Calafiori: ‘I try to play for Italy like at club level’ | OneFootball

Riccardo Calafiori only made his senior Italy debut two weeks ago, but started tonight’s EURO 2024 win over Albania. ‘I try to play like at club level and not think about the rest.’

The Bologna man turned 22 last month and this was only his third Italy cap, the second start after a 1-0 friendly win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Nonetheless, he was among the most impressive players on the night in Dortmund for the comeback 2-1 victory.

“It was not easy to start conceding so early, but we never even considered the possibility of defeat,” Calafiori told Sky Sport Italia.

Sassuolo midfielder Nedim Bajrami intercepted a weak Federico Dimarco throw-in to open the scoring after 23 seconds, a record in the history of the European Championship.

Alessandro Bastoni and Nicolò Barella had managed to turn it around by the 16th minute and that proved the final result.

Calafiori played like a veteran

How did Calafiori manage to play with such a sense of calm and confidence in only his third Italy cap?

“I try to play like at club level and not think about the rest. I focus only on positive sensations, like my family in the stands or friends watching back home on television. I think I did pretty well.”

Italy are next up against Spain on June 20 and then Croatia on June 24.