Italy 2-1 Albania: On a wild night in Dortmund, the Azzuri showed their mettle and refound their class after a chaotic first minute of a famous match at Euro 2024
Heavy rain had threatened to derail the match against Namibia before a ball had been bowled.
Few are talking up Italy’s chance of retaining the European Championship they won at Wembley in 2021. They certainly do not look like the era-defining Spain who were the first team ever to win this competition twice in a row, and only keen students of European football would be familiar with a majority of their squad. Yet here was a night to show why they must not be discounted.