CAGLIARI, Italy (Reuters) – Italy warmed up for the European Championship in style with a 7-0 thrashing of San Marino in a friendly on Friday.
Roberto Mancini’s side struggled to break down the minnows early on in Sardinia, but captain Federico Bernardeschi hammered them into a 31st minute lead before Sassuolo defender Gian Marco Ferrari added a second three minutes later on his debut.
Matteo Politano fired home four minutes into the second half to make it 3-0 and Torino striker Andrea Belotti scored a well-taken fourth before Matteo Pessina netted a fifth moments later.
A brilliant volley from Politano and a close-range finish by Pessina late on sealed a seventh straight win for Italy.
Italy play one more warm-up match ahead of the June 11-July 11 Euro 2020 against Czech Republic next Friday in Bologna.
The Italians play in the tournament’s opening match against Turkey before facing Switzerland and Wales, all in Rome.
(Reporting by Peter Hall; Editing by Ken Ferris)
