Italy, nominally, was the away team for its Euro 2020 opener on Friday. Though the match was played in Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Turkey was designated the home team. In reality, it was a home game for Azzurri, and one to celebrate as major international soccer returned after a year’s delay because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Italy thrashed Turkey 3-0, thoroughly dominating the match. About 16,000 fans were in attendance — 25 percent capacity — but they were more than enough to provide the atmosphere soccer fans have so dearly missed. Fake crowd noise: Please get fucked and never come back.
The opening match of Euro 2020, played on June 11, 2021, had the same pregame theatrics we’ve come to expect from big games. Bono and Andrea Bocelli sang before the Italians belted out their national anthem as we begin to return to some sort of normal.
The game itself won’t be the most entertaining of the tournament by any means, but it still gave Italian fans in the stadium plenty to cheer about (and ponder). After missing the 2018 World Cup, the Azzurri look like they might be back among the world’s elite.
Italy vs Turkey Highlights
After a scoreless first half, with Italy unable to capitalize on 13 shots and 63 percent possession, the first highlight posted by ESPN, which owns English-language TV broadcast rights in the U.S., was of an Italian offside call.
This offside call against Italy pic.twitter.com/OS9p50Fo1L
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) June 11, 2021
Curiously, a player cannot be offside on a corner kick. The assistant referee perhaps utilized a little-known rule to punish a player coming onto the pitch over the goal line.
Eventually, the tournament’s first goal came via an own goal by Merih Demiral, Turkey’s center back who plays in Italy for Juventus. There wasn’t too much Demiral could do but watch as the ball flung off him and into his own net early in the second half.
THE FIRST GOAL OF #EURO2020 IS AN OWN GOAL! pic.twitter.com/fkqykh0g4q
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) June 11, 2021
The goal opened the floodgates.
About 12 minutes later, Ciro Immobile pounced on a rebound to make it 2-0 as Turkey players looked around hoping for an offside flag to bail out their shit defending.
ITALY LEAD 2-0!
Ciro Immobile with his first goal of #EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/osQAfxYBMr— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) June 11, 2021
Lorenzo Insigne capped the proceedings with a lovely finish after a Turkey giveaway, finally creating a score line that matched Italy’s dominance.
INSIGNE MAKES IT THREE! pic.twitter.com/zLT6xN1eOv
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) June 11, 2021
With 16 of 24 teams reaching the knockout stages, a 3-0 win is almost a guarantee to reach the Round of 16. Wales and Switzerland play in the other Group A match on Saturday in Baku, Azerbaijan.
