Italy produced a composed second-half response to defeat Türkiye 3–1 in Bologna on Monday, moving Roberto Mancini’s side into second place in UEFA Nations League Group A1.
Gianluca Scamacca gave Italy the lead before Aral Şimşir briefly brought Türkiye level after the break. Riccardo Calafiori quickly restored Italy’s advantage, however, before substitute Francesco Pio Esposito sealed the victory late on.
Scamacca puts Italy in front
Playing at the Renato Dall’Ara Stadium, Italy started the match with the greater share of possession but initially found Türkiye difficult to break down.
The breakthrough arrived in the 26th minute. Scamacca reacted quickest after his initial effort came back off the crossbar, finishing from close range to put the Azzurri ahead.
The goal gave Italy greater confidence, but Türkiye remained dangerous and refused to allow the hosts to dominate for long periods. Italy carried their 1–0 advantage into half-time.
Türkiye fight back
The visitors returned from the interval with greater attacking intent and were rewarded in the 61st minute.
Aral Şimşir found the far corner to bring Türkiye level at 1–1, giving Vincenzo Montella’s side renewed belief and putting pressure back on Italy.
The equaliser, however, lasted only a few minutes.
Calafiori restores Italy’s lead
Italy responded almost immediately. In the 64th minute, Riccardo Calafiori rose to meet a Nicolò Barella free-kick and headed the ball beyond Türkiye goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır.
The goal was crucial. Rather than allowing Türkiye to build momentum after the equaliser, Italy regained the lead and began to take control of the contest.
Mancini also turned to his bench, bringing on players including Pio Esposito and Sandro Tonali as Italy looked to protect their advantage and find a decisive third goal.
Esposito seals the victory
Türkiye continued to search for another equaliser, but Italy increasingly found space as the visitors pushed forward.
Their persistence was finally rewarded in the 87th minute.
Esposito reacted quickest inside the penalty area and finished from close range following Alessandro Romano’s involvement in the move, making it 3–1 and effectively ending Türkiye’s hopes of a comeback.
The goal capped an impressive contribution from the young striker and gave Italy a comfortable finish to a match that had been much more competitive than the final score suggested.
Italy move into second
The victory was particularly valuable because France were beating Belgium 4–1 in the other Group A1 match on the same night.
That combination of results leaves France top of the group with 10 points, Italy second with seven, Belgium third with six and Türkiye bottom without a point after four matches.
Italy’s position is therefore considerably stronger than it was at the beginning of the international window. The Azzurri opened their Nations League campaign with a defeat by Belgium, but followed it with a victory over Türkiye, a draw against France and now another win over Türkiye.
The result also keeps Italy firmly in contention for qualification from the group, with their final two matches coming against Belgium and France in November.
A growing sense of confidence
For Mancini, the victory represented another step forward in rebuilding Italy’s campaign.
The Azzurri did not have everything their own way in Bologna. Türkiye showed enough attacking quality to equalise and briefly put the hosts under pressure. But Italy’s response was decisive.
Scamacca provided the early breakthrough, Calafiori delivered the crucial second goal and Esposito finished the job.
That ability to respond after conceding could prove important when Italy face stronger opposition in the final two group matches.
For Türkiye, meanwhile, the defeat leaves them in a difficult position. Four matches have produced four defeats, with only two goals scored and 11 conceded.
Italy can now look ahead to November with renewed optimism. They remain three points behind France, but the Azzurri have given themselves an excellent opportunity to finish among the leading teams in Group A1.
