Euro 2021: Italy regains its colors and starts with a victory against Turkey

Italy's Ciro Immobile, scorer against Turkey, June 11, 2021 © REUTERS / Mike Hewitt / Pool

Text by: Farid Achache Follow

4 min

Italy opened Euro 2021 with a 3-0 victory by hosting Turkey this Friday, June 11, in Rome.

Considered among the favorite selections for the European title, Squadra Azzurra won their first group match thanks to a goal against their Turkish side Merih Demiral while Ciro Immobile doubled the bet, before Lorenzo Insigne sealed the score.

Publicity

Read more

From our special correspondent in Rome,

Like a birthday cake without candles, no one could imagine a magnificent Euro opening ceremony without Italians, to shout their joy, after dark months.

The Olimpico stadium was adorned in the colors of Europe and fireworks lit up part of the Eternal City before kick-off.

And the victory of the Squadra Azzurra only made the party even more beautiful in the hearts of the Italians, who largely shouted for their return to the stadium.

Forget the 2018 fiasco

The wait was high for a country still marked by its absence from the 2018 World Cup in Russia. This Friday evening, in this enclosure of the famous “Notti Magiche” (Magic Nights) of 1990, the Italian spectators had come in the hope of saluting a victory of this reborn Italian team, and above all forgetting the tears of Gianluigi Buffon, which had reflected the scale of the disaster when the Azzurra Squadra, powerless against Sweden, experienced its first absence from the World Cup since 1958.

The page turns and the Nazionale, which has just experienced the longest undefeated streak in its history (27 consecutive), gets off to a good start, after five years without much competition.

The men of Roberto Mancini, appointed in mid-May 2018 to succeed the much-maligned Gian Piero Ventura, with Belgium, were the only ones to have won 100% of the qualifying matches for the final phase.

Attempts in the first half before Turkey cracks in the second

This Friday evening, it was not until the 17th minute to see Italy endanger the Turks. Lonely left in the box, Lorenzo Insigne inherits a ball but misses the target. Just after, Leonardo Bonucci tries a long shot which passes to the left of the goal (20th). Then, Ciro Immobile hits a hook and his right shot is repelled by an opposing defender (21st). He will attempt a header in the 31st minute. Just before returning to the locker room, Immobile, again, sees his ball pushed back by the Turkish doorman (43rd).

If the Squadra has regained its legendary solidity, it had trouble achieving during the first period it dominates (14 shots including 3 on target), while Turkey shows nothing, just hoping for cons.

Finally, the Turkish Merih Demiral scores against his camp with the chest after a cross from Domenico Berardi and Italy finally opens the scoring (53rd).

Ciro Immobile, attacker at Lazio Rome, doubles the bet on a ball repelled by the Turkish goalkeeper (66th).

At the end of the game, Lorenzo Insigne, striker from Naples, crucifies Turkey with a curled shot from the right, which ends in the small opposite net (79th).

In its history, Italy has won the Euro only once, in 1968. It was June 10, against Yugoslavia in Rome.

Fifty-three years later, almost to the day, in the same city, in the same stadium, the dream has only just begun.

Newsletter

Receive all international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_FR

• Euro 2021

• Italy

• Turkey

• Soccer