Italy have defeated Turkey 3-0 in the opening match of the delayed Euro 2020 football tournament, the world’s biggest sporting event since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Azzurri made a deserved breakthrough eight minutes into the second half of Friday’s match when Domenico Berardi hit the byline and Merih Demiral turned into his own net.
Ciro Immobile ended defensive Turkey’s unlikely chances of equalising on the 66th minute, while Lorenzo Insigne added a late third.
The tournament started a year later than planned due to the pandemic but the Italian fans in Rome’s Olympic Stadium, open to 25 percent of capacity, were given something to cheer. Fans needed to have proof of vaccination, a negative test or have already had COVID-19.
The Italian capital is one of 11 cities that will host football matches during the month-long event.
“After all that’s happened, now that the situation is getting better, I think the time has come to start providing fans with something to be satisfied about,” Italy coach Roberto Mancini told reporters before the match.
