Italy responded strongly in Bursa while France secured a late 1-0 victory over Belgium to strengthen their position in Nations League Group A1.
Italy revived their Nations League campaign with a convincing 4-1 victory over Turkiye in rainy Bursa on Monday, while France secured a late 1-0 win against Belgium in Brussels.
France controlled much of the contest but were unable to find a breakthrough until the 88th minute, when Michael Olise struck a low shot inside the post to seal victory.
The result gave Zinedine Zidane a second win at the beginning of his tenure as France coach.
Italy, meanwhile, produced a much-improved performance after suffering defeat against Belgium in their opening match. Roberto Mancini’s return to the Italy dugout had ended with boos in Rome on Friday, but his side responded impressively in Turkiye.
“The players all put in an excellent performance today. It was a tough match, and we approached it in the right way, staying high up the pitch and playing aggressively throughout the game,” Mancini told Italian television.
Italy dominated the first half and took advantage of errors inside Turkiye’s muddy penalty area. Altay Bayindir twice struggled to deal with low cross-shots from the right.
After nine minutes, Bayindir pushed Pio Esposito’s effort around the post. From the resulting corner, Zeki Celik’s low cross deflected into the path of Alessandro Bastoni, who reacted quickly to fire into the roof of the net.
Italy doubled their lead after 23 minutes when Bayindir failed to control another cross-shot, this time from Michael Kayode. Davide Frattesi collected the loose ball and finished from close range.
Kayode was involved again when his near-post effort beat Bayindir to put Italy three goals ahead.
Turkiye briefly reduced the deficit two minutes into the second half. Baris Yilmaz fired into an unguarded goal after Oguz Aydin drew Gianluigi Donnarumma away from his position.
Italy restored their three-goal advantage five minutes later. Sandro Tonali struck the post, but Pio Esposito reacted first and headed the rebound into the net.
Esposito dedicated the goal to his grandmother, who he said was going through a difficult time. He also described playing alongside his elder brother Sebastiano, who was making his Italy debut, as an emotional experience.
Yilmaz later appeared to score again, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
The result could ease pressure on Mancini while increasing scrutiny on Vincenzo Montella, whose Turkiye side reached the Euro 2024 quarter-finals but finished bottom of their group at the summer World Cup.
Italy’s next fixture is against France at the Stade de France on Friday.
In League B, Sweden defeated Poland 3-1 in Solna for their second Group 4 victory, while Bosnia and Herzegovina beat Romania 4-2 in Bucharest.
Northern Ireland remained top of Group 2 after a goalless draw with Hungary, while Georgia and Ukraine also played out a 0-0 draw in Tbilisi.
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