Football

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.

Inter Milan's relentless march towards the Serie A title continued on Saturday with a hard-fought 1-0 victory at in-form Bologna. The win extended Inter's massive league lead to 18 points, making the championship a virtual certainty.Yann Bisseck's headed goal in the 37th minute proved to be the difference in a tight contest at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara. The German defender's second goal of the season extended Inter's all-competitions winning streak to 13 matches, emphasizing their dominance in the league."This is one of the most difficult places to play... beating Bologna is not easy. We gave everything," said Nicolo Barella to DAZN. "Who knows how soon we can win it (the league), it depends on the other teams. It's difficult for those chasing us, let's hope it stays difficult for them."Second-placed Juventus have a chance to reduce the gap when they host Atalanta on Sunday. However, with the title race effectively over, Atalanta will have more to play for as they battle Bologna for a spot in next season's Champions League.Bologna's defeat snapped a six-match winning streak and opened the door for other teams aiming for the top four. Atalanta are five points off Bologna in sixth, while Roma can move to within one point with a win at Fiorentina on Sunday.Despite Bologna's impressive season, they were unable to find a way past Yann Sommer in goal. "You can't concede in the way we did because once you're behind against a team like Inter, they know how to manage the game," said Bologna coach Thiago Motta.Inter now turn their attention to the Champions League, where they defend a 1-0 lead against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday. "It will be a great match, the Champions League is possibly the best competition and we need to stay in it as long as we can," said Barella.In other Serie A action, Cagliari moved out of the relegation zone with a thrilling 4-2 win over Salernitana, who continued to slide towards the drop. Sassuolo also picked up their first win under new coach Davide Ballardini, defeating Frosinone 1-0.