Italy looking like the team to beat

Unbeaten streak hits 30 as Azzurri roll into the knockout stage

Any doubt Italy faced heading into Euro 2020 has surely been erased after the nation cruised to the top of Group A on Sunday, securing its third victory in as many games.

Wales, even with a rotated squad, was as tough an opponent as the Italians have faced in a while, though a red card for Ethan Ampadu meant the Welsh played a man down for much of the second half.

Still, the Italians were already in the lead before the sending off, thanks to Matteo Pessina’s redirection of a cross in the 39th minute. And they continued to manage a 10-man Wales attack that didn’t back down, the Welsh’s best chance of the match falling to Gareth Bale after the red card.

A 1-0 final extends Italy’s unbeaten run to 30 games. The team has not conceded a goal in 11 matches, dating back to October, and has scored 32 goals in that time.

It’s not just way Italy is playing that is impressive. Manager Roberto Mancini’s young squad has bought into the notion that a collective is more than any one individual performance, and every member of the squad should have a shot. Case in point when Mancini subbed starting goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma out of the match in the 89th minute on Sunday, replacing him with No. 2 goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu. With nothing to suggest Donnarumma was off either health or performance-wise, the moved seemed a reaction to Mancini’s perspective that everyone in the squad has a role to play, no matter how small

The philosophy has worked well so far. Italy goes into the knockout stage as a team, maybe the team, to beat at this year’s competition.

How Group A finishes: The win over Wales gave Italy nine points and top spot in the group. The Italians will play either Austria or Ukraine in the round of 16. The loss to Italy could have affected Wales’ place in the standings, but Bale and company did enough at both ends of the field to finish second in the group on goal difference. Wales’ first knockoutround

opponent will be decided Monday after Group B plays. Denmark or Russia are the likeliest second-place finishers in that group.

Switzerland, with four points, has a good chance of advancing as one of the tournament’s four best third-place teams. Turkey became the second team eliminated, with just one goal to its name after entering the competition as a potential dark horse.

How did we do? The Star’s pre-tournament prediction had Group A finishing Italy, Turkey, Switzerland and Wales. Apologies to Wales. Turkey, we have some questions.

Shaqiri shines: If the Swiss advance, Xherdan Shaqiri will be hitting his stride at just the right time. The 29-year-old striker, who has struggled at the club level with Liverpool the last few years, scored two goals in Switzerland’s 3-1 win over Turkey on Sunday, the first time he has put in a pair in a game in seven

years. And they weren’t average goals, either. Shaqiri oozed confidence as he curled a ball into the top corner of Turkey’s net from outside the box in 26th minute and rifled a shot into the top of the net in the 68th minute, courtesy of his nondominant left foot. Shaqiri’s prominence on this Swiss side was always going to play into Switzerland’s fate. His role will become even more critical if his team makes the knockout round.

What happened to Turkey? A young and talented Turkish side was considered the best to represent its country since its “golden generation” finished third at the 2002 World Cup. Defence was a strength through qualifying, when Turkey finished second in its group behind France and conceded just three goals. It all went up in flames at Euro 2020, though. Turkey gave up three goals in its first match and conceded eight

in total as manager S enol Gü- nes tinkered with his back line. At the other end of the field, Turkey barely created anything, let alone enough to come close to a win. By the time the team show some attacking intent, in the their final loss to Switzerland, it was too little, too late. Fingers are being pointing at Günes , who said Saturday his team “needed a miracle” to progress.

On the docket: Lots still to be decided in Group B. A tie or more would clinch top spot for Belgium, which takes on debutant Finland in its last groupstage game. The Finns and Russia are in the hunt for second alongside Denmark. The Danes are still looking for their first point in the competition but can finish second with a win over a Russia, a Finland loss and an edge in goal difference. Those games will kick off at 12 p.m. ET Monday.

Things are more straightfor

ward in Group C, whose final games kick off three hours later. The Netherlands have already won the group and North Macedonia is out. The final game between those two is relatively insignificant. What is left to be decided is second and third place, with Austria and Ukraine battling for those two spots.