Manuel Locatelli scored twice as Italy became the first team to reach the round of 16 at Euro 2020 and strengthened their claims to be considered serious contenders at the tournament.
Having brushed aside Turkey in the opening game on Friday, Italy simply carried on where they had left off. Locatelli, the Sassuolo midfielder who has been attracting interest from Arsenal, scored in each half before Ciro Immobile struck from long range in the 88th minute to cap another impressive, high intensity display by Roberto Mancini’s side that was full of attacking intent and underpinned by a defence that has now not conceded for 965 minutes.
In fact, the margin of victory could have been even greater with keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, whose move from AC Milan to Paris Saint-Germain had been confirmed earlier in the day, largely untroubled.
Italy pressed forward at every opportunity, giving their opponents little time to settle. The dynamism of the Italian midfield overwhelmed their Swiss counterparts and they might have gone ahead in the eleventh minute when Leonardo Spinazzola, the Roma left-back, got forward and crossed for Immobile who should have done better than direct a free header over the bar.
That miss appeared as though it would be quickly forgotten when Giorgio Chiellini, the veteran centre-back who was making his 14th appearance in a Euro finals, more than any other Italian outfield player – headed home from Insigne’s corner only for the effort to be ruled out for handball following a lengthy VAR review.
The setback did nothing to interrupt Italy’s attacking momentum and they finally established the lead in the 26th minute when Locatelli started a sweeping move that carved open the Swiss defence with a superb volleyed pass from inside his own half that sent Domenico Berardi clear on the right.
Berardi resisted the temptation to cut inside, working his way to the byline before pulling the ball back across the face of goal where Locatelli was hand to finish from close range after making a determined run forward.
Moments before taking the lead, Italy had lost Chiellini to injury but there were no signs that the departure of the 36-year-old would weaken the home side’s rock solid back-four. Switzerland created little before the break but having prevented Mancini’s side from doubling their lead, reached the interval still harbouring hopes of clawing their way back into the game.
Those hopes were effectively extinguished just seven minutes into the second half when Locatelli struck his second. Once again the opening was created by a well worked passing move that pulled the Swiss out of position and allowed the midfielder a clear sight of goal when he received the ball 20 yards out and drilled a low shot into the bottom corner.
Mancini’s side never looked like losing control of the game and Immobile wrapped up the win in the final minute of normal time with a sweeping shot from 25 yards.
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- How to watch every Euro 2020 match on TV and online in the UK
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/35rwfQG
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