Italy wins against Albania 2-1 in the opening match in Dortmund. Three goals in the first 15 minutes decided the result.
Italy triumphs thanks to Bastoni and Barella after a shock start with Albania in the lead. The match opens with a twist: after only 24 seconds, Albania scores thanks to Bajrami, who takes advantage of an error by Dimarco. The Azzurri reacted quickly and equalized in the 11th minute with a header from Bastoni assisted by Pellegrini. Five minutes later, Barella reversed the result with a precise shot from the edge of the area.
The match in detail: After the kick-off, Albania surprised everyone with a lightning goal. Dimarco beats a lateral foul and makes a mistake in the back pass, allowing Bajrami to score. Italy’s reaction was not long in coming: Scamacca fed Pellegrini, who came close to equalizing with a shot that grazed the post.
In the 11th minute, Italy scores the equalizer. A corner taken by Pellegrini ends up on the head of Bastoni, who makes no mistake. Only five minutes pass and the Azzurri take the lead: Barella collects a rebound from the Albanian defense and, with a first-time shot, slots the ball past the goalkeeper.
The second part of the first half is dominated by Italy. In the 32nd minute, Frattesi hits the post after a splendid personal move, while in the last five minutes Scamacca and Pellegrini create further dangers for the opposing defense. Albania, in difficulty, closes in defense to avoid further damage.
In the second half, the pace drops. Italy manages the advantage and try to take advantage of the restarts. In the 59th minute, Scamacca recovers the ball in the opponent’s area and serves Chiesa, whose shot ends up just wide. In the 67th minute, Di Lorenzo came close to scoring with a header, but the Albanian defense managed to deflect it into a corner. In the 80th minute, Dimarco tries a personal action but still finds Strakosha ready to block.
In the last minutes, Albania tries everything to equalize. Manaj comes close to scoring with a close-range shot, but Donnarumma is ready and deflects it into the corner. The match ends with one last emotion: the invasion of the pitch by an Albanian fan, which forces the referee to temporarily interrupt the game.
The next match for the Azzurri will be against Spain. In Group B, Spain beat Croatia 3-0, placing them at the top of the table. Thursday’s match will be decisive to determine the group leaders.
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