Playing their second UEFA Euro competition, Albania have settled a dream start against the defending champions Italy in their opening game of the UEFA Euro 2024. Scoring the opening goal of the match in just 23 seconds, Albanian Nedim Bajrami created history by recording the fastest goal in the UEFA Euro competition.
Italian left-back Federico Dimarco’s throw in their own box backfired on them, as Albanian Nedim Bajrami was completely aware of that moment. Bajrami comfortably snatched the ball and beat a defender and the Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to start the game in a stunning fashion.
Albanian Nedim Bajrami scored the goal in 23 seconds
According to the official
UEFA.com data, Bajrami scored that goal in 23 seconds of the game. It created
history in the UEFA Euro Cup as it was the fastest goal ever in the competition
history.
Fastest goal in Euro history: Nedim Bajrami broke Russian Dmitri Kirichenko's record
Former Russian striker Dmitri
Kirichenko was the previous record holder for the fastest goal in Euro history.
During the group stage match against Greece in Euro 2004, Kirichenko recorded
the previous fastest European Championship goal in 67 seconds.
Who is Nedim Bajrami? (From Switzerland youth to Albania senior)
Although the 25-year-old Nedim
Bajrami is serving for Albania, he spent his entire youth football career in
his birth country, Switzerland. In his youth, Bajrami served all the
Switzerland youth teams, from the U15 to the U21 teams. However, in 2021, he
received Albanian citizenship, which is his origin country.
In September 2021, Bajrami made
his senior international debut for Albania when his side hosted Hungary in the
FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers (UEFA). Before the beginning of Euro 2024, he
scored four goals and four assists in 23 matches for Albania.
Nedim Bajrami graduated from the
Swiss club Grasshoppers. After serving for the Italian club Empoli for more
than three seasons (including on loan), Bajrami has been playing for another
Italian club Sassuolo since January 2023.
