Italy have now gone 30 games without defeat and have equalled a record which has stood for 82 years
\nRoberto Mancini tinkered with the components of his team on Sunday but still the Azzurri purred like a highly-tuned Italian sports car into the business end of Euro 2020.
\nAfter impressive 3-0 wins over Turkey and Switzerland had guaranteed a last-16 spot, Mancini made eight changes for their final Group A clash against Wales in Rome.
\nOften when managers decide to rotate their troops it can lead to a disjointed performance which serves to clarify why some are in the first-choice XI and others are not.
\nBut the players who beat the Welsh 1-0 on Sunday showed that even Italy\u2019s so-called \u201cshadow team\u201d can slot straight in and maintain the seemingly unstoppable momentum they have built up in a national record equalling 30-match unbeaten run.
\nThe all-new front three of Federico Chiesa, Federico Bernardeschi and Andrea Belotti gave the Wales defence a torrid time with their slick movement and inter-play.
\nMatteo Pessina, another of the eight changes, scored the goal, providing a deft finish to a free kick played in by Paris St Germain midfielder Marco Verratti, making his first start of the tournament after recovering from injury.
\nVerratti oozed class and will now come into the reckoning for the knockout phase, which Mancini described as like a different tournament after Sunday\u2019s win — Italy\u2019s 11th in a row without conceding a goal.
\nBernardeschi struck the post with a free kick, Belotti, Italy\u2019s top scorer in qualifying but relegated to the bench for the finals, was a lively presence and UEFA\u2019s man-of-the-match Chiesa offered width and pace down the right-hand side.
\nDazzling approach
\nPerhaps the only glitch was that had Italy\u2019s finishing matched their dazzling approach play they would have won by a much larger margin against a Wales side reduced to 10 men after a red card for Ethan Ampadu early in the second half.
\nEven so their seven goals is a joint Italian record for the group phase of a Euros or World Cup and their failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup seems a distant memory.
\nJust as in the two previous games Italy pressed hard to win the ball and produced several fluent moves starting from their own defence that would have graced Brazilian sides of old.
\nSuch was Mancini\u2019s comfort that he even sent on reserve goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu for the last five minutes, clearly wanting to make every squad member feel he has a role to play.
\n\u201cThe identity has remained the same and I think it is important, I say that changing a few players shouldn\u2019t change anything because everyone knows what they have to do, and the product doesn\u2019t change,\u201d Mancini said.
\nWith a trip to Wembley next to face a likely last-16 clash against either Ukraine or Austria, Mancini\u2019s side have thrust themselves to the front of the pack as potential champions.
\nWhile other coaches fret over line-ups, formations and players struggling for form, former Manchester City manager Mancini looks a picture of contentment.
\nVerratti summed up the happy mood in the Italian camp.
\n\u201cWhen we say that this team is for everyone, we\u2019re not just saying that. There are 26 of us and all of us are proud to represent our country and ready to give our best,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cWe are so fortunate and honoured to play for this team and it\u2019s a pure pleasure to be here, whether we play or not.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Italy have now gone 30 games without defeat and have equalled a record which has stood for 82 years Roberto Mancini tinkered with the components of his team on Sunday but still the Azzurri purred like a highly-tuned Italian sports car into the business end of Euro 2020. After impressive 3-0 wins over Turkey and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":199375,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-199363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n