What is the fastest goal in Euro history?
By TOI Desk Report
June 16, 2024
Update on : June 16, 2024
Albanian forward Nedim Bajrami broke the record for the fastest goal in the history of the Euro Cup by scoring just 23 seconds into the game against Italy.
The US Sassuolo striker netted the ball after Italian defender Federico Dimarco made an error during a throw-in at the beginning of the second match of Group B on the first day of Euro 2024.
Italy soon recovered from the shock of conceding the fastest goal ever scored at a European Championship to beat Albania 2-1 on Saturday.
Alessandro Bastoni and Nicolo Barella ensured the defending champions made a winning start to the tournament.
Tens of thousands of Albania fans in red had the Dortmund BVB Stadion rocking when Bajrami blasted home from an angle.
The previous record was held by Russian Dmitri Kirichenko who scored one minute seven seconds into the game against Greece in 2004.
Amid the nerve-wracking chaos, Italy held their nerve and equalized in the 11th minute when Bastoni headed home a short corner swung into the far post by Lorenzo Pellegrini.
Barella put the Azzurri in front five minutes later, at the 16th minute, when he slammed home from outside the box.
Davide Frattesi nearly expanded the lead for Italy in the 34th minute, but Albanian goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha tipped his chipped shot onto the post.