Italy secured a crucial 4-1 victory over Turkey in wet conditions in Bursa on Monday, injecting new life into their Nations League Group A1 campaign. This dominant performance provided a much-needed response following their opening defeat to Belgium. The win also intensified pressure on Turkey head coach Vincenzo Montella, whose team struggled to contain the visitors despite his previous success leading them to the Euro 2024 quarter-finals. His team dazzled in the downpour in the first half in Turkey. The Inter Milan centre back lunged to fire into the roof of the net.
Roberto Mancini’s squad took full advantage of errors within the Turkish defense, particularly from goalkeeper Altay Bayindir. Alessandro Bastoni opened the scoring in the ninth minute following a corner kick, and Davide Frattesi added a second after 23 minutes when Bayindir failed to clear a low cross. Michael Kayode further capitalized on the hosts’ defensive vulnerabilities to put Italy three goals ahead. From the corner, Bursa-born fullback Zeki Celik, who plays for Juventus in Italy, swung wildly at a low near-post cross deflecting the ball to Alessandro Bastoni.
Although Turkey found a brief moment of hope in the 47th minute through a Baris Yilmaz strike, Italy quickly reclaimed control. Pio Esposito, playing alongside his debutant brother Sebastiano, extended the lead to 4-1 shortly thereafter. Following the match, Pio Esposito dedicated the goal to his grandmother, who is currently facing health challenges. Mancini praised the aggressive approach of his team, noting the importance of their high-intensity play throughout the contest. Staying high up the pitch and playing aggressively throughout the game,” Mancini told Italian television at the final whistle, it was a tough match and we approached it in the right way. Intricate Italian passing around the penalty area repeatedly found a player free on the right of box.
In Brussels, France maintained their momentum in the group with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Belgium. The decisive moment occurred in the 88th minute when Michael Olise navigated through the Belgian defense to score a late winner. France head coach Zinedine Zidane, who was without the injured Kylian Mbappe, lauded Olise’s performance, describing him as a pure talent who instinctively understands the game. In Brussels, both teams had wasted chances before Michael Olise scampered through the home defence after 88 minutes and drilled a shot inside the post.
Zidane, overseeing his second match in charge, made nine changes from the starting lineup used in the opener against Turkey. He acknowledged that the team’s current schedule has been demanding, noting limited time for training or recovery due to extensive travel. However, he expressed satisfaction with the squad’s collective bravery and defensive resilience against a strong Belgian side.
Looking ahead, Italy is set to face France at the Stade de France this Friday. Mancini remains optimistic about his squad’s potential to recover in time for the Paris encounter, banking on the energy of his younger players. Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappe has returned to Real Madrid to receive treatment for the left knee injury he sustained during his match-winning performance against Turkey.
The match in Turkey also saw a disallowed goal from Galatasaray attacker Yilmaz, whose effort was ruled out for offside after Oguz Aydin was judged to have interfered with Italy’s goalkeeper, Gianluigi Donnarumma. This result leaves Italy firmly back in contention as the Nations League group stage progresses.
