It quickly became clear who would be in charge that evening. There was a lot of red in the stands of the Dortmund stadium, and a little of the color black when it belonged to a double-headed eagle: no matter which direction you looked, the national flag of Albania was being waved everywhere. The estimated 50,000 Albanian fans in Westphalia could not have made themselves much more comfortable. A few Italian Tifosi had also made it into the stands; a large Albanian diaspora lives on the boot, and especially at football matches, the countrymen always treat each other with respect and the odd hug.
But this was not just any game, it was the opening match of a European Championship. A tournament in which every minute will be a kind of historic event for the Albanians, because they have never had the pleasure of playing so often. Speaking of which: the first minute will be remembered by both Albanians and Italians for quite some time, more on that in a moment. Nevertheless, the Blue Squad in their away game in Dortmund: The Italians won 2-1 – and have thus taken a first small step on the way that could lead to the defense of the 2021 European Championship title.
But first, Italy’s Federico Dimarco made a catastrophic throw-in that would go down in the history books. The first minute of the game was underway when the full-back grabbed the ball near his own penalty area and apparently wanted to find his team-mate Alessandro Bastoni, but the throw got stuck halfway – like a small car driving up a sand dune. Albania’s Nedim Bajrami didn’t hesitate and fired the ball high into the top right corner; it was a goal worth seeing. And it had only been played for 22 seconds. Dimarco’s faux pas will probably be written down in the reference books for a long time to come, as the assist for the fastest goal in European Championship history. After all, the Italians have experience with such early setbacks: at the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, they conceded a goal against France after 44 seconds.
But one man’s loss is another man’s gain: a wave of ecstasy swept through the Dortmund stadium; not even the most optimistic Albanians had dared to dream of such a brilliant start. Only the mythical yellow wall could manage the decibel level after Bajrami’s goal, but perhaps only if the BVB fans put in extra effort. That would have been enough to topple the favorites. But the Italians quickly pulled themselves together again – including the unfortunate Dimarco, who had a brilliant championship season for Inter Milan.
The 26-year-old has a fearsome left foot, and in the eleventh minute he used it to make a two-meter pass from a quickly taken corner; the variation had the desired surprise effect. Lorenzo Pellegrini, the pass receiver, sent a cross that landed straight at Bastoni’s far post – Dimarco’s Inter colleague headed the ball into the goal.
The Italians were now in control and made one pass after another, mostly driven by midfielders Jorginho and Nicoló Barella. And Barella showed a little later why the Italians had recently been reporting on muscle problems that had plagued him during the tournament preparations, almost in live ticker mode. After Dimarco had completed his rehabilitation program as prescribed, the ball landed centrally behind the Albanian penalty area with the Inter midfielder. Barella swung his leg through – there was no sign of any pain – and scored with a drop kick to take the lead (16th minute). From then on, control turned into Italian dominance, just as offensive coach Luciano Spalletti wanted: the Azzurri had 70 percent possession at the end of the first half; striker Gianluca Scamacca and midfield engine Davide Frattesi both missed the best chances.
But titles – who knows this better than the Italians? – are not won by celebrating attacking football, but by serious defensive work. Coach Spalletti had long pondered how he should set up his defence, whether with three or four men and with which personnel. He chose the four-man variant and filled the vacant central defender position alongside Bastoni with Riccardo Calafiori from FC Bologna, who good feet has a lot of feeling in his feet. Like his teammate Bastoni, his strongest foot is his left, which is why there was a lot of discussion in Italy about the 22-year-old’s ability. Not to mention his just two international appearances.
But after initial nervousness, Calafiori gradually found his way into the game, and in the second half he was fully present for most of the time. And that was necessary because the Italians did not do much more than what was necessary to bring their lead over the finish line. The Albanians made bold attacks at times, but Spalletti’s eleven repeatedly managed to free themselves from the pressure with short passes or sudden vertical attacks. But the final decisiveness forward was missing, which the Albanians took as a friendly invitation in the 90th minute.
Calafiori underestimated a high ball, it was his only mistake, but it could have had serious consequences: Albania’s striker Rej Manaj was stopped by Gianluigi Donnarumma from a free position, and Italy’s goalkeeper managed to deflect the shot with great difficulty next to the post. And the Squadra Azzurra won narrowly, but ultimately deservedly, against Albanian players and fans who had made a big impression.