Euro 2020 day two: Wales enter the fray after Italy’s opening win – live!

At their peak or past their prime? Belgium have been threatening to do something on the international stage for some time but have so far yet to hit the jackpot with their ‘golden generation’. Roberto Martinez’s Red Devils come into Euro 2020 as the number one ranked team but their are hints that their ageing backline could be a chink in the armour.

Jan Vertonghen admitted this in the buildup:

This will be the tournament with the most pressure. We are at our peak.

The joys of Michel Platini’s tarnished legacy as Uefa president mean that Ben Fisher has had to travel more than 3,000 kilometres to Baku as he reports on Wales during the Euros. The Azerbaijani capital is a strange place to find a superstar but Gareth Bale is undoubtedly still that guy for Wales. As Rob Page’s side try to recapture the magic from France 2016, Bale will have a slightly different role this time around. Great read this.

In fact, Jonathan has been busy whilst in Rome. He also made an appearance on the Football Daily podcast, live from Stadio Olimpico, to discuss Andrea Bocelli, little cars (as well the game itself) with Max Rushden, Nicky Bandini, Barry Glendenning and Ed Aarons.

If you have missed Jonathan Liew’s major tournament match reports (albeit this time for a different parish) then his take on the game itself is definitely worth a read.

Good morning, I hope every has recovered from

that typically boring tournament opener
actually really fun and entertaining Italian win in Rome last night. It is nice to have proper international football back. The best bit is that the sun is out (at least in this corner of London) and there are three – yes THREE – more games to look forward to today, including Plucky Wales^tm_, who kick off their campaign against the Swiss at 2pm BST.

About last night… well you can read all about it. Louise Taylor has been reflecting on the delayed gratification of Italy’s statement performance against Turkey.