Federico Dimarco took his time on the sideline, wiping dry the football, glancing from left to right, surveying his options for the throw-in. The Italy left back wanted to make sure he would get it right. Then, he confidently and accurately picked out his desired target, finding a teammate and allowing his nation to go on the attack.
This was in the sixth minute of Italy’s Euro 2024 opener against Albania. Five minutes earlier, he had done none of that. Five minutes earlier, the 26-year-old had single-handedly... No, hang on, no. Five minutes earlier, very much with two hands, he had put his team behind – just 23 seconds into their European title defence.
