Italy proved they are not dark-horses but contenders with a clinical 3-0 hammering of Switzerland in their Group A match of Euro 2020 in Rome on Wednesday. With the win, Roberto Mancini's men became the first team at the competition to qualify for the Round of 16.
Manuel Locatelli bagged a brace of goals for the first time in his career as he came up with two superb finishes. The Sassuolo midfielder has shown he is ready for the big stage as attention from Premier League and fellow Italy sides are being reported.
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Ciro Immobile added a late third to secure back-to-back 3-0 wins for Italy in the tournament, which extended their unbeaten run to 29 games, matching their streak from the 1960s.
A classy display from two-goal Star of the Match Manuel Locatelli @Heineken | #EUROSOTM | #EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/AjDE6eeis5
— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) June 16, 2021
In fact, their last 10 wins have come without a single goal being conceded. Italy have scored 31 goals in the said period. This is the first time Italy have scored 3 goals in a match twice in a European Championship finals.
Switzerland were ordinary on Wednesday with the likes of Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri being mere spectators on the pitch. In fact, the Swiss got only one shot on target.
Italy lead Group A with six points after two rounds of matches and are ahead of Wales (four), Switzerland (one) and Turkey (zero). They can seal top spot with a draw in their final pool game against Wales on Sunday.
Earlier in the day, Gareth Bale orchestrated Wales's 2-0 win over Turkey in Baku. Goals from Aaron Ramsey and Connor Roberts helped them all but seal a place in the knockout rounds.