Italy kickstarted their Euro 2020 campaign with a bang! Roberto Mancini’s men dominated the tournament’s opener from start to finish, but were unable to a find a breakthrough against the compact Turkish defenses. Nonetheless, an own goal from Juventus man Merih Demiral opened the floodgates in the second half, and the Azzurri scored twice more with Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne.
So here are our player ratings for the competition’s first match between Turkey and Italy:
Italy XI
Gianluigi Donnarumma – 6.5
Football’s most precious free agent was perhaps hoping to impress his suitors with some spectacular saves, but was instead left with very little to do. However, he seemed to be well-alerted whenever called upon to action.
Alessandro Florenzi – 5.5
Some of the observers in France would tell you that the former Roma captain puts so much energy in the first before physically fading the in the second. Mancini seems to agree with the notion by subbing him out by half time after an energetic yet fruitless 45 minutes.
Leonardo Bonucci – 6.5
The veteran defender put on a solid showing at the back – although he was overshadowed by his Juventus teammate. Tried to deliver some long balls from the back, but were mostly met by the towering Turkey defenders
Giorgio Chiellini – 7.5
A monstrous display from the Azzurri captain! Confidently won his fight against fellow veteran Yilmaz, and sealed his personal victory with a sublime last-minute interception to deny the Lille striker. Almost scored with a header himself.
Leonardo Spinazzola – 7.5
The Roma wingback proved once again that he is one of Italy’s most underrated players. An absolute menace from the left. Supported the attack all night long, whilst sprinting back to save the hosts from a counter attack by Cengiz Under. Should have earned Italy a penalty kick in the first half, and his shot on target led to Immobile’s goal.
Nicolò Barella – 7
The Inter midfielder had a mediocre first half, but once the spaces opened up after the interval, it turned out to be his kind of match. Threatened the opposition with his dangerous runs through the middle, and played a role in the third goal.
Jorginho – 7
The Italo-Brazilian operated from deep in the Regista role, and spread the ball throughout the pitch. Almost cost his side a goal by losing possession in the middle, but made up for it with a generally solid performance on all levels.
Manuel Locatelli – 6.5
The Juventus transfer target was deployed in a Mezzala role, but tended to drift towards his more familiar central position. Was showered with applause upon leaving the pitch, but he’ll feel that he could have done better tonight.
Domenico Berardi – 8
The Sassuolo man may have failed to score against Turkey, but he was behind all three strikes. Left his marker on the ground with a fabulous dribble on the way towards the first goal, before finding Spinazzola inside the box with a beautiful cross that led to the second. Finally, pounced on a poor pass from the Turkish goalkeeper to create the third one.
Ciro Immobile – 7.5
Playing on his home turf, the Lazio striker had to find the back of the net. Suffered from the lack of spaces during the first 45 minutes, but remained composed and evetnually pounced on the rebound to score the second goal for Italy, before assisting Insigne for the third.
Lorenzo Insigne – 7
The Napoli captain was his team’s most dangerous player in the first half, but was unable to break the deadlock. Although he disappeared at times during the second half, he managed to score with one of his infamous curlers towards the far corner.
Italy Substitutes
Giovanni Di Lorenzo – 6
The right-back looked mostly solid after replacing Florenzi in the second half, but preferred to stay behind, allowing Spinazzola to burst forward.
Bryan Cristantne – N/A
Federico Chiesa – N/A
Andrea Belotti – N/A
Federico Bernardeschi – N/A
