Great display in the stands, less so on the pitch. The Dall’Ara was full of 25,000 fans still celebrating Bologna qualifying for the Champions League as Italy drew 0-0 against Türkiye in the penultimate friendly ahead of the Euros campaign.

The real winners are the fans in Bologna who tried to push the Azzurri to victory over an organised and guarded Türkiye side who, like Italy, are preparing for the Euros. Cristante hit the bar and Retegui had several chances, but that was it: very different to three years ago when Italy beat Czechia 4-0 on 4 June as they kicked off their triumphant EURO 2020 campaign. No harm done as the Azzurri will need the goals to come in Germany.

Luciano Spalletti commented: “I’m happy because the game was real and intense. We weren’t amazing and couldn’t get things going but the squad tried to make it happen in certain moments. It’s the classic game at the start of a campaign where you still need time to sort certain areas out”. And on the squad list for the Euros, he added: “There’s still tomorrow’s game (against the Italy Under-21s), I’ll take all the time I can”.

THE MATCH. Four-man backline and three-man attack, sometimes including the keeper, in a versatile Italy side that has to build and has to defend, to take the words from Luciano Spalletti. Vicario was in goal, Mancini in the middle next to Bastoni with Di Lorenzo and Dimarco on the flanks, the latter floating into the midfield when keeping hold of the ball. Jorginho and Cristante played in the middle, sometimes dropping back to receive the ball, Pellegrini, Orsolini and Chiesa started behind Retegui. 

There’s a good deal of inspiration and three players recognisable from the Italian league (Celik, Calhanoglu and Yildiz) in Montella’s Türkiye, with most passes stopping by the well-trained feet of the Inter midfielder.

The 25,000 fans at the Dall’Ara (a record attendance for the National team in Bologna, with around 2,000 Turkish fans) tried to spur on the Azzurri who edged closer to Bayindir for the first time in the 8th minute through a Retegui chance that went high. Pellegrini had a go from a free kick but lacked precision and Retegui didn’t manage to convert a Dimarco corner into a goal. Another corner saw Türkiye with their first chance as Ayhan got his head to a Calhanoglu corner and sent it over the bar.

 

Pace and excitement were lacking. At the half-hour mark, Cristante recovered the ball and ran down the right, Retegui couldn’t get on the end of the cross from the Roma midfielder and Chiesa put it out at the back post. Kabak was involved in a clash with Retegui and left the pitch on a stretcher with Demiral taking his place. A chance apiece at the end of the first half: Yilmaz headed wide from a good position before Cristante hit the bar with another header. The 0-0 scoreline after the first 45 was reflective of a balanced game that just wouldn’t budge.

Spalletti changed the wingers at the start of the second half with Zaccagni and Cambiaso coming on for Orsolini and Chiesa. Not much later, it was these two to carved out the first chance of the half: the Juventus defender crossed high to the right for Retegui’s shot but the Lazio player couldn’t quite tap it home. Italy tried to speed it up with Dimarco finding a great pass for Retegui whose shot ended up in Bayindir’s arms. ‘Ola’ began to ring out in the stands, with the fans singing ‘Italia, Italia’, and it almost paid off as Retegui’s acrobatic bicycle kick went wide.

Fagioli, Frattesi and Raspadori came on for Jorginho, Pellegrini and Retegui. Vicario sent Demiral’s shot out for a corner, taken by the usual Calhanoglu, before Cambiaso couldn’t quite control the ball from Bastoni at the other end of the pitch. The final applause at the Dall’Ara was for one of their own as Riccardo Calafiori came on for Dimarco to make his Italy debut, shifting Cambiaso to the left. All we had time for was a grasscutter from Raspadori that forced Bayindir to drop to the ground and save, ending in a deserved 0-0. Tomorrow at 15:30 CEST, we will face the Italy U20s at Coverciano before Spalletti announces the final 26-man squad for the Euros on Thursday. Germany draws ever nearer.

ITALY 0-0 TÜRKIYE

ITALY (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Di Lorenzo, Mancini, Bastoni, Dimarco (85’ Calafiori), ; Cristante, Jorginho (62’ Fagioli; Pellegrini (68’ Frattesi), Orsolini (46' Cambiaso), Chiesa (46’ Zaccagni); Retegui (68’ Raspadori). Unused subs: Donnarumma, Buongiorno, Ricci, Darmian, Bellanova, Meret, El Shaarawy, Gatti, Folorunsho. Coach: Spalletti.

TÜRKIYE (4-2-3-1): Bayindir; Celik (67’ Ozkacar), Bardakci, Kabak (42’ Demiral), Muldur; Ayhan (67’ Ozdemir), Calhanoglu; Aydin, Yazici (55’ Kokcu), Yildiz; Yilmaz (81’ Kilicsoy). Unused subs: Gunok, Akaydin, Yokuslu, Akturkoglu, Yuksek, Tosun, Kahveci, Omur, Cakir, Uzun. Coach: Montella.

Referee: Gishamer (AUT). Assistants: Heidenreich and Schreiner (AUT). Fourth official: Rapuano (ITA).

Notes: attendance: 25.012. Booked: Orsolini (I) and Mancini (I).