Mighty Italy into the next round of EURO 2020 with another 3-0 win

It was easy, it was nice, it looked great, and it was a victory with more than one goal. And it was the second consecutive game that this happened…..to Italy? Yes, the Italians finally ditched the ‘defense first’, ‘let’s kill the tempo’ approach, which was their trademark since 1950, and wins are just coming. The second one on this EURO 2020 came as easy as against Turkey in the first match, and the Italia is officially the first team to make it to the 1/8 finals of the tournament: Italy – Switzerland 3-0.

Roberto Manchini’s boys are playing attacking, free-flow football which is a joy to watch and it brings results: this win was their 10th in a row without conceding, and with a goal ratio of 31-0! Switzerland were no match for the Italians, as they choose to be on the defensive from the first minute and they paid for it. And the guy who stole the show was Sassuolo’s Manuel Locatelli, a former Milan’s man, who probably wouldn't even be in the starting 11 if Marco Verratti wasn’t injured. But he used his chance, scored a brace and experienced a standing ovation from the whole stadium and his team mates. PSG’s midfielder will have a tough time taking Locatelli’s place when he comes back from injury.

The Italians scored in the 19th minute already, when Chiellini scored from a corner kick, but after consulting the VAR room, the referee denied the goal, since it was clear that the experienced Juventus defender used his hands. Just seven minutes later, VAR had no objections after a wonderful chance after which Italians scored. It all started with a superb cross field pass by Manuel Locatelli to Domenico Berardi who stormed down the right and made a wonderful pass to the center of the penalty area, where Locatelli hammered the ball for the lead. Locatelli scored the second goal of the match in the 52nd minute, when Di Lorenzo passed to Barella, who then found unmarked Locatelli who made a terrific shot into the bottom corner.

From that point on, it seemed that the game was over. Switzerland wasn’t capable of doing anything. Coach Petkovic changed the system, but it didn’t help. They didn’t have a shot on goal for the first hour of the game, and Shaqiri’s effort in the 61st minute was not near enough. While the Swiss players tried something that looked like an initiative, the Italians were waiting for counter-attack, and but missed a couple of chances. And then Ciro Immobile scored a screamer from 20 meters in the 89th minute to seal the win.

In the last round of Group A, Italy will play against Wales, who managed to win against the Turks and all but secured the second place and 1/8 finals along with Italy. Switzerland will have to beat Turkey and hope to be among the four countries with the best records among the third-placed teams in order to advance.

GROUP A

Turkey – Wales 0-2 (0-1)

/Ramsey 42, Roberts 90+5/

Italy – Switzerland 2-0 (1-0)

/Locatelli 26, 52, Immobile 89/