In a stunning turn of events, Albania took an early lead against Italy just 22 seconds into the match, setting a record for the fastest goal in European Championship history.
Nedim Bajrami capitalized on a misplaced throw-in by Federico Dimarco, driving the ball past Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma from a tight angle.
Bajrami’s lightning-fast goal broke the previous record set by Russia’s Dmitri Kirichenko, who scored after 67 seconds in 2004. The match took place in Dortmund on Saturday.
Italy responded quickly, equalizing in the 11th minute with a header from Alessandro Bastoni following a corner. Nicolo Barella then put Italy in front just five minutes later.
Bajrami’s goal also made him the second Albanian to score at a European Championship, following Armando Sadiku in 2016. This marks Albania’s second appearance at a major tournament.