Italy began their European Championship campaign with a 3-0 triumph over Turkey on Friday evening.
Result: Turkey 0-3 Italy
Date: 11 June 2021
Venue: Stadio Olimpico
Azzurri coach Roberto Mancini handed a start to 36-year-old Giorgio Chiellini alongside Leonardo Bonucci in the defence, while Marco Verratti was not fit enough to make the squad.
The game's first real opening fell to Italy after 17 minutes when Lorenzo Insinge played a neat one-two on the edge of the box but was unable to curl his first-time strike on target.
Chiellini went closer five minutes later after being left un-marked in the box from a corner, but his header was palmed away by Turkish shot-stopper Ugurcan Cakir.
It was one-way traffic in the first half, as Turkey were quite happy to sit back and soak up the pressure while the Italians could only fashion chances at goal from outside the box in the closing stages.
However, Italy got the breakthrough eight minutes after the break Locatelli played in Berardi who skipped past one player before seeing his cross deflected into the back of the net by Turkey's Merih Demiral.
The lead was doubled on 65 minutes when Ciro Immobile slotted home from close range after Leonardo Spinazzola's initial volley was kept out by Cakir.
While Turkey showed no real signs of finding a way back into the encounter, Italy went on to bag a third goal in the 79th minute as Immobile turned provider to pick out Lorenzo, who placed the ball into the far corner.
That proved to be Immobile and Lorenzo's final involvement, as the duo made way for Federico Chiesa and Andrea Belotti for the final 10 minutes of the second half.
Three goals were enough to secure three points for the Azzurri, who now hold the record for the biggest win in the opening match of a European Championship tournament.
