Gazzetta dello Sport goes blue! Famous newspaper ditches traditional pink to throw its support behind Italy ahead of Roberto Mancini’s side’s Euro 2020 curtain raiser against Turkey as headline reads: ‘We are all Azzurri’
Gazzetta dello Sport has turned blue as Italy throws its support behind Roberto Mancini’s side ahead of their Euro 2020 opener against Turkey.
The Azzurri open the major competition on Friday night in Rome against Senol Gunes’ side, and have high hopes of bettering their Quarter Final finish from Euro 2016.
Mancini’s side are a dark horse to go all the way in the tournament, and their unbeaten record of 23 games under the former Manchester City coach has given fans confidence they can challenge favourites France and Portugal.
Gazzetta dello Sport has ditched its traditional pink to get behind Italy ahead of Euro 2020
The Azzurri has bounced back from its 2018 disappointment and are a dark horse this year
And the typically harsh press in Italy have shown their full support for the side ahead of their clash with Turkey at the Stadio Olimpico.
Famous newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport has changed its colour from traditional pink to blue just for Friday’s curtain-raiser, with the front page bearing a photo of the team in a love heart alongside the headline ‘We are all Azzurri’.
It has been a long five years for the Italians, with the country having failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup their supporters have been starved of major tournament action for some time.
The Italians are 23 games unbeaten under Roberto Mancini with confidence high in the nation
In the following three years, Mancini has unified the nation and made Italy fall in love with their team again, in an outstanding period that has seen the 56-year-old rewarded with a new deal that runs until the 2026 World Cup.
‘We wanted to give continuity to our work. Beyond winning a trophy, there’s a project to work on,’ Italian football federation president Gabriele Gravina said upon the news of Mancini’s contract extension.
‘Mancini has been working brilliantly for two years and moving forward on this project was a duty out of respect for the federation and our fans.
‘We made an important choice, supported by us in the federation and not by different sponsors or other parties.’
Italy are expected to coast through their group containing Turkey, Wales and Switzerland and if they finish top of Group A they are likely to avoid World No 1 side Belgium in the Round of 16.