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Few had Roberto Mancini’s side among the favorites to raise the Henri Delaunay prize, but bettors may well adjust their odds as the Italians showed several leagues above their opponents on a wet night in Rome.
Merih Demiral’s own goal and the strikes by Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne gave Italy a well-deserved victory, although Turkey was certainly horrific given the ability of coach Senol Gunes, though inexperienced.
Sterner’s tests certainly awaited Italy, but the opening game of this postponed tournament was worth the wait Azzurri.
For most of the game, it seemed that Andrea Bocell’s confusing performance of Nessun Dorma during the opening ceremony would be the only highlight of the night as both teams struggled to find any rhythm in the early stages.
The first chance to notice football in the open half arose when Insigne played neatly with one or two of his Italian teammates Domenico Berard, but the Naples striker distorted his shot when he placed well in the penalty area.
Italy was certainly dominant, but found clear opportunities.
A defender managed to keep the ball from crossing the goal-line after a curling shot coming in from the right from Giorgio Chiellini after 32 minutes, and prevented Ugurcan Cakir from going up another goal.
Despite the lack of experience, the young and talented team from Turkey came to Euro 2020 with high expectations. At the age of 35, captain Burak Yilmaz, who has helped Lille win Ligue 1, is eight years older than any other player on the team.
The striker struggled to get into the game early on when he found himself in regular isolation, with Turkey managing to dominate only 37% in the first half. In fact, Yilmaz had to spend as much time in his own penalty area to help defend the wave after a wave of Italian attacks as inside the opponent’s center.
Fortunately, the game revived early in the second half as Italy rose from the locker room much more strongly.
It only took eight minutes before the deadlock was dismantled, and Turkish defender Demiral happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and directed the ball into his own net from the center of Domenico Berard.
Rome’s Stadio Olimpico, although filled to just a quarter of its 70,000 capacity due to Covid-19 limitations, exploded, and it didn’t take long for the second place celebrated by Italian fans.
Berardi was once again at its core and shot the ball from a distance towards Leonardo Spinazzola, whose blocked shot fell perfectly to Immobilen’s feet and pushed the ball into the post.
Italy was in constant speed control, as it had been for most of the game, and the Insigne put the icing on the cake with only 10 minutes left.
Cakir’s stubborn feed finally allowed Immobile to feed the Insignea inside the box, and the compact pier made no mistake with the highlighted first goal.
Italy has certainly surprised many people in a surprising way with such a commanding presentation – including tonight’s unbelieving opponents – and has no doubt brought the other 23 nations to the fore.
On Saturday, Switzerland will meet Wales – the other two teams in Group A – while Denmark will face Finland and Russia will play in Belgium in Group B.
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