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Italy beat Albania 2-1 in their opening match of the UEFA Euro 2024 yesterday (Saturday), but former goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon called on his team to take advantage of their chances to decide the outcome of the match despite risking a goal in the final minutes.
Head coach Luciano Spalletti’s side fell behind after just 23 seconds to Nadim Bayemi’s goal, the fastest goal in European Championship history, but within 15 minutes they had turned the game around through Alessandro Bastoni and Nicolo Barella.
Buffon (46), head of the national team for the European Championships, said: “We did a good job. We proved that we are a balanced and conscious national team. Although the shocking start could have affected us, we kept fighting. As the coach said: Our strength was sticking to the game plan. It was a completely deserved victory. Spalletti always tries to make the best of the resources he has, sometimes he uses the stick, sometimes the carrot, and I think they are inevitable tools when you have to get the most out of your players.
Defending champions Italy dazzled their fans with their response to the early defeat but ultimately failed to add another goal to kill the game and were nearly punished when goalkeeper Donnarumma saved a dangerous chance.
“The strongest sign was how calm we were when we were behind,” Buffon said. “But there are things we have to master. “This victory could have been lost in the 90th minute.”
Italy’s next match is on Thursday against Spain, a team that also beat Croatia 3-0.
The match will bring back memories of Euro 2016, when Italy won the last-16 tie.
“Maybe because of the age of the players, Spain is going through the end of an era,” Buffon said. “On the other hand, our national team is at the beginning of a new cycle. In two years we will reach our peak. But now we can reach a high level of performance.”
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