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sports Dialuna 21 Juni 2021

Italy's reserves beat Wales 1-0 at Euro 2020

(AP) — Italy’s reserves re- Marco Verratti on a textbook goals for the national team in
ally do play as well as its play. a Euro 2020 warmup match
starters. Or just about. against San Marino.
Wales defender Ethan Ampa-
Roberto Mancini has been du was sent off with a ques- Minutes after his goal, Pes-
saying for weeks that all 26 tionable straight red card for sina had another chance but
members of his squad are stepping on Federico Ber- poked the ball just wide.
starters. And after beating nardeschi 10 minutes into
Wales 1-0 on Sunday despite the second half. Wales’ best chance of the half
making eight changes to his came with a header from
starting lineup at the Euro- Italy, which won its opening Chris Gunter that narrowly
pean Championship, it’s hard two matches 3-0, finished missed the top corner.
to argue with him. Group A with a perfect nine
points. Wales came second Italy continued to pour for-
“It’s important that the iden- with four points and quali- ward after the break and Ber-
tity of the team remains the fied for the last 16 at only its nardeschi banged a free kick
same, as changing three or second European Champi- Amsterdam. sure.” off the post.
four players shouldn’t make onship. The Welsh reached
any difference. They all know the semifinals at Euro 2016. The victory also marked On a warm and humid eve- Italy produced 23 scoring at-
what to do and the end prod- Italy’s 11th straight win and ning at the Stadio Olimpico, tempts to Wales’ three, held
uct doesn’t change,” Mancini “Our focus today was as long clean sheet. Italy controlled from the start 64% of the possession and
said. as we qualify we’re happy,” and Andrea Belotti and Fed- completed 553 passes to
Wales defender Neco Wil- The Azzurri first won 30 erico Chiesa both came close Wales’ 209.
“They all proved today that liams said. “In the changing straight under coaching great to scoring before Pessina put
everyone here is a first-choice room it feels like we won the Vittorio Pozzo from 1935-39 the Azzurri ahead. “We couldn’t have done bet-
player,” the coach added. game.” with a team that won its sec- ter, other than maybe score
“Winning wasn’t even neces- ond consecutive World Cup. Verratti earned a foul that set more goals,” Mancini said. “It
sary, which made it difficult Switzerland ended up third up a free kick on the right was not easy. It was extremely
in terms of mentality, but we in the group, also with four It’s been a remarkable turn- flank and then whipped in a hot and a very physical game,
fought for the win anyway points, after beating Turkey around for this Italy squad, low cross that Pessina flicked so the guys did really well.”
and that shows so much.” 3-1 in Baku, Azerbaijan. which failed to qualify for the into the far corner with his
2018 World Cup. back to the goal. By the final whistle, Italy had
The victory extended Italy’s Chasing only its second Eu- no starters from its open-
unbeaten streak to 30 match- ropean title, Italy will play “Pozzo won many important Pessina, who plays his club ing two matches left on the
es — matching a team record. the second-place team from trophies, too, so we’re still ball for high-scoring Atalan- field, with even goalkeeper
Group C at Wembley Stadi- far behind that level,” Man- ta, was a late call up to Italy’s Gianluigi Donnarumma re-
Matteo Pessina gave Italy the um in London next Saturday. cini said. “Anyone who goes squad following an injury to placed by Salvatore Sirigu in
lead late in the first half by Wales will play the second- through to the round of 16 Stefano Sensi. He earned the the closing minutes.
redirecting a free kick from place team from Group B in can win the Euros, that’s for spot by scoring his first two

Shaqiri scores 2, Switzerland beats Turkey 3-1 at Euro 2020

(AP) — A lifeline for Swit- will have to wait until other der pressure from the Swiss Mert Müldür. Sommer was with passes.
zerland. More misery for groups are finished for con- defense, Zuber turned and playing two days after he re-
Turkey. firmation. played a pass for Seferovic, joined the team following a Shortly before halftime, Mül-
who placed his shot low into trip to Germany for the birth dür ran the length of the field
Xherdan Shaqiri scored two If Switzerland had scored the far bottom corner from of his second child. from his own penalty area,
goals Sunday to give Switzer- two more goals, it would the edge of the box. beating three Swiss players
land a 3-1 victory over Tur- have overtaken Wales for sec- Müldür, one of three changes on the way, but his shot was
key and a likely place in the ond place in Group A and a Zuber had a hand in Shaq- made to the lineup by coach stopped by Sommer again.
round of 16 at the European guaranteed spot in the next iri’s second goal as well in Şenol Güneş, was Turkey’s
Championship. round. The Welsh lost to It- the 26th. Seferovic drew the main attacking threat for Granit Xhaka came closest to
aly 1-0 in Rome. Swiss defense to the left side much of the game as lone extending Switzerland’s lead
Winger Steven Zuber assist- of the box and played in Zu- striker Burak Yilmaz missed when he blasted a free kick
ed all three Switzerland goals, “I’m a bit disappointed with ber, who found Shaqiri in the chances and failed to connect off the post in the 77th.
with Haris Seferovic getting the goal we conceded. This space created. The Liverpool
the first and Shaqiri putting is the only thing that I can winger had time to control
in the next two. say I’m not happy (about),” the ball and curl it into the
Shaqiri said. “We could score top-right corner, leaving the
Irfan Can Kahveci scored maybe one or two more goals goalkeeper no chance.
for Turkey, the only goal the for sure but at the end of the
team managed at Euro 2020. day it’s important to win the Kahveci got Turkey back into
game and we did that.” the game with his own spec-
“We reacted after the de- tacular curled shot in the
feat with Italy,” Shaqiri said, Boos echoed around the sta- 62nd — and was immediately
referring to the 3-0 loss in dium at the end of the match substituted.
Rome on Wednesday. “We as Turkey exited after losing
played like a unit and that all three of its games. The That woke up the pro-Turkey
was crucial today against this team’s goal difference was crowd in Baku, but Shaqiri
team. We knew that if we’re minus-7, the worst since the soon broke away on a coun-
good, we’re going to create a European Championship ex- terattack to restore the two-
lot of chances today against panded to a 24-team compe- goal lead off Zuber’s third
this team and we did.” tition in 2016. assist.

Switzerland finished third Seferovic put Switzerland Swiss keeper Yann Sommer
in Group A and will likely ahead in the sixth minute kept his team in front with
qualify as one of the four best and hushed what had briefly four big saves in the first half,
third-place teams. The Swiss been a raucous crowd. Un- three off shots from fullback