Euro 2020 opened in a spectacular fashion as Italy got their campaign off to an impressive start in front of their own fans with a comfortable three-nil victory against Turkey.
The national stadium was only a quarter full but the fans present added to a sense of celebration at the start of Europe’s biggest football carnival, which had been delayed twelve months by the coronavirus pandemic.
The sixteen thousand fans inside the stadium represented the biggest crowd in Italy for more than a while those unable to get a ticket watched the action unfold on big screens set up across Rome.
The opening ceremony also featured Italy World Cup winners Francesco Totti and Alessandro Nesta kicking footballs into the stands.