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Italy got their Euro 2020 campaign off to the perfect start with an emphatic 3-0 victory over Turkey.
Both sides enjoyed lengthy spells of possession early on, but it was Italy who had the best chances. Lorenzo Insigne spurned a good effort before Giorgio Chiellini’s header drew a stunning save from Ugurcan Cakir.
We finally got the opening goal in the 53rd minute. Domenico Berardi’s cross found the stumbling Merih Demiral, who could do nothing but deflect the ball into the back of his own net.
Ciro Immobile made it two shortly after from close range, before Lorenzo Insigne curled home a gorgeous third to seal an emphatic victory for Italy.
Ugurcan Cakir (GK) – 7/10 – Looked composed right from the start. Made an outstanding save to deny Chiellini in the first half and might have just added another zero to his price tag…as long as you don’t remember him giving the ball away for the third.
Zeki Celik (RB) – 6/10 – Found it hard to deal with Spinazzola and Insigne but did surprisingly well. Closed the pair down very efficiently and prevented any real threat on goal.
Merih Demiral (CB) – 6/10 – Relished his battle with Immobile and almost always came out on top. Threw his body at everything, including for the own goal, for which he didn’t have much chance anyway.
Caglar Soyuncu (CB) – 7/10 – Clearly had the role of chief organiser at the back. Could be seen barking orders throughout and kept his team-mates structured against a tricky Italian attack.
Umut Meras (LB) – 5/10 – Enjoyed dealing with Berardi for the most part but slipped at the crucial moment, allowing the winger to get past and fire in the cross for Demiral’s own goal.
Okay Yokuslu (DM) – 7/10 – Looked very comfortable shielding his centre-backs. Disrupted everything in the first half, but quickly tired and was hauled off on the hour mark.
Kenan Karaman (RM) – 6/10 – Spent most of his time operating as a wing-back to try and help deal with Spinazzola and Insigne, and he didn’t do too bad.
Yusuf Yazici (CM) – 5/10 – Stifled by the system. The Lille creator was asked to play far deeper than he should have been, and unsurprisingly, it didn’t work. He was hooked at half-time through no fault of his own.
Ozan Tufan (CM) – 5/10 – Had a very solid first half but looked flustered after the opening goal. Couldn’t keep control of the ball and offered very little defensively either.
Hakan Calhanoglu (LM) – 4/10 – Clearly did not enjoy being part of the underdog. Didn’t get a lot of the ball in attack and didn’t look remotely interested in working hard defensively. Didn’t want this at all.
Burak Yilmaz (ST) – 5/10 – Might have been eight years older than any other Turkish starter, but didn’t always look it. Was a willing runner, trying to spark something out of nothing, but was just too isolated to do anything.
Cengiz Under – 5/10
Kaan Ayhan – 5/10
Irfan Kahveci – 5/10
Halil Dervisoglu – 5/10
Gianluigi Donnarumma (GK) – 6/10 – A spectator throughout. Had the best seat in the house and didn’t even have to pay for it.
Alessandro Florenzi (RB) – 5/10 – With so little defending to do, Florenzi needed to go forward far more than he did. Offered so little in attack and didn’t take enough risks. Unsurprisingly brought off at half-time.
Leonardo Bonucci (CB) – 6/10 – Didn’t have much to do but managed to subdue Yilmaz whenever he needed to. Solid enough.
Giorgio Chiellini (CB) – 8/10 – Just as comfortable as Bonucci at the back but added some extra attacking threat. Could have scored with a header in the first half and made an outrageous block to deny Yilmaz in the dying seconds.
Leonardo Spinazzola (LB) – 8/10 – Seemed to be on the ball permanently. Looked so dangerous in attack and could have won three or four penalties with some tricky moves and dangerous crosses. Very impressive.
Jorginho (DM) – 8/10 – Looked very comfortable at the base of the midfield. Dictated the tempo of the game from start to finish and did very well stopping Turkey’s attacks before they even started.
Nicolo Barella (CM) – 8/10 – Covered a lot of ground and relished putting the pressure on Turkey’s midfield. Ran his opponents into the ground and reaped the rewards in the second half.
Manuel Locatelli (CM) – 7/10 – Looked a little awkward in the first half but settled into his role after the break, spraying passes around at a relentless pace and leaving Turkey seeing double.
Domenico Berardi (RW) – 5/10 – Had scored in each of his last four games before this but never looked like making it five. Offered very little but popped up with the cross needed for the opener…which was actually just a really hard kick. Nice one.
Ciro Immobile (ST) – 7/10 – Finally bagged his first goal at a major tournament, but didn’t always look like he was going to get it. Impressed with his movement in the first half and finally got his reward.
Lorenzo Insigne (LW) – 8/10 – Italy’s danger man all night long. Combined well with Spinazzola and roamed around with terrifying intent. Had to wait a while for his goal but got exactly what he deserved.
Giovanni Di Lorenzo – 7/10
Bryan Cristante – 7/10
Federico Chiesa – 6/10
Andrea Belotti – 6/10
Federico Bernardeschi – N/A
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