The EURO 2024 tournament has kicked off without major surprises as favored national teams have successfully secured victories in their initial matches.
In Group B, the reigning champions, Italy, officially began their campaign. Despite facing initial setbacks, they managed to clinch a full 3 points.
In their match against Albania, Italy faced an early shock when Nedim Bajrami unexpectedly scored in the first minute, putting Albania ahead 1-0 against Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Bajrami’s goal, timed at just 23 seconds, marked its place in EURO history as the fastest goal ever scored in the tournament.
However, the Italian squad, known as the Azzurri, quickly responded, with Alessandro Bastoni scoring in the 11th minute and Nicolò Barella following up in the 16th minute. These rapid goals reversed the score, leading Italy to a 2-1 victory.
This win placed Italy with 3 points, mirroring Spain’s standing, but they sit second in the ‘group of death’ due to a slightly inferior goal difference.
Earlier on the same day, Spain convincingly defeated Croatia 3-0, with goals from Álvaro Morata, Fabián Ruiz, and Dani Carvajal.
These results provide both Spain and Italy with a positive start as they prepare to face each other in their second match, a highly anticipated clash that could determine the top spot in the group and early qualification for the knockout stages.
Also on Saturday, June 15th, Switzerland triumphed over Hungary with a 3-1 victory in their opening match in Group A.
This result puts Switzerland level on points with Germany in Group A, although they are positioned second due to a lower goal difference.
Euro 2024 Match Results – June 16th
Group A:
Switzerland 3-1 Hungary
Group B:
Spain 3-0 Croatia
Italy 2-1 Albania
