June 11, (THEWILL)- The long-awaited Euros 2020 got underway on Friday, June 11 with an opening game between Turkey and Italy at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome with the Italians taking a commanding start by dusting off Turkey 3-0. It showed the progress the team had made under Roberto Mancini, since missing out of the 2018 World Cup.
The Mancini transformation was apparent in the linkup play and transition observed in the Italian side, which came into focus in the relative ease with which they handled their Turkish opponents, who were considered one of the dark horses of the competition based on their sensational qualifying results.
There was not much to say about the first half, which was a lethargic affair and rather looked much like the both sides needed some motivation to shake off the tightness in the joints and get the muscles going. The single flashpoint of the half was a call for an Italian penalty that the referee, Danny Makkelie, waved off as VAR said there was no clear error when Zeki Celik handled Leonardo Spinazzola’s cross.
The Azzurris finally clicked into gear in the second period forcing Juventus defender Merih Demiral into putting the ball into his own goal. That goal was followed by subsequent Italian goals, first from Ciro Immobile and, then, Lorenzo Insigne to complete the rout. With the poor quality of the Turkish game, Italy did not have much to struggle against to claim victory.
The plan of the Turkish side appeared to be to launch counterattacks against Italy with the hope that their striker Burak Yilmaz or substitute attacker, Cengiz Under, could run at goal and score against Gianluigi Donnarumma, in the Italian goal. But Turkey’s game formation that involved a deep setup contributed to a cagey opening for their side.
By scoring three times in a single game, Italy marked their first set of a trio of goals in the history of any European Championship. And, it was against a side that had the reputation of being tough after only letting in three goals in the qualifiers and which boasted arguably their most talented squad since they last reached the semi-finals of the Euros in 2008.
With individual record-setting such as Demiral’s own goal, which was the first time ever that the first goal at a European Championship tournament was an own goal and Giorgio Chiellini playing as the oldest outfielder to ever start a major tournament game for the Azzurris, it was a beautiful start to the competition, especially for Italy.
They will return to the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday to face Switzerland soon after Turkey tussles with Wales in Baku on the same day.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
