Italy reignited their Nations League Group A1 campaign on Monday, delivering a convincing 4-1 win over Turkey amidst heavy rain in Bursa. The result serves as a significant recovery for Roberto Mancini’s side following their underwhelming opening defeat to Belgium in Rome, which had drawn criticism from the home support.
The visitors dictated the first half with aggressive pressing and high-intensity play. Alessandro Bastoni opened the scoring in the ninth minute after Zeki Celik inadvertently diverted a cross into his path. Davide Frattesi doubled the lead in the 23rd minute after Turkish goalkeeper Altay Bayindir struggled to handle a cross-shot from Michael Kayode. Kayode himself later extended the lead by capitalizing on further defensive instability in the Turkish goalmouth. The hosts quickly slid three goals behind with errors in their muddy goalmouth. 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. The Inter Milan centre back lunged to fire into the roof of the net. After 23 minutes, Bayindir flapped an identical cross-shot from Michael Kayode into the path of Lazio’s Davide Frattesi, who tucked the ball home.
Turkey briefly sparked a comeback early in the second half when Baris Yilmaz found the net, but Pio Esposito restored Italy’s three-goal cushion just five minutes later by heading home a rebound after Sandro Tonali hit the post. Esposito, who featured alongside his older brother Sebastiano for his debut, dedicated the goal to his grandmother. Despite a late disallowed effort from Baris Yilmaz, Italy’s defense held firm, leaving Turkey manager Vincenzo Montella—who previously guided the team to the Euro 2024 quarter-finals—under mounting pressure.
In Brussels, France continued their winning momentum with a hard-fought 1-0 triumph over Belgium. The match appeared destined for a draw until the 88th minute, when Michael Olise navigated through the Belgian defense to fire a decisive shot inside the post. France manager Zinedine Zidane praised the young forward’s impact, describing him as a “pure talent” who possesses an innate feel for 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. 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.
Zidane, managing his second fixture since taking charge, opted for nine changes to his starting lineup, partly due to the absence of captain Kylian Mbappe. The Real Madrid forward had returned to his club for treatment on a left knee injury sustained during his match-winning performance against Turkey. Despite the squad rotation and a demanding travel schedule, Zidane expressed satisfaction with his team’s defensive bravery against a persistent Belgian side. “The players all put in an excellent performance today.
Looking ahead, Italy prepares for a challenging trip to the Stade de France this Friday. Mancini remains optimistic about his squad’s ability to recover quickly, noting the energy provided by his younger players. Zidane, similarly focused on regeneration, emphasized that the squad is prioritizing rest after a taxing period of consecutive matches. The results leave France leading the group, with Italy now firmly back in contention for the qualification spots.
