Albania looked ready to upset Italy after scoring the fastest goal in the history of the Euros, thanks to a gift from the Azzurri. But Luciano Spalletti’s men quickly found the response, scoring two goals to take the lead.
Italy would then buckle down and secure a 2-1 victory over the upstarts, sending a statement that they are back to defend their European Championship crown after collapsing and missing the last World Cup.
Here are the player ratings from Italy’s 2-1 win over Albania.
Italy Player Ratings
GK Gianluigi Donnarumma, 7.5 – Can’t be criticized for the Albania goal at the near post, as no keeper would have been able to react to that. Donnarumma more than made up for that goal with a game-saving stop with his back late in the match.
LB Federico Dimarco, 5.0 – A poor error put Italy in a tough spot within seconds. He recovered from it to provide chance creation down the left-hand side, but this was honestly a disappointing performance from the Inter Milan star that cannot be repeated against better teams.
CB Riccardo Calafiori, 7.5 – Donnarumma spared his blushes with a brilliant late save, but Calafiori was still brilliant defensively, reading the game well and staying a step ahead of the majority of long balls played in his vicinity. Juventus will want to secure this transfer rapidly.
CB Alessandro Bastoni, 7.5 – Not much to do defensively, brilliant on the ball (as ever), and took advantage of an easy header to tie the game. Bastoni is one of Serie A’s best center backs.
RB Giovanni Di Lorenzo, 7.5 – The Napoli veteran turned in an elite, unselfish performance by focusing on defending and recycling the ball in possession. You can see why Juventus want to sign him.
CM Nicolo Barella, 8.0 – Worked hard in midfield and was nearly flawless with his passing while scoring an incredible goal to put Italy ahead at 2-1. Barella remains one of the standard-bearers of midfield play in Italian football.
DM Jorginho, 7.0 – Attempted 131 passes and read the game well in another solid display at the base of the Italy midfield.
CM Davide Frattesi, 6.0 – The all-action midfield was all over the pitch, but he needs to be more economical with his touches and more decisive with his passing. Frattesi waits too long for the key pass, allowing the defense to reset and close the opening.
LW Lorenzo Pellegrini, 7.0 – Really should have shown better composure on two golden chances, but, otherwise, he was solid and reminded fans around the world why he is one of the premier playmakers in European football.
ST Gianluca Scamacca, 7.5 – A couple of really nice flicks, including one backheel to set a chance up for Pellegrini. Scamacca made a name for himself in the Europa League against Liverpool, and the Atalanta star will continue to do so in the European Championships. The Italian striker is an upgrade on Ciro Immobile and one of the most talented 9’s in the tournament. He can bring more than goals.
RW Federico Chiesa, 8.0 – The best player on the pitch. Lively throughout, holding width and constantly taking defenders on. Albania could not cope with Chiesa’s work rate, and his final ball was often exquisite. Chiesa should have had an assist, but Loreno Pellegrini was not wise to the cross. A right-footed right winger in this one, Chiesa displayed some nifty work with his left-footed “inverted crosses”, too.
Albania Player Ratings
GK Thomas Strakosha, 8.0 – Made several huge stops against his former Serie A opponents to keep Albania in the game.
LB Mario Mitaj, 7.0 – As good of a performance as you could expect against an on-fire Federico Chiesa.
CB Berat Djimsiti, 7.0 – The Serie A veteran more than did his job at the heart of the Albania defense and will continue to be one of his country’s most important players at Euro 2024.
CB Arlind Ajeti, 5.0
RB Elseid Hysaj, 5.0 – The Lazio man is going to have to do more going forward if Albania are to truly make some noise in this tournament.
DM Kristjan Asllani, 7.0 – The Inter Milan playmaker was crisp with his passing and created some great chances for his teammates. He is a fine footballer.
DM Ylber Ramadani, 6.0
AM Nedim Bajrami, 7.0 – One chance, bang. The Sassuolo playmaker needed just one glimpse of goal to sink Italy hearts early, though the Azzurri were able to recover quickly. Bajrami showed his quality on the ball whenever he could, with his near-post rocket to beat Gianluigi Donnarumma standing out as the obvious highlight of the night for Albania.
LW Taulant Seferi, 6.5 – Made up for a lack of attacking involvement by working his socks off to help the team defensively.
RW Jasir Asani, 5.5 – Fought hard defensively but was woefully ineffective in attack.
ST Armando Broja, 5.0 – It’s hard to rate him too harshly because he was never going to see much of the ball in this gameflow against Italy, but Broja could still stand to do more to command the ball, which is a similar issue at the club level.
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