Jonathan Liew will be reporting from Rome very soon. In the meantime, here’s a snap report.
Italy made 24 attempts at goal this evening, eight of those on target. Their front three of Insigne, Immobile and Berardi were all excellent, two of them getting on the scoresheet, the other forcing the dam-breaking own goal. The captain Chiellini was immense when called upon at the back, and nearly opened the scoring with a fine header. Jorginho kept things ticking over in the middle. Pretty much a perfect start to Euro 2020 for the Italians, who must be in with a proper shout to add to their sole 1968 victory. “This has to be the worst act of Italian aggression on Turkey since the aptly-named Treaty of Ouchy in 1912,” quips Blaise Baquiche.
Nothing comes of the corner, and that’s the end of a magnificent all-round display by Italy. They were been effervescent in attack, solid as ever in defence, against a very decent Turkey side. They’re now 28 matches unbeaten, and very much up for the cup!
90 min +2:Turkey flood forward. They want a consolation. Yilmaz is suddenly sent scampering into the box down the left channel. He tries to flick across Donnarumma but Chiellini slide-blocks sensationally. Italy want that clean sheet!
Turkey’s Burak Yilmaz is tackled by Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini. Photograph: Filippo Monteforte/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
90 min +1: Demiral fires a hot backpass towards Cakir, who is forced into a hysterical lash out of play. Italy’s press has had Turkey in a fluster all evening.
90 min: There will be three added minutes.
89 min: London Buses dept. Dervisoglu makes a frustrated, forward’s lunge on Barella, and is quite rightly booked.
88 min: It’s been a long time coming, but here’s the first booking of Euro 2020. Soyuncu picks it up, having jumped crudely into Bernardeschi.
Turkey’s defender Caglar Soyuncu pleads his innocence. Photograph: Mike Hewitt/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
87 min: Barella slides in on Calhanoglu accidentally. Painful nonetheless. A sense that both sides, having put in quite the shift, would be happy to hear the full-time whistle now, for vastly different reasons.
85 min: Meras catches Berardi on the back of the leg. No point taking chances. Italy withdraw their man, replacing him with Bernardeschi. Meanwhile here’s this MBM’s co-author Mary Waltz: “Everyone. Turn your TV volume down. Click on Coltrane’s Ole. Watch Italy dance to McCoy Tyner’s rhythmic piano line. It’s wonderful.”
83 min:Turkey, as they have done for most of the match, especially during this second half, are chasing shadows.
81 min: This is the first time Italy have ever scored three goals in a European Championship game. They’ve been more than worth it. They’ve been superb. Insigne and Immobile make way for Belotti and Chiesa.
Cakir’s poor clearance is intercepted by Berardi. The ball’s worked out left to Insigne, via some cute interplay, Immobile sending him free. Insigne opens his body and curls into the bottom right. What a move, and what a finish!
Lorenzo Insigne curls in Italy’s third goal. Photograph: Alberto Lingria/Pool/AP
78 min: Cristante is sent scampering free down the left. His low cross is missed by Demiral and finds Berardi, who faffs about instead of shooting. Then the flag goes up for offside. No matter, though, because ...
77 min: Italy’s corner is a non-event.
76 min: Spinazzola has been excellent tonight, always in acres out on the left. Here he is again, winning a corner off Under. Before it can be taken, Dervisoglu of Brentford replaces Karaman.
75 min: Kahveci shovels a clever pass down the inside-right channel. It drops towards Yilmaz, who runs towards the right-hand post but tries to flick a header back towards the left. He doesn’t connect. If he had, there was a fair chance Donnarumma was in trouble.
74 min: Italy make their first change as Locatelli is replaced by Cristante. “I think you meant radio controlled car,” writes Felix Wood. “Remote controllers are attached by wires. You are, as ever, completely welcome.”
72 min: The Italian fans are giving it the olés as their heroes ping it around. Any old excuse...
70 min: Turkey come again, Yilmaz and Celik combining crisply down the inside right. It’s neat play, but when they reach the edge of the box, the white shirts smother them. This might be a more progressive Italy, but they’re still masters of defence as well.
