Italy and Turkey settle for goalless draw in Euro 2024 warm-up
Italy and Turkey drew 0-0 on Tuesday in a game of few chances, the penultimate warm-up match for both sides before Euro 2024 begins in ten days.
Italy, led by Luciano Spalletti, enter the tournament as defending champions, and after failing to impress in qualifying, this draw with Turkey will do little to boost their manager's or supporters' confidence.
"We weren't sharp or consistent, but in some moments the team pushed high and tried to do things, it's the classic game at the start of the process," Spalletti said.
"Maybe, I expected a bit more quality in the opponent's half, without that quality everything becomes more difficult."
Spalletti was without midfielder Nicolo Barella, who had a minor muscle strain, and striker Gianluca Scamacca, who had only arrived at training on Monday, so Mateo Retegui started up front.
The first half ended with neither team registering a shot on target, though Italy's Bryan Cristante hit the post with a header from a corner on the stroke of halftime.
Following the break, there was little improvement. The lack of precision from both sides resulted in few real chances and little to cheer the home fans, with the exception of Bologna defender Riccardo Calafiori's late appearance, who made his Italy debut.
"You have to be able to change quickly, the team suffered a bit of fatigue, up front we weren't brilliant, we tried to do something different but by then the game was over," Spalletti said.
Turkey manager Vincenzo Montella will be concerned about the condition of defender Ozan Kabak, who was taken off with what appeared to be a serious knee injury late in the first half.
Spalletti will name his official 26-man squad on Thursday after a training match with the Under-20s on Wednesday, but their performance, while extending their unbeaten streak to five games, will raise more questions than answers.
"It takes a while to get in place. There's still tomorrow's game to make choices, we take all the time we can," Spalletti said.
"I'm satisfied because the game was real, intense, you go and get to know certain things."
Turkey, who finished first in their qualification group with only one defeat, will be satisfied with the draw against a team they have never beaten, having suffered two losses in March friendlies, including a 6-1 thrashing by Austria.
Italy's final warm-up game before heading to Germany is against Bosnia on Sunday, while Turkey will face Poland on Monday.
Italy will compete against Spain, Croatia, and Albania in Group B, while Turkey will face Georgia, Portugal, and the Czech Republic in Group F.
SportsLigue