Italy had a flying start in the European Championship (Euro 2020) opener on Friday, June 11, by defeating Turkey 3-0 within the first 79 minutes of the thrilling encounter.
The Euro 2020 opener took place at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy in the presence of 15 thousand spectators mostly from Italy. Hence, it was an easy ride for the Italian side.
Though the match ended 3-0 after 90 minutes, Turkey gave Italy a tough time in the first half of the game as they were able to protect their goal line for 45 minutes without conceding a goal.
Italy were able to break the deadlock in the 53rd minute, thanks to an own goal scored by Turkish Merih Demiral. The goal opened the door for Italian forwards to score more.
In the 66th minute, Ciro Immobile doubled Italy’s lead and Lorenzo Insigne made it three for Italy in the 79th minute.
The 3-0 win over Turkey marked the first time in 39 European Championship that Italy scored more than two goals in a match. It also increased the country’s unbeaten run to 28 games. The last time Italy lost a competitive game was in 2018 when the country lost 1-0 to Portugal in UEFA Nations League.
Currently, the Italian side top Group A with three points in one game while Turkey are sitting at the bottom of the group pending the outcome of the match between Switzerland and Wales.
Italy head coach, Roberto Mancini said: “We played well. With it being the first match, it wasn’t easy and we were against a good team. The crowd helped us, and we needed to move the ball quickly.
“In these games, you need everything. We had help from the crowd, we are happy and I think the team played really well.
“It was decisive when we moved the ball quickly, managing to always free someone up for the pass. It was important to start well and it’s satisfying for us, for the crowd, and all Italians.
“It was a wonderful evening and I hope there will be many more. Wembley? That’s a long way away. There are six to go.”
While the coach of Turkey, Şenol Güneş said: “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.”
#EURO2020 l Turkey Vs Italy l Highlights HD pic.twitter.com/DI3oKCjYbR
— . (@Y24HD1) June 11, 2021
