Despite coming into the competition with expectations unusually low, Italian got their Euro 2016 campaign off to a winning start on Monday night, courtesy of an impressive 2-0 win against a highly-rated Belgian side.
Ex-Sunderland winger Emanuele Giaccherini (after a superb Leonardo Bonucci pass) and Southampton striker Graziano Pelle got the goals for the Azzurri, with manager Antonio Conte celebrating his side’s opener so hard that he suffered a nosebleed for his trouble.
New Chelsea boss Conte oversaw a superb display from his side, who dealt superbly with Belgium’s big-name attackers. However, the Italians were also a potent force in attack themselves, getting forward whenever possible. And what an incredible pass from Bonucci for the Giaccherrni goal…
Giaccherini slots it in for #ITA, giving them the lead over #BEL! #EURO2016 #BELITAhttps://t.co/fx3aY5tJOw
— Jalen Jones (@JalenDSN) June 13, 2016
Despite lacking the star players of previous years, Italy look like a team who could go further in France than most people expected. As for Marc Wilmots’ star-studded Belgium, they look in danger of yet another major underachievement at a major finals.