EURO 2020 : Turkey 0 – 3 Italy

Italy scored three second-half goals to lay down a marker in the opening game of EURO 2020.

The Azzurri laid down a marker in the opening fixture of EURO 2020 with their biggest ever win in the competition, but they were forced to bide their time in a frustrating first period.

Wasteful finishing and a moment of brilliance from goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır to deny a powerful Giorgio Chiellini header meant it was level at the break.

It did not stay that way for long after the restart. Eight minutes into the second half, Domenico Berardi drove into the area and thumped in a low cross of such venom that Merih Demiral could not adjust his body to deflect it clear, instead inadvertently sending it into his own net. The Azzurri were up and running.

Ciro Immobile opened his finals account 13 minutes later, pouncing on a loose ball and firing past Uğurcan. Turkey had no answer to the home side’s fluidity in Rome, and Lorenzo Insigne inflicted further damage when he curled in a wonderful third 11 minutes from time. Italy will take some stopping on this evidence.

Key Stats of the Opening Game:

• Italy scored more than two goals in a EURO match for the first time, in their 39th finals outing.
• Italy have won their last nine matches without conceding a goal, scoring 28 in the process.
• The Azzurri are 28 games unbeaten (W23 D5), dating back to September 2018 (vs Portugal).
• Merih Demiral’s own goal was only the tenth in EURO history.
• The Azzurri have won all 12 games when Immobile has registered for them.
• Italy have not conceded more than one goal in any of their last 31 matches.
• Italy are 11 matches unbeaten against Turkey (W8 D3).
• Turkey have lost their opening match in all five EUROs they have contested.
• The Crescent-Stars suffered only their third defeat in 21 games (W9 D9 L3).

What Next ?

• Turkey vs Wales – Wednesday 16 June, Baku
• Italy vs Switzerland – Wednesday 16 June, Rome

Post-Match Reaction :

Roberto Mancini, Italy coach:

“We played well. With it being the first match, it wasn’t easy and we were up against a good team. The crowd helped us, and it was crucial for us to move the ball quickly.”

Şenol Güneş, Turkey coach:

“It was not our day. We started to lose the ball and couldn’t get forward. Italy were better – we lost to the better team. This is a tournament. We have two more games. We will prepare ourselves for the Wales game first.”

Leonardo Spinazzola, Star of the Match:

“It was a perfect performance. It started on the bus towards the stadium – seeing all the fans gave us goosebumps. We were patient; we moved the ball around well.”

EURO 2020 Highlights : ITALY 3 – 0 TURKEY