Italy bounced back from their opening UEFA Nations League defeat with a commanding 4-1 victory over Türkiye in Bursa on Monday, earning their first points in Group A1.
The Azzurri dominated the early stages of the match at the Atatürk Sports Complex Matlı Stadium and scored three goals in the first half before adding another shortly after the restart.
Alessandro Bastoni opened the scoring for Italy in the ninth minute after the visitors took advantage of a defensive mistake by Türkiye. The defender reacted quickly inside the box to put Roberto Mancini’s side ahead.
Italy continued to control the match and doubled their lead in the 22nd minute through Davide Frattesi. The midfielder finished the move to give the visitors a comfortable advantage and put further pressure on the hosts.
Five minutes later, Michael Kayode made it 3-0. The goal was particularly memorable for the defender as it came on his senior international debut for Italy.
Türkiye returned from the break with greater urgency and were rewarded just two minutes into the second half. Barış Alper Yılmaz found the back of the net in the 47th minute to reduce the deficit to 3-1 and give the hosts hope of a comeback.
However, Italy responded almost immediately. Just three minutes later, Francesco Pio Esposito restored Italy’s three-goal advantage by heading home to make it 4-1.
The result marked a major improvement for Italy following their disappointing start to the competition. They had suffered a 2-0 home defeat to Belgium on September 25 in their opening Group A1 match.
Türkiye also went into Monday’s game looking for their first points after losing 1-0 to France in their opening fixture.
Mancini made eight changes to the Italy team that started against Belgium, with Bastoni returning after serving a suspension. The changes paid off as the reshuffled side produced an impressive attacking display and scored four goals away from home.
The victory puts Italy on three points in Group A1, while Türkiye remain without a point after two matches.
Italy will now travel to Paris to face France on October 2, while Türkiye will visit Belgium on the same day. Italy and Türkiye are also scheduled to meet again in the reverse fixture in Bologna on October 5.
