamacca was selected to play in the middle of the field. There were no significant shocks in the Italy team.
The Albanian team utilized a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Armando Broja of Chelsea playing the position of center forward. Berat Djimsiti of Atalanta BC served as the team’s captain, assuming the role of captain from the middle of the defense.
Incredibly, Albania scored the first goal of the tournament after only 23 seconds, making it the fastest goal in the history of the European Championship. Bajrami scored the goal by smashing it past Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. This occurred after a mistake was made by Federico Dimarco, who was a defender. The loose throw from the defender found the Albanian attacker inside the Italy box.
After a deft flick by Scamacca, what appeared to be an almost instantaneous response from Lorenzo Pellegrini was actually an attempt by the attacker to score, but it was unsuccessful.
However, Italy was able to draw even in the eleventh minute when Bastoni’s header from a short corner corner found its way into the back of the net. Thomas Strakosha was unable to make the save.
Following that, the holders seized the lead in the sixteenth minute when Barella’s shot from beyond the penalty box found a way to get past Strakosha, who was unable to see it.
Despite the fact that Albania had gotten off to such a strong start, Italy took control of the game from that moment onward. In the 33rd minute, Davide Frattesi’s shot from within the box came close to making it 3-1, but it was blocked by the post.
Although Italy had another opportunity late in the first quarter, the Albanian goalie was able to prevent Scamacca from scoring. Luciano Spalletti’s team went on to dominate the game despite getting off to a slow start.
Another opportunity presented itself to Pellegrini in the last minutes of the first half, but he failed to capitalize on it by somehow directing the ball away from the goal from close range. This was a significant letdown for Albania in the latter parts of the first half.
In the early stages of the second period, Strakosha made yet another fantastic save to prevent Frattesi from scoring. Despite the fact that the offside flag was raised, it would have been a very close call if the midfielder had been able to find the back of the net.
Despite the fact that Federico Chiesa missed the target just before the hour, Albania, which was competing in its second-ever European Championship, showed signs of improvement in the second half. Rey Manaj, who came on as a substitute, came close to tying the score late on, but Donnarumma’s back blocked his shot.
In the end, Italy was able to secure all three points, bringing the reigning champions to the same level as Spain in Group B with three points. Meanwhile, Sylvinho’s team is currently tied with Croatia with no points obtained.
FOLLOW THIS ARTICLE ON X
READ MORE;
Spain 3-0 Croatia: Spain secure dominant win over Croatia
Germany 5-1 Scotland: Germans open EURO 2024 with a dominant victory