69 min: Turkey need something, and quickly. Meras wins a corner down the left ... but when it’s delivered, the whistle goes for some pointless shoving.
67 min: This has been a very impressive display from Italy, who have given Turkey the complete runaround. “How times have changed,” writes Mary Waltz. “The Italy of the eighties and nineties would have taken that one goal, hunkered down in a low block, and bled out the game. Today’s Italy hunted that second goal with vigour.”
It’s fair to say this had been coming. Barella is given all the time in the world, 25 yards out. He considers a shot but feeds Berardi into space on the right instead. Berardi chips long for Spinazzola, who shoots hard at Cakir from a tight angle. The keeper parries, but only to the feet of Immobile, who lashes home from six yards.
Ciro Immobile of Italy shoots ... Photograph: Claudio Villa/Getty Images
And scores their second goal. Photograph: Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images
Cue the celebrations. Photograph: Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters
65 min:Turkey have been looking very leggy, so they make a double change. Tufan and Yokuslu, both bedraggled, are replaced by Ayhan and Kahveci.
63 min: Immobile frees Berardi into the box with a sliderule pass down the inside left. The flag goes up for offside, incorrectly so perhaps. A let-off for Turkey there.
61 min: Insigne looks for Chiellini. Turkey swarm and bundle clear. But this is attack versus defence, and a second goal looks very much on the cards. On that subject, here’s Mary Waltz: “Turkey gave a master class on how to employ a low block. Until the moment they didn’t. Now down a goal, what do they do? OK boys, try to score after not seeing the attacking half for over half the fixture.”
60 min:Turkey have been extremely rattled by the opening goal. Soyuncu needlessly wrestles Berardi to the ground out on the right, and this is a chance for Italy to load the box.
58 min: Locatelli is given all manner of time and space, and so advances on the Turkish box. He fires for the bottom right. Cakir makes a meal of turning it around the post. Another corner comes to nothing.
57 min: Tufan ships possession cheaply, allowing Berardi to scamper towards their box. Berardi offloads to Insigne on the left. His attempted curler is blocked and deflected out for a corner. Nothing comes of the set piece.
55 min: Demiral had to make some sort of effort to clear, with Immobile lurking behind for the tap-in. The Olimpico explodes into life, and Italy have the wind behind now. Spinazzola finds a little space down the left and lashes a shot straight at Cakir from a tight angle. The keeper parries.
A bit of space for Berardi down the right. He enters the box. Meras slips, and there’s some space to romp into. Berardi fires low and hard into the centre. The ball batters off Demiral’s chest at pace, and flies into the bottom right. There was nothing Demiral could do!
Domenico Berardi’s cross is heading towards the chest of Turkey’s Merih Demiral ... Photograph: Andrew Medichini/Pool/Reuters
And it cannons off Demiral and into the net. Italy have the lead. Photograph: Filippo Monteforte/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
Domenico Berardi and Manuel Locatelli celebrate Demiral’s own goal. Photograph: Andrew Medichini/Pool/Reuters
As do the Italian fans on the streets of Rome. Photograph: Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters
51 min: Under wins the ball off a dithering Jorginho and breaks upfield at hot speed. He reaches the edge of the Italian box and sends a deflected effort towards the bottom left. Donnarumma gathers.
50 min: Meras slides clumsily into Barella and takes a hefty whack in the ribs. He looks in some pain, insisting the physio comes on to check all’s well.
Ooof. Photograph: Alberto Lingria/AP
48 min: Yilmaz drives down the left and feeds Under on the overlap. Di Lorenzo comes across and barges the Turkish attacker to the floor. No free kick, which looks a dubious decision, Di Lorenzo making no effort whatsoever to play the ball, stepping across his man. But we play on.
47 min: Italy are on the front foot quickly, winning a corner out on the right. They waste it in comical style, Insigne and Berardi over-elaborating, the former tapping to the latter on his right, finding him offside. That was quite special.
