Anh Đức

BERLIN After an explosive start to the tournament, the Euros kept delivering,with a goal fest and shocking results on Saturday.

Three-time winners Spain secured victory with three goals before half time, while dark horse Switzerland spoiled Dominik Szoboslai's record-breaking day.

In the later match, defending champions Italy were stunned by the fastest goal in the history of the competition but came back to claim their first three points.

Spain 3-0 Croatia: The Spanish statement

Spain's forward Alvaro Morata thanks fans as he leaves the pitch in the match on Saturday. AFP/VNA Photo

After a string of disappointing results in international tournaments, Spain went from heavy favourites to just 'favourite'.

A disappointing early exit in the 2022 FIFA World Cup at the hands of Morocco, despite opening the tournament with a 7-0 victory, critics had doubted La Roja's new blood, being drawn into the 'group of death' did not improve the reviews.

But in their first tough task against the three-time World Cup podium finisher, fans felt something that was different in Luis de la Fuente's Spain.

The men in red were clinical, practical and knew how to slow down play at the right moment, utilising their stamina advantage. There was no flamboyance, no wasteful endless-string-of-passes, but every pass in the first half was deadly. Tiki-taka, it seems was just nostalgia.

Croatia, understandably, were on the back foot from the first few minutes but slowly reversed the pressure. But it was all a trap set up by de la Fuente's team. Quick transition and Spain are two words not usually in the same sentence, but they mixed up in the 29th minute when Fabian Ruiz found Alvaro Morata in between two Croatian centre backs on the counter. Spain's captain, who had a history of fumbling one-on-ones, this time calmly dispatched the shot into the back of Dominik Livakovic's net.

If this was a separate article, the headline would read 'Too fast, too furious'. Just four minutes after the opening goal, Spain doubled their lead. Ruiz turned from assisting to scoring this time, after dancing past three Croatian defenders and fired a powerful shot into the bottom right corner of the net.

Dazed and stunned, Croatia hoped for the break to come soon, but just ten seconds before time ran out, Spain got their third courtesy of Dani Carvajal, who appeared inside the box from out of nowhere.

In the second half, the game slowed down, with Spain feeling no need to push harder, Croatia, had more chances and more possession, but did not find Unai Simon's net. They could not even score from a penalty and in a somewhat comical fashion, Bruno Petkovic's spot kick was pushed away by Simon, but found Perisic, who crossed into Petkovic to finally tap into the empty net. A VAR check later reported a Croatian player encroaching the box before the shot was taken and the goal was disallowed.

Italy 2-1 Albania: Remarkable comeback

Nicolo Barella celebrates scoring Italy's second goal against Albania in Dortmund. AFP/VNA Photo

As the seats in the Westfalenstadion in Dortmund were just getting warm, Albania shocked the defending champions.

Just twenty two seconds after kick-off, Federico Dimarco's throw-in was intercepted by Nedim Bajrami, who went through on goal and fired a vicious shot that gave Donnarumma no chance. It was the fastest goal in the history of the European Championship.

The Albanian fans, who were enjoying just their second major competition, went wild as their men in red drew first blood from the current kings of Europe.

But as the saying goes, if you come at the king, you better not miss. Italy regrouped and pressed forward for an equaliser, getting what they wanted just ten minutes later, with a towering header from Alessandro Bastoni.

There had been worries before the tournament that the mentality of this young Italian team might be weaker than the team that won the Cup just three years ago, with key leaders Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci retired.

However, the Azzurri disproved that with a display worth the class of a champion. Five minutes after Bastoni's equaliser, Nicolo Barella cemented the lead for Italy with a powerful strike from just outside the box.

Luciano Spaletti's men slowed down play in the second half and though Albania found more opportunities, the Italian defence played well and secured the hard-fought three points. However, more work is needed to be done if Barella and his teammates want to progress.

Hungary 1-3 Switzerland: Like clockwork

The Swiss section at Cologne Stadium went into a frenzy after Aebischer's goal. AFP/VNA Photo

On a day when Dominik Szoboszlai became the European Championship's youngest ever captain, the Swiss played spoiler to the Liverpool midfielder.

Kwadwo Duah, one of Switzerland's rising stars, put the ball into the back of the net in the 12th minute but the goal was initially ruled offside. The disappointment turned into joy after a VAR check and Duah finally scored his first international goal.

The Swiss doubled their lead in the 45th minute courtesy of Michel Aebischer, who provided an assist in the first goal. From outside the six yard box, Aebischer calmly fired a shot into the back of Peter Gulacsi's net. The goalie was angry at his defenders but some would say that the RB Leipzig keeper should have saved that one.

Hope returned for Hungary when Barnabas Varga pulled one back with a great header in the 66th minute, but when the men in white pushed on for the equaliser, a defensive mishap put substitute Breel Embolo through on goal, who lobbed the ball past Gulacsi and sealed victory for the Swiss. VNS

See the previous match roundup here