In front of their home crowds at the Stadio Olimpico in Roma, Italy became the first team to officially book its place in the round 16 of Euro 2020. The Azzurri took care of business as usual against their Swiss neighbors, as Manuel Locatelli announced himself to the world with an unexpected brace. Ciro Immobile added a late third goal, as Roberto Mancini’s men won 3-0 for the second time in a row. So here are the player ratings for the encounter between Italy and Switzerland.
Italy XI
Gianluigi Donnarumma – 6.5
The PSG-bound goalkeeper made one or two decent saves as he maintained a clean sheet for the second match in a row at Euro 2020, whilst enjoying another relatively quiet night in the capital.
Giovanni Di Lorenzo – 6.5
The Napoli man started the match at his usual right-back position, but almost acted as a third center back, as he stayed behind, allowing Spinazzola to surge forward throughout the first half. Was given the license to go forward after the introduction of Toloi, as Italy almost switched to 3-5-2.
Leonardo Bonucci – 7
A dominant performance from the Juventus veteran who was handed the armband after the exit of his longtime partner Chiellini. Found Immobile with a brilliant longball during the second half.
Giorgio Chiellini – 6
An awkward evening for the captain. The defender thought that he opened the scoring for Italy with a close-range effort, but was later denied by VAR for handball. Few minutes later, he had to leave the pitch with yet another injury.
Leonardo Spinazzola – 7
A story of two halves for the Roma wingback. Menaced the opposition with his runs throughout the first 45 minutes whilst brilliantly linking up with Insigne, but couldn’t finish when he found himself in an unfamiliar territory. After the interval, he focused more on his defensive duties as Italy already had the lead.
Nicolò Barella – 6.5
A generous performance from the dynamic midfielder, who ran his socks off for as long as he lasted on the pitch. However, he didn’t see much of the ball, and was overshadowed by his midfield partners.
Jorginho – 7
The Chelsea man is one of the core players of this Italy side, acting as the lynchpin who links all the lines together. Moreover, he always gives a big hand in retrieving the ball from the opposition.
Manuel Locatelli – 8.5
The man of the hour all around the Italian peninsula. The Sassuolo man broke the deadlock for the Azzurri after launching the attack himself and then showcasing his brilliant box-to-box credentials. Completed his brace with a sublime low drive towards the far corner.
Domenico Berardi – 7.5
The other Sassuolo player in the starting lineup put on another pleasant showing. Playing on the less-vibrant right flank, the winger didn’t always receive the ball where he wanted it, but his spectacular run and dribble towards the box allowed his teammate to open the scoring.
Ciro Immobile – 7.5
The Lazio striker wasted some good opportunities, but Mancini maintained faith in him, and he rewarded his manager by beating Yann Sommer with a long-range shot to keep his goal-scoring run going.
Lorenzo Insigne – 6.5
The Napoli captain looked inspired during the first half, connecting well with Spinazzola and Immobile, but faded a little bit during the second, and was taken off in favor of Chiesa.
Italy Substitutes
Francesco Acerbi – 6.5
The veteran defender came in for the injured Chiellini, and although he wasn’t tested much by the Swiss attack, he looked solid at the back.
Federico Chiesa – 6
An energetic performance from the young Juventus star who supported Immobile well.
Rafael Toloi – 6.5
The Atalanta defender contributed to the victory by winning back the ball that led to Italy’s third goal.
Matteo Pessina – N/A
Bryan Cristante – N/A
