Italy make flying start to European Champ’ship
Eriksen taken to hospital after collapsing, Wales hold Switzerland to 1-1 draw
ROME, June 12, (AP): Italy waited a long time for this European Championship to start and then showed just how eager the team was to play the tournament opener.
After humiliatingly failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, Italy were already back on track with a perfect qualifying campaign of 10 wins in 10 matches. Now Roberto Mancini’s team have begun their first major international tournament in five years with a convincing 3-0 win over Turkey.
Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne both scored after an own-goal from Turkey defender Merih Demiral had given Italy the lead - all in the second half.
Demiral redirected a cross from Domenico Berardi into his own net after attempting to intercept the pass. Immobile then poked in a rebound of a shot from Leonardo Spinazzola on another play that began with Berardi, and Insigne later curled one in after a failed clearance by Turkey goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır.
Italy dominated from the start but was denied in the first half by a superb save from Çakır and a decision by the referee not to award a penalty for an apparent handball.
The victory extended Italy’s unbeaten run to 28 matches and boosted the Azzurri’s status as a title contenders.
Italy, which won their only European title in 1968, had never before scored more than two goals at the European Championship, according to UEFA.
SOCCER
The tournament, which is still being called Euro 2020, began a year late because of the pandemic.
The Stadio Olimpico was still only 25% full because of coronavirus measures and fans sat in small groups safely distanced from one another. Still, the crowd of about 16,000 was the largest gathering in Italy since the pandemic took hold.
Italy appeared energized from the start and dominated possession while Turkey sat back and waited for rare counterattacks.
In the first half alone, Italy produced 13 attempts and Turkey none. By the end, Italy had 24 attempts and Turkey three - and none on goal.
Midway through the first half, Çakır made an acrobatic save to deny Giorgio Chiellini. The Italy captain was left unmarked on a corner and directed a header toward the target before Çakır leaped up, extended his right arm high into the air and pushed the ball over the bar with his fingertips.
With his head wrapped in bandages the same color as his red shirt, Keiffer Moore nodded in an equalizer to give Wales a 1-1 draw with Switzerland at the European Championship in Baku, Azerbaijan .
The goal off a cross from Joe Morrell in the 74th minute hinted that Wales could again be a surprise contender at Euro 2020, like it was five years ago when the team reached the Euro 2016 semifinals.
For Moore, it was the biggest step so far in a long journey to soccer’s elite after starting in the non-league system in southwest England.
He nearly gave Wales a lead with a looping header which Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer stretched to push over the bar, but he was hurt in a clash on the resulting corner. Moore left the field bleeding and returned in bandages, but was largely cut out of the game as Wales defended deeper in the first half.
Switzerland dominated possession but wasted numerous chances before Breel Embolo scored the opening goal in the 49th minute. First he won a corner when his shot was pushed wide after a solo run, then rose above his marker to head in a cross from Xherdan Shaqiri.
The Swiss pushed for a winning goal after Moore’s header and thought they had one when Mario Gavranovic put the ball in the net, but it was ruled offside on video review.