Italy get the second half started. Both teams have made a change. Turkey have replaced Yazici with Under of Leicester City, while Italy swap Florenzi for Di Lorenzo at right back. No remote-control car delivering the ball this time round. “Was the little car at the start Insigne’s?” quips the appropriately monickered Stephen Carr, in reference to Italy’s diminutive forward. Tell you what, I wouldn’t be surprised if one of these cars takes out a player’s ankle just before kick-off. Have the operators been put through rigorous driving tests? Physios across the nation will demand to know the answer.
Half-time entertainment. Many a rabbit hole to disappear down here. Make sure you’re back in ten minutes, though.
That’s the end of the first half. Italy swarm the referee regarding that penalty kick, and are told in no uncertain style to toddle off. Everyone calms down and departs for the changing rooms.
45 min: Spinazzola dinks a cross in from the left. The ball clanks off Celik’s arm. No penalty, as the players were standing right next to each other. VAR has a quick look and eventually agrees. Referee Danny Makkelie doesn’t look particularly impressed at his work being double-checked.
44 min: ... and then it’s Turkey who suddenly look dangerous, Yilmaz chasing a long pass down the inside left and going to ground very easily upon being eased away from the ball by Chiellini. He’s very fortunate not to be booked. The good-natured response from Chiellini probably saved him there.
43 min: More Italian passing and probing. Eventually Immobile grooves his way down the inside right and larrups a shot straight at Cakir. They’re getting a little closer.
41 min:Italy are beginning to betray their frustration. Locatelli works some space down the inside-right channel but then weirdly wedges a gentle ball forward towards nobody in particular. Catching practice for Cakir.
39 min: Berardi ends a lengthy Italian passing move with a frustrated whack over the bar from distance. Turkey haven’t showed much in attack, but they’ve been accomplished in defence so far.
37 min: Insigne finds a rare pocket of space just outside the Turkish box. He opens his body and attempts a curler towards the top right. The effort is weak, straight at Cakir, who calmly collects.
35 min: Yilmaz storms down the left and curls low into the mixer. With Tufan lurking, Donnarumma improvises a low punch to clear Italy’s lines. Just for a second there, it looked like opening up for Turkey, who have been very quiet in attack.
33 min: Barella crosses from the left. Immobile rises at the far stick, ten yards out. He sends his header wide right. Had that been on target, I’m not sure Cakir was getting there, the Turkey keeper scrambling across in clear panic.
32 min: ... but now Insigne strides into the box from the left and forces Tufan to hack out for a corner. The set piece is worked back down the left wing. Jorginho curls deep. Cakir punches clear, Chiellini falling as he does so. The Italy captain wants a penalty, but the referee once again correctly says no.
31 min: Italy continue to utterly dominate without causing Turkey too many problems.
29 min: Another penalty shout as Barella cuts in from the right, enters the box, and falls upon contact with Yazici. The referee’s not interested in this, either, and rightly so, the pair coming together from the side in a 50-50 collision as they battled for the ball.
27 min: Karaman has the opportunity to send Yilmaz scampering down the right, but faffs about. A disgusted Yilmaz is flagged offside when he eventually receives a pass.
25 min: Some brief respite for Turkey, who stroke it around the back for a bit, catching their breath. Their efforts draw warm applause from their fans.
23 min: Corner take two. Bonucci wins a header, and Chiellini, hanging around on the edge of the six-yard box, tries to backflick the dropping ball into the bottom left. He gets it all wrong, and was offside anyway, but that passage of play has the crowd going again.
22 min: Italy win the first corner of the tournament out on the right. And it’s a good one, pulled back for Chiellini, who is free on the penalty spot. The old boy steers a fine header towards the top right, but Cakir fingertips over the bar spectacularly. What an effort! What a save!
Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini, left, sends a header goalwards ... Photograph: Alberto Lingria/AP
But he’s denied by the fingertips of Turkey’s goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir. Photograph: Alberto Lingria/AP
21 min: Insigne claims another penalty as his shot caroms off poor Soyuncu’s trouser arrangement and up onto his forearm. That’ll hurt, but at least the referee isn’t interested.
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