Italy secures victory over Albania in Euro 2024 opener

Euro 2020 champions Italy began their Euro 2024 campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 victory against Albania at Signal Iduna Park on Saturday evening.

Luciano Spalletti’s side managed to secure all three points in a match where both teams displayed resilience and determination.

The game kicked off with a bang as Albania took an early lead. Just one minute into the match, Nedim Bajrami capitalized on a defensive error by Italy. Federico Dimarco’s throw-in to goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was intercepted by Bajrami, who swiftly scored, making it the fastest goal of the tournament so far.

Italy responded quickly, equalizing just ten minutes later. A short corner led to a well-delivered ball into the box, where Alessandro Bastoni, left unmarked, powered home the equalizer with a header.

The Italians continued to press, and their efforts paid off when Nicolo Barella found the net. Albania struggled to clear the ball from their box, and Barella seized the opportunity, firing a first-time shot into the goal, giving Italy a 2-1 lead which they maintained until halftime.

The intensity remained high in the second half, but both teams tightened their defenses, resulting in fewer goal-scoring opportunities. Despite Albania’s efforts to find an equalizer, Italy’s defense held firm, and the match concluded with a 2-1 victory for the Azzurri.

Key Players

• Nedim Bajrami (Albania): Scored the opening goal with a quick and opportunistic strike.
• Alessandro Bastoni (Italy): Equalized for Italy with a powerful header.
• Nicolo Barella (Italy): Scored the winning goal with a precise shot from outside the box.

Team Lineups

• Italy (4-2-3-1):
  • Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Donnarumma
  • Defense: Federico Dimarco, Alessandro Bastoni, Leonardo Bonucci, Giovanni Di Lorenzo
  • Midfield: Jorginho, Nicolo Barella, Federico Chiesa, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Domenico Berardi
  • Forward: Ciro Immobile
• Albania (4-4-1-1):
  • Goalkeeper: Etrit Berisha
  • Defense: Elseid Hysaj, Berat Djimsiti, Marash Kumbulla, Ermir Lenjani
  • Midfield: Nedim Bajrami, Klaus Gjasula, Keidi Bare, Ylber Ramadani
  • Forward: Armando Broja, Sokol Cikalleshi