UEFA Euro 2020 Qualifiers | Italy 2-0 Greece: 3 talking points

Italy dispatched Greece 2-0 at the Stadio Olimpico, with goals from Jorginho and Federico Bernadeschi helping the Azzurri bag all three points.

The hosts came into the game as heavy favourites to triumph and Greece sat back for most of the match, defended en masse and largely frustrated Italy for the first 60 minutes of the game.

However, a handball in the box by Andreas Bouchalakis in the 61st minute undid all the hard work done by the visitors. Chelsea midfielder Jorginho stepped up to calmly dispatch the ensuing spot-kick. Federico Bernadeschi confirmed the result with his third international goal 13 minutes later.

Here, we shall be highlighting three talking points from the fixture in Rome.

#3 Italy secure qualification for Euro 2020

Italy are the second nation to book their spot at UEFA Euro 2020.

Italy are one of the heavyweights of European football who have fallen on hard times in recent years, with the lowest point coming when they failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. It was the first time the Azzurri did not participate since 1958.

Italy went back to the drawing board and have come stronger, with Roberto Mancini revamping the squad since his appointment in May 2018.

Under the 54-year-old's management, Italy have been reborn and this has reflected in their results during the qualification campaign. They have won all seven of their fixtures to date, scoring 20 goals and conceding just three in the process.

As a result, Italy comfortably sit on top of Group J also containing Finland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Armenia, Greece, and Liechtenstein.

The qualification for UEFA Euro 2020 awards automatic slots to the top two in every group, with four more slots to be awarded via the UEFA Nations League play-offs.

With the victory over Greece, Italy became the second nation to book their spot at next summer's continental championship (after Belgium), as they are nine points clear of third-placed Armenia with just three rounds of matches left.

#2 Hard-fought victory for the Azzurri

Greece did not make the job easy for Italy.

Greece came into the fixture with Italy with next to no chance of qualifying for the tournament but the 2004 champions did their utmost to frustrate the hosts.

Head coach John van't Schip set his side up to defend deep with as many as nine players behind the ball on many occasions during the game.

Greece also did threaten the hosts sparingly and had the first real chance of the game in the 12th minute. Gianluigi Donnarumma was forced into a diving save to parry a shot by PAOK winger Dimitris Limnios.

Italy's job was made much harder when Federico Chiesa - who has been one of the creative sparks in their recent ascent - was forced off with injury 39 minutes into the game. His replacement Federico Bernadeschi, however, made a major impact in the game and combined well with Ciro Immobile on some occasions.

The handball by Andreas Bouchakalis gave Italy an opening for Jorginho to put them ahead and Bernadeschi capped off a fine display with a well-taken goal from distance.

In total, Italy managed just four shots on target, with the first of those coming in the 54th minute. It might not have been as convincing a victory as many would have expected but the most important thing was securing the win and qualification..

#1 Italy send a statement of intent to the rest of the continent

Roberto Mancini has transformed the Italian side.

In the lead up to the clash against Greece, Italy head coach Roberto Mancini came out to state that his side's ambition was to win UEFA Euro 2020.

These were grand claims for a side that had not triumphed in the tournament since 1968, while they cannot genuinely claim to have been among the elite in European football for the last few years.

However, Italy have made steady gains in the last year. They might not yet be on the levels of nations like Belgium and France but they have significantly covered the gap between themselves and the elite nations in the last 12 months. Italy will be going into UEFA Euro 2020 with more than a fair chance of being champions.

Though their group was not exactly the most difficult, Italy ultimately did enough to prevail with three matches to spare and the rest of Europe would do well to keep tabs on them.