In a stunning start to their Group B clash at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament, Albania’s Nedim Bajrami scored the fastest goal in European Championship history just 23 seconds into the match against Italy.
Bajrami’s early strike broke the previous record set by Russia’s Dmitri Kirichenko, who found the net after 65 seconds against Greece during Euro 2004.
The young Albanian midfielder collected the ball in the center circle and drove forward before calmly slotting the ball past the Italian goalkeeper to give his side a shock early lead.
The goal sparked wild celebrations from the Albanian players and fans, as their team looked to pull off a major upset against the tournament favorites Italy.
Bajrami’s record-breaking strike caps off an impressive start to the tournament for Albania, who will be looking to build on this early momentum as they seek to advance from a tough group that also includes defending champions Portugal and the Netherlands.
While Italy will be disappointed to have conceded so early, they will no doubt work to regroup and mount a strong response in the remainder of this crucial group stage clash.