Italy delivered a commanding performance to defeat Turkey 4-1 in Bursa, keeping their hopes alive in Nations League Group A1. Meanwhile, group leaders France snatched a 1-0 victory over Belgium in Brussels on Monday, with Zinedine Zidane recording his second win as the French manager.
In the rain-soaked encounter in Turkey, Italy surged into a three-goal lead after defensive errors from the hosts gave them early dominance. Roberto Mancini’s side, seeking redemption after a disappointing home loss to Belgium in their opening match, dazzled in the first half with aggressive, high-pressure football.
Altay Bayindir, the Turkish goalkeeper, was left stranded twice on the right side. Nine minutes in, he spilled a drive from Pio Esposito, allowing the Celta Vigo forward to tap into an empty net. Shortly after, a corner saw Juventus fullback Zeki Celik miscue a low cross, which deflect to Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni, who drilled the ball home.
Turkey fell further behind after 23 minutes when Michael Kayode’s cross from the right bypassed Bayindir again, finding Davide Frattesi, who finished clinically. Kayode added a third just before halftime, his shot evading the diving Bayindir.
Turkey pulled one back five minutes after the break through Baris Yilmaz, who scored after Oguz Aydin forced Gianluigi Donnarumma into a save. However, Italy responded almost immediately, with Sandro Tonali hitting the post before Pio Esposito nodded in the rebound. Esposito dedicated his goal to his grandmother and shared an emotional moment playing alongside his debutant brother Sebastiano.
“The players put in an excellent performance. It was tough, but we approached it correctly by staying high and playing aggressively,” Mancini told Italian media. “We have young players who are fresh and ready” ahead of Friday’s clash at the Stade de France.
In Belgium, the match remained deadlocked until the 88th minute when Michael Olise exploited space in the home defense and curled a precise shot inside the post, securing a crucial three points for France.
In other Nations League action, Sweden moved to the top of League B Group 4 after a 3-1 win over Poland in Solna. Goals from Benjamin Nygren, Yasin Ayari, and Victor Gyokeres secured the victory for the Swedes. In the same group, Bosnia and Herzegovina climbed to second place with a 4-2 triumph over Romania. Northern Ireland and Georgia both recorded 0-0 draws against Hungary and Ukraine, respectively.
Esposito scoring on his debut is a nice story. Hopefully, the young guns can keep this momentum going.
88th-minute winner in Brussels is nerve-wracking. Glad Olise stepped up when it mattered most.
Wait, Zidane is coaching France now? I thought he retired years ago. The article must be from an alternate timeline.
Finally, Italy played with some fire! That defensive error rate from Turkey was unbelievable. Great result.