Numbers shed light on Riccardo Calafiori’s impressive Italy performance v Albania | OneFootball

Bologna star Riccardo Calafiori put in a stellar showing on Saturday, as he starred in Italy’s 2-1 win over Albania in their EURO 2024 opener and proved himself at the highest level.

Calafiori played at left centre-back and while Italy played a back four on paper, they actually operated in a back three. Alessandro Bastoni played at centre back, with Giovanni di Lorenzo playing on the right of the backline. The Azzurri put in a brilliant performance in the first-half and managed to hold on in the second half.

Calafiori starred, completing both of his dribbles in the game as he showed his ability to carry the ball into midfield. He played, as per FotMob, the fifth-most number of passes in the game at 105, while also making as many as five recoveries in the game.

It was a complete performance, as the Bologna man proved how valuable an asset he can be. Even before the tie, he wasn’t expected to start ahead of Alessandro Buongiorno but he showed how good he is, catching the attention of many.

Kaustubh Pandey I GIFN