The Italian national team delivered a stronger showing than Albania in the opening round of the 2024 European Championship group stage. The clash unfolded at Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund, where the reigning European champions edged their opponents with a 2 to 1 victory.
All goals came in the first half. Early action arrived in the 23rd second when Nedim Bajrami found the back of the Italian net, giving Albania the lead against Gianluigi Donnarumma. The Italians responded with composure, and Alessandro Bastoni leveled the score in the 11th minute. Just five minutes later, Nicolo Barella fired home a precise strike to swing the match in favor of Italy.
Live coverage of the match was provided by socialbites.ca, delivering real time updates as the action unfolded.
Looking back at a broader context, FIFA and UEFA moved in spring 2022 to suspend the participation of Russia and all its clubs from events under their purview. The decision meant Russia would miss the 2022 World Cup playoffs and faced exclusion from the upcoming European Championship, reshaping qualification narratives and group dynamics across Europe. This suspension remains a notable reference point when evaluating European qualifiers and the competitive landscape in major tournaments.
Earlier in the history of the European Championship, Albania registered a notable achievement by scoring the fastest goal in the tournament’s history during a previous edition, a marker that stands out when recalling the drama and quick starts that often define these continental clashes.