Italy gave a "strong signal" by
recovering from conceding the fastest-ever goal at a European
championships to beat Albania 2-1 in their Euro 2024 opener on
Saturday, according to national team delegation head Gigi
Buffon.
Albania's Nedim Bajrami pounced on a blunder from a throw-in by
Federico Dimarco to score after just 23 seconds, but the Azzurri
came back with goals from defender Alessandro Bastoni and
midfielder Nicolo Barella.
"The calmness with which we managed to recover from going behind
was the strongest signal to take away (from the game), said
former Italy and Juventus captain and goalkeeping great Buffon.
"We did well, showing that we are a balanced team with
self-awareness.
"Despite a shock start that could have destabilised us, we
continued to play our our game.
"Then there are some things that need perfecting. With a bit
more ruthlessness and aggression, we probably wouldn't have run
the risk of seeing a crucial victory slip away in the final
minutes".
Italy now face Group B rivals Spain, who beat Croatia 3-0 in
their first game, in Gelsenkirchen on Thursday.
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