Michael Folorunsho made his competitive debut for Italy as they defeated Albania 2-1 in their Group B opener in Dortmund on Saturday night.
Sassuolo midfielder Nedim Bajrami stunned the crowd when he put Albania in front after 23 seconds.
The Azzurri were not deterred as Alessandro Bastoni levelled matters in the 11th minute before Nicolo Barella’s stunning half volley outside the 18 yard box five minutes later.
The moment for Folorunsho to make his competitive debut came towards the conclusion of the game when he came on for Barella.
Final sub 🔁
➡️ Folorunsho
⬅️ Barella#ITAALB 🇮🇹 2-1 🇦🇱 (93′)#EURO2024 #Azzurri #VivoAzzurro— Italy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@Azzurri_En) June 15, 2024
It was the second cap of the 26-year-old, who is of Nigerian heritage, after playing the final 15 minutes of the 1-0 warm-up friendly win over Bosnia and Herzegovina last Sunday.
Folorunsho is currently on loan at Hellas Verona from Napoli, and played 34 times in the Serie A, scoring five goals and providing one assist.
Italy are second in Group B behind Spain, who thumped 2018 FIFA World Cup runners-up Croatia earlier.
