DEFENDING champions Italy got their Euro 2024 campaign off to a winning start – despite suffering an almighty early scare.
Group B is arguably the toughest in the competition and the Azzurri would have been keen to get three points on the board with games against Spain and Croatia coming up.
Albania tore up the script just 23 SECONDS into the match, Nedim Bajrami scoring from a tight angle, but Alessandro Bastoni levelled and then Nicolo Barrella put Italy back in charge within 20 minutes.
- Kick-off: 8pm BST
- TV channel/ live stream: BBC One
- Italy XI: Donnarumma, Di Lorenzo, Calafiori, Bastoni, Dimarco, Barella, Jorginho, Frattesi, Pellegrini, Chiesa, Scammaca.
- Albania XI: Strakosha, Hysaj, Ajeti, Djimsiti, Mitaj, Asllani, Ramadani, Bajrami, Asani, Seferi, Broja.
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That’s all from Dortmund
And it’s also the end of day two at Euro 2024.
Italy have begun their European Championship defence just as they ended their victorious 2021 campaign – by fighting back from an early goal conceded to prevail.
There are another three matches to look forward to tomorrow, and those include the arrival of England at this tournament.
The Three Lions take on Serbia in Gelsenkirchen, and, as ever, we’ll be here with live coverage of every moment – you won’t miss a minute with at SunSport.
Until then, thanks for joining us and goodnight.
Azzurri scoring streak continues
Despite questions asking where the goals would come from, Italy extended their run of scoring in matches at the European Championship.
The Azzurri have become just the third side to score in 10 successive games at the finals following England in June 2012 (11 games) and Portugal in 2004 (10 games).
Big guns hit the front
Just as they have in Group A, the favourites to make their way out of Group B have begun with victories.
After Spain eased past Croatia earlier today, reigning champions Italy have now defeated Albania after an intriguing contest in Dortmund.
The top two will face each other on Thursday where the winner will likely confirm their progress to the knockouts.
Next matches:
- Croatia v Albania (Wednesday)
- Spain v Italy (Thursday)
Credit: uefa.com
Match stats from BVB Stadion
Nedim Bajrami’s goal after 23 seconds is the fastest goal ever scored at the European Championship finals…
…while Alessandro Bastoni’s equaliser in the 11th minute is the third-earliest a Euros game has seen both teams score after Iceland v England in 2016 (6 mins) and Russia v Spain in 1964 (8 mins).
Full time – Italy 2-1 Albania
The European champions begin their defence with a win – but they would made to work hard for it.
Behind after 23 seconds, Italy fought back with two quick goals and then had ample opportunities to kill the game off.
But Albania hung in there, and almost got their reward with seconds remaining, only for captain Gianluigi Donnarumma to deny substitute Rey Manaj at the death.
Italy 2-1 Albania
90+5. In the game’s final attack, Mitaj gets caught in two minds as the ball is cushioned back to him inside the area.
Curl a left footer into the top corner or step a cross up to a teammate at the back post? In the end, he does a combination of the two and the ball drifts behind for a goalkick.
Italy 2-1 Albania
90+2. Inside four minutes of stoppage time, and the game is halted as the stewards deal incompetently with a one-man pitch invasion.
The game will restart shortly, but for Albania, you feel their opportunity has just agonisingly passed them by.
Italy 2-1 Albania
90. Manej in for the equaliser?!
No! A vital touch from Donnarumma turns it the wrong side of the post!
It’s a brilliant attack from Albania with the substitute taking down Asllani’s long pass on his chest to evade Calafiori inside the area.
The flicked shot over the oncoming goalkeeper is good too, but credit to Italian stopper and skipper who gets a touch on the ball with his sliding body to divert it wide.
The Albanian bench were up and celebrating, and to add insult to injury, the referee has awarded a goalkick.
Italy 2-1 Albania
88. Luciani Spalletti, hands in pockets, is pacing about his technical area like an expectant father whose partner is in labour.
He knows there is still work to do here to see victory out.
Italy 2-1 Albania – Albania substitution
86. Sylvinho turns to Ernest Muci for the final minutes.
The forward comes on for the man who is etched his name in football history with the fastest ever European Championship goal: Nedim Bajrami.
Italy 2-1 Albania
84. Di Lorenzo is stopped in his tracks by an excellent Ramadani challenge.
Will that start the late spur that Albania have been craving?
Italy 2-1 Albania – Italy double substitution
82. Spalletti opts for another two changes.
He sends for more experience in the form of Matteo Darmian, and the intriguing forward that is Mateo Retegui.
Taking a breather before the end are Gianluca Scamaca and Federico Dimarco.
Italy 2-1 Albania
80. Inside the final ten minutes, and this is still very much in the balance.
Italy have been the vastly superior side, but Albania still have hope and enthusiasm on their side – demonstrated by Manaj’s aggressive run into the box that has Bastoni under pressure.
Italy 2-1 Albania – Italy double substitution
78. Luciano Spalletti makes his first changes of the night with a double switch.
The Italy head coach sends on Bryan Cristante and Andrea Cambiaso in place of Federico Chiesa and Lorenzo Pellegrini.
Italy 2-1 Albania
76. Back in the international fold, Armando Broja has seen 76 minutes of action – which is probably more than he managed during five months at Fulham.
The striker has done well in tough circumstances, and is replaced by Rey Manaj.
Italy 2-1 Albania – Hoxha yellow card
74. If Arber Hoxha was sent on to make a nuisance of himself, then he’s done just that…
…by planting his elbow in the back of Frattesi.
It earns the substitute a yellow card.
Italy 2-1 Albania
72. The game has not so much entered a lull, but an intriguing period where neither side are really sure where to focus their energy.
Both teams seem content for the match to progress with the score at 2-1.
Italy 2-1 Albania
70. Not only are Albania yet to have a shot on target since their first minute goal, they also haven’t recorded a touch inside the Italy penalty area in this second half.
However, you get the feeling, they’re okay with this for now.
If the game hits the 80-minute mark with the deficit still just one goal, we could well see an attack-minded Albania for the final stages.
Italy 2-1 Albania – Albania double substitution
68. The Albanians make the first move with Qazim Laci and Arber Hoxha introduced into the action.
The oncoming duo replace Taulant Seferi and the occasionally impressive Jasir Asani.
Italy 2-1 Albania
66. Neither Sylvinho or Luciano Spalletti has made a move yet in terms of their substitutes’ bench, but that could all be about to change.
Players are being readied down by the dugouts.
Italy 2-1 Albania
64. A series of Italian corners are as threatening as a group of primary school children in a tuck shop queue.
Italy 2-1 Albania
62. The boos are getting louder because Italy are once again having a dominant period in possession.
In response, Albania appear to be alternating between a 4-2-3-1, a 5-4-1 and a 9-1-0.
Italy 2-1 Albania
60. Albania’s only shot on target came after 23 seconds of the contest.
Of course, I don’t have to tell you how it panned out.
Italy 2-1 Albania
58. The art of defending is knowing when to get rid.
Mario Mitaj does brilliantly to deter Chiesa inside the penalty area, but then overplays and is eventually dispossessed.
The ball ends up back with Chiesa, who unleashes a left-footed curler that swerves just wide of the far post.
Italy 2-1 Albania
56. Strakosha is out quickly to deny Frattesi with his feet after a clever pass through from Dimarco.
As it happens, the linesman ended up raising his flag for offside but the Albanian goalkeeper wasn’t to know that, and replays show that it was – again – very tight.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
