Swift recovery for Italy post hasty blunder lasting 22 seconds.
Disaster strikes for Italy at the start of the European Championship: Just 23 seconds into the game, they find themselves trailing against Albania due to a massive mix-up. However, the Italians swiftly recover against the underdogs.
Despite Albania setting a record for the fastest ever goal in the EM with Nedim Bajrami's strike, Italy secured a crucial victory in their quest to defend the title. After Bajrami's lightning-fast goal, the Euro Champions of 2021 kept their composure against Albania, winning 2-1 in a come-from-behind performance in front of a sea of Albanian fans.
Three years after their Wembley triumph, Bajrami denied Italy a refreshing victory, ousting Russian Dmitri Kiritschenko, who scored after 67 seconds in 2004, as the fastest EM scorer. Italy kept their cool and played with poise, Alessandro Bastoni (11.) and Nicolo Barella (16.) turning the game around against their supposed easiest opponent in Group B, which also includes Spain and Croatia.
Even on the second day of the tournament, referee Felix Zwayer took center stage for the first time. His appointment for the EM was not without controversy, but he maintained a low profile and managed the game competently.
Italy's National Team aimed to recapture the "magic nights of 2021," as captain and goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma had promised. In Dortmund, where Italy dashed Germany's World Cup dreams in 2006, the Azzurri faced a real challenges away. The cacophonous "Shqiperia" (Albanian) filled the stadium long before kickoff. And when Bajrami capitalized on a poor throw-in from Federico Dimarco for an early lead, the Albanian festivities reached their zenith.
The two-time champions briefly shook their heads in response before settling the score. Bastoni headed in from a corner at the second post, followed shortly by Barella, who had recovered in time, with a steady shot from the penalty area. The Italians, who were not among the top favorites following their absence from the World Cup 2022 and their shaky qualification, dominated the game thereafter, allowing Albania to counter-attack. Davide Frattesi's attempt clipped Albania's goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha's post (33%).
For ten Albanian professionals playing in Italy, it was a significant game. Sylvinho's team, under the guidance of the Brazilian who had previously enjoyed success with FC Barcelona and Arsenal as a player, rarely showed offensive initiatives after the break. Italy controlled the game but failed to score the decisive goal. In the 90th minute, it became tense again when Rey Manaj came close to scoring from a sharp angle on Italy's goal.
Before the match, Dortmund police thwarted an attack by Italian hooligans on Albanian fans. Fifty "high-risk fans," some of whom were reported to be carrying "dangerous objects," were on the lookout for confrontation with an Albanian group in Potgasse, according to a police spokesperson.
