Turkey 0-3 Italy: Own Goal Kicks Off Tournament2 min read

First Half

A beautiful rendition of Nessun Dorma by Andrea Bocelli welcomed fans to the long-awaited UEFA Euro 2020 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

Turkey took on Italy in Group A’s first game, looking to shake Roberto Mancini’s side with their in-form captain, Burak Yilmaz.

Both sides came with a strong defence. However, Italy got the edge over the Turks with a stronger midfield and attack.

The Azzurri had more possession in the first half, with consistent attempts coming in after the 20-minute mark.

Italy had a couple of big penalty appeals that were denied by the referee of the night, Danny Makkelie, as he believed the opponents didn’t commit deliberate handball offences.

Perhaps the best chance of the first half came in the form of a header from Italy skipper Giorgio Chiellini.

The 36-year-old centre half drove the ball into the top of the net, only for it to be tipped over the bar by Turkish keeper Çakir.

The first half ended 0-0 as the Italians dominated the Crescent-Stars.

Second Half

In the second half, Turkey looked to bolster their attack by subbing on Roma winger Cengiz Ünder. However, this made little difference as the hosts kept majority of the possession at the park.

Unfortunately for the Turks, an own goal opened the tournament in the 53^rd minute after Berardi pinged a ball in the box to deflect off of Turkish defender Merih Demiral, who put the ball into the back of his own net.

Ciro Immobile gave his side some leverage in the 65^th minute as Italy scored their first goal of the tournament. A loose ball fell to the Lazio forward to comfortably tuck it in to the back of the net.

Turkey were looking tired on the ball, with many of their fans frustrated in the stands.

Almost 15 minutes later, Lorenzo Insigne secured the victory for the Azzurri with a beautiful curler into the far post.

The match ended 3-0 with Italy leading the table for Group A.

Source of Image: EURO 2020 via Twitter