Welcome to Sportstar's blog of the EURO 2020 opening match between Turkey and Italy at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
MATCH REPORT | Italy off to a flying start with 3-0 win over Turkey
A night to remember for Italy after what has been a difficult year off the pitch. The players join in a huddle after the final whistle. After finding it hard to break down Turkey in the first half, Italy has sliced its opponent time after time in the second. A refreshing change in approach by Italy from the years gone by. This is truly Roberto Mancini's Italy: 61% possession, 24 shots, and most crucially 3 goals and a win with a cleansheet.
FULL-TIME! Turkey 0-3 Italy .
90'+3' Superb sliding tackle from Chiellini to deny Yilmaz in the box. Chiellini celebrates as of he scored!
Three minutes added time
89' Yellow card for Dervisoglu after a foul on Barella.
88' Three-nil up and Italy is still pouring forward. Bernardeschi cuts inside and ends up conceding posesion, however. Soyuncu's night gets worse as he gets booked.
85' ITALY SUB: Bernardeschi ON, Berardi OFF
84' Berardi goes down clutching his right foot after an awkward landing and he is off.
This is the first time Italy has scored three goals in a European Championship game.
ITALY SUBS: Immobile, Insigne - OFF ; Belotti, Chiesa - ON
79' GOAL! Turkey 0-3 Italy (Insigne) Stunning from Italy! Insigne puts the seal of approval in this new-look Italian side with a curled effort! Berardi won the ball high inside Turkey's half from Cakir's clearance before the ball was played into the path of Insigne.
77' Turkey SUB: Karaman - OFF, Dervisoglu ON
76' What a lovely piece of skill and ball from Jorginho to find Spinazzola's run on the left. But the ball is deflected behind for a corner before he could get his shot away. Jorginho gets a round of applause from the Italian fans for that move.
74' Under infusing some life into the Turkish attack down the eight side but he has too much to do by himself.
73' ITALY SUB: Locatelli - OFF, Cristante - ON
70' Better movement of the ball by Turkey as it looks to pull on back but Italy regroup well and squeeze out the threat.
69' Corner for Turkey but the referee flags for a foul inside the Italy box.
66' GOAL! Turkey 0-2 Italy (Immobile) Italy hasn't taken its foot off the pedal! Superb team goal. Build up from the right with Berardi finding Spinazzola with a hooked cross into the box where the left-back's shot is only parried in front and Immobile has the easiest of tasks of slotting it into the goal. Mancini loved that and I bet the whole of Italy would have too.
65' Turkey SUBS: Tufan OFF, Ayhan ON; Yokuslu OFF, Can Kahveci ON
62' Turkey can't string the passes together under the Italian pressure to move upfield.
This is the first time an opening goal at the Euros was an own goal.
58' Locatelli draws a save from Cakir as the 'keeper pushes a shot from distance behind for a corner.
57' Italy wins the ball high up the field with Immobile finding Insigne's run to catch Turkey backline off guard. Insigne's shot is deflected behind for a corner.
54' Italy is fired up! Spinazzola is released down the left and he draws a save from Cakir with a fierce shot!
53' OWN GOAL! Turkey 0-1 Italy (Demiral o.g) Berardi is found inside the box on the right and he has time and space to fire a ball across the face of the goal, where Demiral ends up bundling it into his own net. Berardi loves that and so does the few thousands of Italians at the Stadio Olimpico!
51' The ball breaks for Under, who has the whole upfield to run on to. He holds the ball well and takes a low shot from a difficult angle which is saved at the near post by Donnarumma.
50' Meras is clattered down by Barella and requires medical attention.
49' Under involved on the left running on to Yilmaz's pass. The midfielder looks to get past Di Lorenzo, who brings him down. But referee says no foul.
47' Sloppy corner routine caches Italy offside...
46' Italy gets procceedings underway in the second period. Di Lorenzo gets in on the action straight away as he makes a run into the box on the right but Soyuncu puts the ball behind for a corner.
SECOND HALF
Changes for both sides | Italy: Florenzi - OFF, Di Lorenzo - ON Turkey: Yazici - OFF, Under - ON
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HALF-TIME: The referee blows the whislte for the break. Frustrating half for Italy with 64% possession and 14 shots but no breakthrough. Turley has been lucky but has held its shape well.
45' Shout for a penalty in Turkey's box with Spinazzola's cross striking the arm of Celik. VAR check is complete and no penalty is awarded. The Italian players are not happy.
44' At the other end, Yilmaz goes down inside the box without much contact. Referee says no penalty and Yimaz and Chiellini have a laugh about it.
43' The opening comes.. for Immobile, who has the space to take a shot from inside the box but his shot is straight and low at the 'keeper.
42' This is just one-way traffic with Italy camped in Turkey's half and its final third but without much luck or opening.
39' Patient build-up from Italy before it looks to hurry things up in the final third. Berardi cuts in from the right and looks for a shot from range but sails over.
