Italy survived an early scare in their opening EURO 2024 group game, coming back from 1-0 down to beat Albania 2-1 with goals from Nicolo Barella and Alessandro Bastoni.
Italy
Donnarumma: Could have done better on the Albania opener but had an untroubled half after that. One straightforward claim in the second half, a spectator for large spells. Did a great job to deny a very late Albania effort. 6.0/10
Di Lorenzo: Dropped deep when needed, pushed up the flank when Italy had possession. Reliable and dependable. 6.0/10
Bastoni: Brilliantly taken header to bring Italy level with a wonderful finish across the goalkeeper. Did a superb job on Broja and generally cutting out Albania’s attacks. 7.0/10
Calafiori: Looked very confident on the ball, considering this is his first major tournament with the national side. An exceptional debut, very composed. 6.75/10
Dimarco: Woeful early mistake, just 37 seconds into the match. Redeemed himself somewhat by playing a part in the Barella goal. 5.0/10
Jorginho: Conducting things as only he can, simple and effective without any flashes. 6.0/10
Barella: Dictated things really well in the early exchanges before putting Italy ahead with a SUBLIME finish. Stunning performance overall. A midfield dynamo. 7.5/10
Chiesa: Helped stretch play out on the right, pinged in plenty of crosses that should have been capitalised on. Managed to bend in a wicked effort that was just wide of the far post. 6.5/10
Frattesi: Had a great chance to make it 3-1, but Strakosha did a good job to push the effort onto the woodwork. 5.5/10
Pellegrini: Excellent delivery to pick out Bastoni for the Italy equalizer. Took a yellow for the team on a good Albania counterattack. Created some excellent chances for his teammates on occasions. 6.5/10
Scamacca: A quiet opening ’45, but sprung into life at the end of the half to force a save from Strakosha. A little anonymous in the second half. 5.5/10
Substitutions:
Cristante: N/A
Cambiaso: N/A
Retegui: N/A
Darmian: N/A
Folorunsho: N/A
