Italy bounce back in Turkiye as France snatch late win in Belgium

Italy thrash Turkiye 4-1 to revive Nations League hopes while France edge Belgium 1-0

Italy revived their campaign in Nations League Group A1 with a convincing 4-1 victory over Turkiye in rainy Bursa, while group leaders France scored late to secure a 1-0 win against Belgium on Monday.

In Brussels, both sides missed opportunities before Michael Olise broke through the home defence in the 88th minute and fired a low shot inside the post.

The result gave Zinedine Zidane a second win at the beginning of his long-awaited tenure as France coach.

Roberto Mancini’s return to the Italy dugout had ended with boos in Rome on Friday when his side suffered a defeat against Belgium in their opening match.

His players produced a far better display in the rain in Turkiye, dominating the first half.

“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 after the final whistle.

The hosts quickly found themselves three goals down after mistakes inside their muddy penalty area.

Twice, Altay Bayindir struggled to deal with low cross-shots delivered from the right.

After nine minutes, the Celta Vigo goalkeeper pushed Pio Esposito’s effort around the post. From the resulting corner, Bursa-born fullback Zeki Celik, who plays for Juventus in Italy, swung at a low cross towards the near post and deflected the ball into the path of Alessandro Bastoni. The Inter Milan centre-back reacted quickly to fire into the roof of the net.

After 23 minutes, Bayindir again failed to control a similar cross-shot from Michael Kayode, allowing Lazio’s Davide Frattesi to collect the ball and finish from close range.

Italy’s quick passing around the penalty area repeatedly created openings for players arriving unmarked on the right side.

When Brentford’s Kayode found himself in the same position again, his near-post effort slipped past the diving Bayindir.

Turkiye gave their supporters renewed hope in the 47th minute when Gianluigi Donnarumma was drawn towards Oguz Aydin beyond the far post. Aydin then located Baris Yilmaz, who confidently fired into an unguarded goal.

The revival lasted only five minutes. Tottenham’s Sandro Tonali struck the post from a promising position, but Pio Esposito reacted first and headed the rebound into the net.

After the match, the Inter Milan striker dedicated his goal to his family.

“I dedicate today’s goal to my grandmother, who is going through a difficult time,” said Pio Esposito, who was playing alongside his elder brother Sebastiano of Sassuolo, making his Italy debut.

“Sharing the pitch with him was incredibly moving; I tried to support him before the match without putting too much pressure on him. Let’s hope we get to wear these colours together many more times.”

Galatasaray forward Yilmaz later curled the ball into the net, but Besiktas’ Aydin, who had been moving in front of Manchester City goalkeeper Donnarumma, was ruled offside.

The impressive performance may ease pressure on Mancini while increasing scrutiny on his former Sampdoria teammate and fellow former Italy international Vincenzo Montella.

Montella guided Turkiye to the quarter-finals of Euro 2024, but his team finished bottom of their group at the summer World Cup.

‘Fresh and ready’

Italy’s next fixture will be against France at the Stade de France on Friday.

“We’ll try to recover our strength and be ready for the match in Paris,” Mancini told Italian media. “I’m confident. We’ve got plenty of young players who are fresh and ready.”

In League B, Sweden recorded their second Group 4 victory by defeating Poland 3-1 in Solna.

Celtic’s Benjamin Nygren opened the scoring in the eighth minute after arriving at the far post.

Rennes midfielder Sebastian Szymanski equalised for Poland with an effort that struck both posts before crossing the line.

Brighton’s Yasin Ayari restored Sweden’s advantage with a composed finish despite losing his footing, before Arsenal’s Victor Gyokeres added the third.

Bosnia and Herzegovina moved into second place after defeating Romania 4-2 in Bucharest.

In Group 2, Northern Ireland remained top after being held to a goalless draw by Hungary at home, while Georgia and Ukraine also finished 0-0 in Tbilisi.