After a long wait, the much anticipated Euro 2020, taking place in 2021 kicked off with the first match of between Italy and Turkey on Friday night at the Stadio Olimpico, home of Italian side, AS Roma.
Despite the ground being in Italy, Turkey were the home side on the night by the design of the tournament, but had little to show of any home advantage if at all there was any. It was Italy who in fact leveraged the 'home' advantage to roast their opponents 3-0.
Ironically the first goal of the tournament was an own goal by Turkey's Merih Demiral which gave Italy the lead, before Ciro Immobile brought his fine club form to the Euros to make it two.
After scoring, Immobile then turned provider for Napoli striker, Lorenzo Insigne who curled a beautiful effort into the far post.
- Immobile is a surprise package
The Lazio striker won the European Golden Shoe in the 2019/2020 season, piping red-hot Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandoski by a goal when he registered 36 league goals in the Serie A.
To show that his return was no a fluke, Immobile followed that amazing performance by netting 20 times in the league in the just concluded season, taking his tally to 92 in 118 appearances since his arrival in 2016.
His goal for Italy was his third in three consecutive appearances for the Azurri and his first goal at a major tournament.
He has been a revelation for Italy and definitely one to watch out for in this tournament. If you're playing the euro fantasy league, he is one you may want to consider signing for the next round of matches.
2. The older the wine, the better
A lot of people have criticized Roberto Mancini's decision to continue to play old and experienced central defence pairing, Giorgio Chielini and Leonardo Bonnuci.
The two defenders started at the heart of the Italian defence last night and were very commanding in ensuring that Turkey were kept at bay and in fact, did not register a single shot on target.
Interestingly both Chielini and Bonnuci don the colours of Juventus in the Serie A, with the former being 36 years old and the latter, 34. They seem to still have a few more years to spare for both club and country.
It was not surprising afterall that Chielini was voted Man of the Match, also making a vital block from Yilmaz in the closing stages of the game. The Azurri have now kept nine consecutive clean sheets in all competitions. Janitors.
3. High hopes may hurt Turkey
Having qualified for the Euros second in group H behind world champions, France, the Turkey team came into the tournament with a lot expected from them.
They finished just two points behind France, scoring 18 goals and letting in just three, a goal difference ratio that was only bettered by France's 19 in the group, way ahead of third placed Iceland who finished with a +3 goal difference.
This was also spurred by the fine form of captain and striker, Burak Yilmaz, who scored 16 goals in 28 league matches as Lille toppled Paris Saint Germain to the Ligue 1 title. The 35-year old averaged a goal every 60 minutes.
If they are to get back into the tournament, they must keep their heads away from all the hype and try to resettle in their underdogs spirit as in their next outing, they face a must win match against Wales who held Switzerland to a 1-1 draw this afternoon.
How far do you think Turkey can go?
Do you think Italy could be a surprise winner of the Euros?
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