37' Chielliini finds Insigne on the edge of the box, where the striker has the time and space to turn and take a shot on goal but his effort is straight at the 'keeper.
35' Turkey on the counter. Calhanoglu with a pass down the left channel for Yilmaz to run onto. He plays in an aerial cross which Donnarumma pushes away from goal.
33' Berardi runs across the left on the ball and hangs a ball across into the box, where Immobile can't get his header on target.
32' Again it's Spinazzola and Insgine creating trouble down the left. Insigne runs away from goal and plays the ball into the six-yard area and demiral puts it behind for a corner.
31' Soyuncu goes long to Yilmaz but the striker is caught offside.
29' Italy wrestle back possession and buold up through the right this time. A cross is hooked into the box but there are plenty of Turkish bodies in there and one of themmanages to clear it out of danger.
25' Calhanoglu with good defensive work to thwart an Italian passing move and help bring the ball out from the back.
22' SAVED! From the corner, Chiellini is unmarked and gets a header on target but Cakir tips it over with a one-handed save!
21' Immobile does brilliantly well on the run through the middle to make room for a left-footed shot from outside the box but Soyuncu blocks it! He thinks there was a hand involved but referee says no.
19' Bonucci goes for a crack from distance but he curls it wide...
18' Most of Italy's attacks coming from the left side with Insigne and Spinazzolla combinging well. Italy nearly gets an opening goal from that side. Insigne runs into space to get on the end of a give-and-go but his curling effort doesn't quite bend into the far corner.
15' Pressure released off Turkey as Tufan draws a foul from Locatelli .
13' Italy looking for the early long passes for Immobile but Soyuncu remains a towering presence and heads them out.
12' Yilmaz is released down the right on a counter but his cross into the box doesn't find the three Turkish players who had made the run.
10' Turkey struggling to build up from the back with Italy pressing them high up. Italy, however, finding it difficult to break down the defensive shape of Turkey, who are quick to re-group.
7' Berardi with a ball played into the feet of Immobile but Soyuncu nicks it off him.
5' Italy setting the early tempo, while Turkey looking to find Yilmaz up front as soon as possible. Unsucessfully thus far.
3' Quick build up from Italy through the right with a long ball releasing Berardi, who somehow manages to hook a low ball into the area, where Immobile finds the side-netting.
1' Kick-off in Rome! Turkey plays from left to right in red. Italy in blue, its away strip. Chiellini goes long straight away.
FIRST-HALF
12.28 am: Mandatory appreciation of Italians' rendition of their national anthem. They never disappoint, do they? Can they keep up the intensity post kick-off next?
12.25 am: The teams walk out for the national anthem.
12.22 am: We are done with the opening ceremony and the fans' voices take over the Stadio Olimpico. We are just 8 minytes away from kick-off.
12.20 am: It's time for some U2.
12.15 am: Italian opera tenor Andrea Bocelli is performing Nessun Dorma in Rome. Wow. That was something.
12.10 am: The lights, drums and dancers are in place for the opening ceremony. And some pyrotechnics too.
No place in the squad for Italy midfielder Marco Verratti as he continues to rebuild his fitness from an injury.
TEAM NEWS
Italy XI: Gianluigi Donnarumma; Alessandro Florenzi, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Spinazzola; Nicolo Barella, Jorginho, Manuel Locatelli; Domenico Berardi, Ciro Immobile, Lorenzo Insigne
Turkey XI: Ugurcan Cakir; Zeki Celik, Caglar Soyuncu, Merih Demiral, Umut Meras; Okay Yokuslu, Kenan Karaman, Ozan Tufan, Yusuf Yazici, Hakan Calhanoglu; Burak Yilmaz
11.15 pm: A new-look Italian team looks the favourite to top a fairly balanced Group A at Euro 2020, which also has Turkey, Switzerland and Wales. After failing to make it to the 2018 World Cup, the Azzuri rebounded in style by winning all of their qualifying matches for the Euro championship. To know more about Group A, read Amitabha Das Sharma's preview here. READ
11 pm: Team specifics matter. Unlike clubs, nations can't buy made-to-order footballers to plug holes. Still, it will be a pity if another Euro passes by lacking in incident, without arresting the trend of tired, laboured football. N. Sudarshan writes in the Sportstar magazine on how football has changed since the 2016 Euros. READ
Group A's Italy takes on Turkey in the opening match of the European Championships at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Friday. The kick off is scheduled on at 12.30 am IST (Saturday).
The tournament was rescheduled from last year after the coronavirus outbreak and is being played for the first time all across the continent, with 11 cities from as far apart as Seville to Baku hosting matches.
Italy and Turkey are grouped with Wales and Switzerland.
Watch UEFA EURO 2020 LIVE on Sony Ten 2 (English) and Sony Ten 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels from June 12.push
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