Could Italy Really Win the 2020 European Championship?
After an impressive start to their European campaign, Italy has emerged as front-runners in this year’s most competitive international tournament. In their first fixture, the Italians faced tournament underdogs Turkey; pre-match build-up indicated mixed feelings from both the media and the public. Many predicted a close game between the two sides; however, upon kick-off, it was clear who would end the night victorious.
Italy made an impressive start to the 2020 European Championships, with a confident 3-0 victory over Group A rivals Turkey, they’ve managed to raise the world’s expectations with a single dominant display. ©stux/Pixabay
Over 16,000 spectators filled the Stadio Olimpico, one of Europe’s most iconic stadiums. Such an excellent host warranted a superb display from the home side. There was an undeniable buzz around the Italian capital as the national team prepared to kickstart the European championships. Despite this, some fans were nervous that their team would be unable to get a result against a resilient Turkish side.
Turkey had only conceded three goals from open play during the whole Euro’s qualifying group stage. An impressive milestone, however on paper, they’re an undeniably weaker side than Italy. Although they have their standout performers, including Ligue 1 champion Burak Yilmaz and AC Milan’s midfield Maestro, Hakan Çalhanoğlu, in the end, this wouldn’t be enough to stop a rampant Italian side full of experience and individual talent.
From the get-go, it was clear that Italy had control of the tie. The midfield trio of Barella, Locatelli and Champions League winner, Jorginho, dominated the center of the park all evening. Barella, in particular, was vicious in his counter-attacking play, picking out key passes to the wingers and drifting forward to allow space for the full-backs to move up the pitch.
Italy’s defense is renowned as one of the best in the tournament. With a center-back pairing of Serie A veterans, Chiellini and Bonucci, Italy’s penalty area remained vacant for most of the game. Alessandro Florenzi, commonly referred to as ‘Turbo’ by Italian supporters, proved his comical nickname to be true as he made run after run up the right-hand side of the pitch, proving to be a defensive wall and a significant attacking threat for Italy.
Despite their dominant display, the first half ended goalless with Chiellini’s header excellently saved by Çakir being the half’s best chance. Turkey had shown resilience in their defense, and while they managed to unleash Yilmaz on a bounding run several times, they failed to capitalize on any ground gained into the opposing half. Their overall pressing play fell flat, often allowing Chiellini to break away from his center-back position and run up the pitch.
Turkey Taught a Footballing Lesson by the Italians
While Italian football has had its ups and downs over the last decade, noticeably missing out on the 2018 World Cup for the first time in their history, they have always managed to produce a solid crop of players every year. This team is no exception. They have some of Europe’s most skillful and clever midfield and attacking players at their disposable and a defense almost unbreachable, even for Europe’s best teams.
Their first result surprised football fans across the globe; before their 3-0 victory over Turkey, Italy had never scored three goals in a single game in the European Championships. However, the added pressure of previous horrors and opening the tournament seemed to benefit them as they remained calm all evening, dishing out a devastating display and completely outplaying Turkey in every aspect.
A special mention for Italian striker Ciro Immobile, who a few years ago seemed to have flunked his undeniable talent, wasting away on the Borussia Dortmund bench. Since then, he has managed to reinvigorate his footballing ability, signing for Lazio and scoring 123 goals in 177 games. He now maintains one of the highest goal tallies per season in Europe’s top six leagues.
The Future of Italy’s Euro 2020 Campaign
Italy faces Switzerland in their next fixture, who previously drew to Wales in an intense 1-1 game played in Baku, Azerbaijan. Despite the mountain of a journey, some Welsh fans managed to make it to Eastern Europe.They will once again play at the Stadio Olimpico, a decision made by UEFA where some nations such as England, Portugal, Spain, Scotland, and The Netherlands will play all of their fixtures at home.
Italy is favourite to qualify 1st from Group A, the round of 16 will see them face 2nd place in group C, most likely to be either Ukraine or Austria, as the Netherlands is expected to win the group according to online betting odds. Holland scraped a 3-2 win against Ukraine in one of the tournament’s most thrilling fixtures so far.
It’s fair to say that Italy has a very good chance of reaching the quarter-finals of the competition, which is where they will face their toughest opponent so far. Some of the tournament favorites, including France, Portugal, England, and Belgium, are all on course to reach the tournament’s knockout stages. However, group F, dubbed “The group of death”, contains France, Germany, Portugal, and Hungary, meaning one of the big three will be making an early exit from the competition.
