Italy And Portugal Appear In Euro 2024 Warming Match: Various Results And Injuries Are In The Spotlight

The Italian national team headed for Euro 2024 (photo: x@Azzurri_En)

JAKARTA In preparation for Euro 2024, Italy and Portugal undergo a warm-up match with various results. Italy must be satisfied with a goalless draw against Turkey, while Portugal successfully won 4-2 over Finland.

In the match which took place last Tuesday, May 4, Italy extended their unbeaten record against Turkey to 14 matches. However, the 0-0 draw was marked by a potential injury of Luca Pellegrini, who had to be pulled out in the 68th minute. He was seen compressing his knee with ice on the bench. This adds to the list of injuries to Italy after previously Francesco Acerbi and Giorgio Scalvini also had to withdraw from the squad.

In the match which took place at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, Italy almost broke the deadlock through Bryan Cristante's header which hit the post at the end of the first half. In the second half, Guglielmo Vicario managed to thwart Merih Demiral's volley, while Giacomo Raspadori also failed to maximize his chances in the final minutes.

Italy, which is not a favorite to defend their title in Germany in Erp 2024, will show less convincing performance in attack lines. They only created an expected goals (xG) of 0.67 from 11 shots, with only two pointing at the goal.

Meanwhile in Lisbon, Portugal stepped up their preparations with a 4-2 win over Finland at the Jose Alvalade Stadium. Bruno Fernandes starred with two goals, while Ruben Dias and Diogo Jota also listed names on the scoreboard.

Portugal appeared on track for a regular win after Ruben Dias and Diogo Jota scored in the first half. Fernandes stepped up the lead after the break, but Finland put up a fight with two quick goals from Teemu Pukki who had threatened Portugal's position. However, Fernandes confirmed a win with his second goal six minutes from the end of the game.

Portugal appeared dominant with an expected goals of 3.05 compared to Finland which was only 0.96. Apart from Fernandes, Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Vitinha also performed brilliantly by creating five chances, more than the entire Finnish team.

With warm-up matches that leave various records, both Italy and Portugal have their own homework before starting their struggle at Euro 2024. Italy must improve attack effectiveness and address injury problems, while Portugal needs to maintain consistency and resilience in their defense against major tournaments.