In a stunning turn of events, Albanian striker Nedim Bajrami etched his name in European Championship history by scoring the fastest goal ever in the tournament's final stages. The 25-year-old Sassuolo forward netted the ball a mere 23 seconds into the match against defending champions Italy at Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund, Germany. This remarkable feat occurred during the opening round of Group B matches in the ongoing European Championship.
Bajrami capitalized on a throw-in that Italian defender Federico Dimarco attempted to play with his Inter Milan teammate Alessandro Bastoni. The Albanian striker seized the opportunity, skillfully maneuvering the ball and unleashing a powerful right-footed shot past Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, sending the crowd of 50,000 into a frenzy.
The previous record for the fastest goal in the European Championship finals was held by Russian player Dmitri Kirichenko, who scored after 67 seconds against Greece on June 20, 2004, in Portugal.
Despite Bajrami's early goal, Italy quickly responded and turned the game around with two goals from Inter Milan players Alessandro Bastoni (11th minute) and Nicolò Barella (16th minute).
