Italy 3-0 Switzerland: Locatelli Bags Double2 min read

So far Italy look like the most in-form team in the Euro 2020 tournament as they faced Switzerland at the Stadio Olimpico on Match Day 2.

Having won a comfortable 3-0 against Turkey on the opening night, Roberto Mancini’s men were determined to secure another victory in front of their home fans.

From the get-go, Italy was holding majority of the possession. Leonardo Spinazzola was impressive going forward and displayed a similar hunger to last week in the opening game.

Just before the 20-minute mark, Italy thought they got their first goal of the game after Lorenzo Insigne’s corner met Giorgio Chiellini. The Azzurri captain scored after bringing the ball down to his feet in a crowded Swiss box but the attempt was quickly rejected by the referee as the ball accidentally hit his hand first.

Unfortunately for the 36-year-old, he had to be subbed of five minutes later due to a suspected hamstring injury.

The loss of their captain didn’t stop Italy from scoring almost immediately afterwards. Sassuolo midfielder Manuel Locatelli created a chance by pinging a superb through-ball to Domenico Berardi on the wing, who in turn fed the ball back to Locatelli to drill it into the Swiss net.

The first half ended 1-0 with Italy enjoying the tournament so far.

 

Second Half

 

It didn’t take long for Locatelli to find his second goal from another intense Italy press. The 23-year-old found the ball outside the box from Nicoló Barella and smashed the chance into the back of the net.

Federico Chiesa was subbed on in the 69^th minute to help Italy keep their attacking momentum and it certainly was a good decision by Mancini.

In the following minutes, Lazio forward Ciro Immobile got a couple of chances to seal another comfortable win for the Azzurri. However, both of his shots went wide.

Locatelli was subbed off in the 86^th minute with a round of applause echoing throughout the stadium by the home fans and his fellow team mates.

Immobile finally got his goal in the 89^th minute. From 25-yards out, he drilled a low shot into the net past Swiss goalie Yann Sommer.

The game ended 3-0 with Italy now looking like the favourites to win Euro 2020.

 

Source of Image: UEFA EURO 2020 via Twitter