Dortmund (AFP)
The Italian national football team began the campaign to defend its European champion title with a difficult victory over Albania 2-1 at Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund at the end of the first round of the second group competitions for the edition held in Germany.
Albania scored early, specifically after 23 seconds, through Sassuolo’s Italian striker, Nadeem Bayrami, in the fastest goal in the history of the tournament, but the champions of the Old Continent responded quickly and turned the score around with two goals from league champion Inter players Alessandro Bastoni (11) and Nicolo Barella (16).
Spain beat Croatia 3-1 in Berlin as well.
Spain topped the group on goal difference ahead of Italy.
Italy defied expectations in the last edition, when it won the title at the expense of England on penalties for the second time in its history and the first since 1968.
Italy is awaiting a fiery summit against Spain in the second round on Thursday in Gelsenkirchen, while Albania will play Croatia on Wednesday in Hamburg.
Italy achieved the most important match in the easiest match in the group by winning the three points before its two hot summits against the Spaniards and the Croats.
Italy was the better side for most of the match and was able to overcome the early shock it received from the Albanians and succeeded in turning the tables with two goals in five minutes. It could have increased its lead on more than one occasion had it not been for the recklessness of its attackers and the brilliance of the Albanian and Brentford English goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha, who shone on more than one occasion. .
Albania succeeded in opening the scoring after 23 seconds when Bayrami took advantage of a ball from Federico De Marco following a throw-in he tried to play with his Inter Milan teammate Alessando Bastoni. He prepared it for himself from close range and shot it powerfully into Gianluigi Donnarumma’s goal.
The fastest goal in the tournament was scored by Russian Dmitry Kirichenko when he opened the scoring against Greece after 67 seconds on June 20, 2004 in Portugal during the 2004 European Cup.
Roma midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini almost equalized immediately when he received a ball inside the area and shot it near the left post (2).
Italy succeeded in achieving an equalizer through Bastoni, who rose high to pass a cross to Pellegrini, who went for a corner kick and exchanged the ball with De Marco (11).
Barella succeeded in adding the second goal with a strong shot “on the fly” with his right from the edge of the area, taking advantage of a weak ball that was deflected by South Korean Gwangju striker Yasser Asani (16).
Goalkeeper Strakosha and his left goal post prevented Inter midfielder Davide Fratesse from adding the third goal in private after a wonderful pass from Atalanta Bergamo’s Gianluca Scamaca inside the area (34).
Skamaka wasted a golden opportunity for reinforcement when he received a header behind the defense in front of the goal, so he prepared it for himself and shot it powerfully, hitting the feet of goalkeeper Strakosha and turning into a corner (40).
Assane tried his luck with a powerful shot from outside the area over the French goalkeeper of Paris Saint-Germain (44).
Pellegrini almost did it with a header from close range after a cross pass to Juventus winger Federico Chiesa (45+2).
Italy continued its advantage in the second half and looked for the third goal to kill the match, and Chiesa almost achieved his goal with a curling shot from inside the area that passed near Strakosha’s far right post (60).
De Marco shot a ball from outside the area into Strakosha’s hands (79).
Turkish Sivasspor striker Rey Manai, a replacement for English Fulham striker Arnado Broya (87), almost shocked the Italians at the end of the match when he received a cross inside the area, so he prepared it on his chest and played it with his right, and it passed in front of the empty goal without finding one of his teammates to follow it inside (90).
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