Italy Recovers from Early Shock to Beat Albania in Euro 2024 Opener

Italy's defense of their European Championship title got off to a thrilling start on Saturday as they overcame a lightning-fast goal from Albania to secure a 2-1 victory in front of a partisan crowd in Dortmund.

Despite conceding the fastest goal in the competition's history just 23 seconds into the match, Italy responded with remarkable resilience. Alessandro Bastoni equalized for the Azzurri in the 11th minute, and Nicolo Barella put them ahead just four minutes later.

From that point forward, Luciano Spalletti's team looked much more assured, dominating possession and creating numerous chances. However, they failed to capitalize on their dominance, allowing Albania to remain in the game.

The Albanian fans, who made up the vast majority of the crowd, were in disbelief when Nedim Bajrami stunned Italy with an early strike. But Italy's response was swift and decisive, with Bastoni and Barella finding the back of the net in quick succession.

Davide Frattesi hit the post for Italy before the interval, while Gianluca Scamacca and Federico Chiesa also came close to extending their lead. However, Albania remained resolute in defense, preventing Italy from adding to their tally.

In the second half, Italy sat back and allowed Albania to push forward in search of an equalizer. But the Albanian attack lacked the necessary quality to break down the Italian defense. Substitute Rey Manaj came closest in the 90th minute, but his effort was saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Italy's victory puts them in a strong position to advance to the knockout phase of Euro 2024 from Group B, where they will face fellow heavyweights Spain next Thursday. Despite the early setback, Italy showed their resilience and determination to defend their title.

Tags: #Euro2024, #Italy, #Albania, #AlessandroBastoni, #NicoloBarella