Italy begins the defense of the European title with a victory by beating Albania 2-1 in Dortmund. The Azzurri went behind after 23” and then turned the game around thanks to goals from Bastoni and Barella and decisive saves from Donnarumma
The defense of the European title byItaly started with one hard-fought victory And full of emotions in Dortmund. In their first match of the tournament, the Blues Of Luciano Spalletti they beat Albania with a 2-1, despite moments of great tension both at the beginning and at the end of the match. Thanks to this victory, Italy gains three precious points ahead of the next challenging matches against Spain and Croatia, with the former having already shown its strength with a clear 3-0 victory over the Balkan teams.
A slow start and a quick comeback
The start of the match wasn’t the best for the Azzurri. After just 23 seconds, a sensational error by Dimarco gave the opponents a golden opportunity: the player performed a poorly calibrated throw towards his own goal, allowing Bajrami to intercept the ball and throw it into the net with a shot underneath the crossing of the goalposts, leaving Donnarumma with no escape. This lightning goal represents a negative record for the national team in a final phase of a tournament.
However, Italy reacted promptly. In the second minute, Pellegrini came close to equalizing with a right-footed shot from the edge of the area. The occasion was a prelude to the 1-1 goal scored by Bastoni in the 11th minute: the Inter defender took advantage of a corner masterfully taken by Pellegrini, sending the ball over the goal line defended by Strakosha. Only five minutes later, Barella gave the Azzurri the lead with a powerful and precise volley, which left the Albanian goalkeeper no chance.
Despite further chances, including an attempt by Frattesi miraculously stopped by Strakosha and an unfortunate header by Pellegrini, Italy went into half-time with a 2-1 lead. The team showed good organization and a strong reaction, but could have scored more if it were not for the heroic performance of the Albanian goalkeeper.
A subdued recovery and the final risk
The second half of the match began along the lines of the first half, with Italy maintaining possession but struggling to create concrete chances. The only real opportunity came from a shot by Chiesa, served by Scamacca, which ended just wide. From that moment, the match lost liveliness, with the Azzurri limiting themselves to dribbling without being able to find useful spaces to increase their lead. Dimarco attempted a sharp shot, but to no avail.
Both coaches tried to change the momentum of the match with substitutions, but none of the changes had a significant impact on the match. With time running out, Albania tried to take advantage of the only real opportunity of the second half: a long ball found Manaj, who managed to beat Calafiori and tried a tricky diagonal shot. However, Donnarumma, in one of the best saves of the evening, managed to block the shot by deflecting the ball with his hip, saving the result.
An ending between thrills and victory
In the final minutes, a lone invader carrying an Albanian flag managed to enter the pitch, but was quickly removed, and the match ended without further incident. With the final whistle, Italy took home a crucial 2-1 victory, consolidating their position in the group.
Although the result was not to be celebrated with carousels, the three points obtained are fundamental for the Azzurri, who are now looking forward to their next matches against Spain and Croatia with confidence. Dortmund’s victory demonstrated the team’s resilience and ability to react, key elements in the defense of the European champion title.
