Monday’s front page of Corriere dello Sport summed up the national mood in Italy rather well: “We are a fairy tale”.
The Azzurri could not have hoped for a better start to Euro 2020, winning all three matches to top Group A and set up a Last-16 tie against the runner-up in Group C.
Antonio Conte said they are “one of the candidates to go all the way”, while Claudio Ranieri described them as “an Italy team to applaud”.
Much of the excitement stemming from Sunday’s 1-0 victory over Wales is down to the way Roberto Mancini’s side dominated despite rotating eight new players into the starting line-up.
Mancini’s ability to implement a strong identity since taking over in 2018 has earned him great credit, but this was the best example of it yet.
By the end of the game, an entirely new line-up was on the pitch, including the goalkeeper, but Italy remained on top throughout.
Every member of the 26-man squad has now experienced major tournament football apart from third-choice keeper Alex Meret.
“I would sit on the bench for the national team,” said midfielder Marco Verratti.
“The 26 of us should feel fortunate to represent our country. Here we are all starters, we are all equals. Those who play give everything.”
Verratti was one of several standout performers who will give Mancini some thinking to do before the next game, along with UEFA’s man of the match Federico Chiesa and matchwinner Matteo Pessina.
“It was the perfect performance, the one everyone dreams of, to decide the victory in a major tournament. I might not sleep for a few weeks after this,” Pessina said.
The result enabled Italy to equal an 82-year-old national record of 30 consecutive games without defeat and marked their 11th win in a row without conceding a goal.
But the feel-good atmosphere in the country extends beyond the national team, with the performances of other nations’ Serie A players having not gone unnoticed.
More than a third of the goals at Euro 2020 so far – 19 out of 55 – have been scored by players from Italy’s top division.
Serie A players have also won the most man-of-the-match awards at the tournament, with nine so far. The next best is the English Premier League with five.
Switzerland face an anxious wait to see if they will make Euro 2020’s last 16 after Xherdan Shaqiri’s superb double helped them secure third place in Group A on Sunday with a 3-1 win over a dismal Turkey, who were sent packing after another defeat.
The Swiss, who finished level on four points with Wales but behind on goal difference, will hope to secure a spot in the knockout round as one of the four best third-placed finishers from the six groups.
Turkey, who finished fourth with three defeats, were tipped as pre-tournament dark horses but instead will head home after a hugely disappointing campaign that saw them lose all three games, conceding eight goals and scoring only once.
The game encapsulated Turkey’s tournament, as they began full of fire and fury and started at a scintillating pace, only to collapse quickly as Switzerland outmanoeuvred them tactically to take an early lead.
The Swiss took the lead when Haris Seferovic received a pass from Steven Zuber on the edge of the area before rifling the ball into the bottom right corner in the sixth minute.
Exasperated, Turkey regrouped and tried again, only to go 2-0 down 20 minutes later when Zuber found Shaqiri in a similar position, and he curled an exquisite shot beyond the despairing dive of Ugurcan Cakir.
Turkey had their chances, but Swiss keeper Yann Sommer made a string of superb first-half saves as they searched for their first goal of the tournament.
Irfan Kahveci finally delivered it, salvaging some pride for the Turks in the 62nd minute with a spectacular strike from distance to reduce the deficit.
Whatever joy their thousands of supporters in the stands felt was short-lived as their shortcomings were shown up again six minutes later as Shaqiri fired home another Zuber pass to complete a surging counter-attack.
With Shaqiri withdrawn, Granit Xhaka hit a post with a powerful free kick as the Swiss continued to chase the goals that might have enabled them to take second spot, but to no avail.
With Burak Yilmaz was left isolated up front, the Turkish challenge fell away. All too often, they settled for wild shots from distance, but it was the defence that was the source of their problems.
Switzerland created 23 scoring opportunities, getting 10 of them on target, and Turkey never got to grips with the scheming Zuber as he set up all three goals.
“When the expectations are high, the disappointment is bigger … I apologise to our nation. I trust my friends, we have learned a lot from this experience,” defender Merih Demiral told Turkish TV.
The Swiss will now have to wait for the knockout picture to become clearer, but their industrious performance and Shaqiri’s finishing bodes well for the next phase if they make it.
“I think we played like a unit, and it was crucial today against this team. We knew if we play good we’re going to create a lot of chances against this team, and we did so,” Shaqiri told BEIN Sports.
Italy finished top of their Euro 2020 group on Sunday as Matteo Pessina’s first half goal helped a much-changed Azzurri side beat 10-man Wales 1-0 in Rome, while the visitors held on to second place despite the defeat.
The Italians had already guaranteed their progress from Group A, but they assured themselves of first place with victory, while Wales secured a last-16 berth too by finishing ahead of Switzerland on goal difference.
The Swiss, who could still advance as one of the four best third-placed teams, beat Turkey 3-1 in Baku.
Italy will face the runners-up of Group C next in London on June 26, while Wales will take on the runners-up of Group B on the same day in Amsterdam.
Roberto Mancini’s side are now unbeaten in 30 games, equalling their all-time best run recorded from 1935 to 1939, and kept a clean sheet for an 11th consecutive match to underline their credentials as potential tournament winners.
“We are happy. But we know that after the group stage we start a new European championship, now it will be different,” Mancini said.
“This is because the guys are very clever and they wanted to win every game, they have a good mentality. I am very happy also for this reason, because we changed eight players and we played a very good game.”
Pessina volleyed the dominant hosts in front at a lively Stadio Olimpico after 39 minutes as they put in an impressive display despite Mancini replacing eight of the players who started in a 3-0 win over Switzerland on Wednesday.
Wales’ task was made harder when defender Ethan Ampadu was sent off in the 56th minute for a stamp on Federico Bernardeschi’s ankle minutes after the Italian winger’s free-kick had struck the post.
Italy’s relentless pressure continued as they pushed for a second, but Gareth Bale squandered a rare chance to earn Wales a draw when he volleyed over unmarked from 12 yards.
“We dug in, dug in for Ethan (Ampadu). We have each other’s backs and finished off the job. We could have nicked a draw maybe on another day, but it wasn’t to be, but we are delighted to finish second,” said Wales midfielder Aaron Ramsey.
FRESH LEGS
With Italy already through, Mancini made eight changes to his team, a joint record number for the Azzurri between games at a major tournament.
But the new-look Italy side appeared comfortable on a hot, muggy evening in Rome.
Andrea Belotti flashed a shot wide from a tight angle, Chris Gunter headed narrowly over from a corner for the Welsh and Federico Chiesa’s volley was deflected off the line.
Marco Verratti, returning after a lengthy injury lay-off, played a key role in the opening goal as he won a free-kick on the right wing and swung it in to the near post for Pessina to finish.
It was Italy’s seventh goal of the tournament, matching their best-ever tally from the 1998 World Cup after three group stage matches at a major tournament.
Bernardeschi cannoned a free-kick off the foot of the post early in the second half, and a few minutes later the Italy winger had his foot stamped on by Ampadu, leading to the defender’s dismissal.
Wales’ task became even harder with 10 men, and the Italian pressure continued as Belotti’s close-range shot was blocked by Danny Ward.
Wales had a golden chance to snatch a draw when a free-kick was headed into the path of the unmarked Bale in the area, but the skipper blasted his finish over the bar.
Mancini made sure to give all 11 players who started the last game some rest, as Leonardo Bonucci and Jorginho were replaced in the second half and even goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was taken off in the final minute.