Italy recover from Belgium nightmare with ruthless 4-1 thrashing of Turkiye as Michael Kayode and Pio Esposito shine

Following a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Belgium, Italy entered their Nations League fixture against Turkiye with everything to prove. Head coach Roberto Mancini opted for a radical overhaul, making eight changes to the starting lineup. The most significant talking point was the inclusion of Michael Kayode, Matteo Ruggeri, and Sebastiano Esposito for their senior debuts. In a historic moment for the national team, Sebastiano and his brother Francesco Pio Esposito started together, becoming the first pair of brothers to do so for the Azzurri since 1915.

Turkiye, managed by former Fiorentina boss Vincenzo Montella, were missing several key figures themselves. Goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir was unavailable due to a suspension picked up against France, while Hakan Calhanoglu, Kenan Yildiz, and Mert Muldur were sidelined through injury. The match carried high stakes, as both nations sat at the bottom of Group A after losing their respective opening matches.

The Italian dominance began early as Francesco Pio Esposito forced a finger-tip save from an angled effort. From the subsequent corner, which Turkiye failed to clear effectively, Alessandro Bastoni found himself in the right place to sweep the ball into the roof of the net from 12 yards. It was a moment of redemption for the Inter defender, who was appearing for the first time since his costly red card in the World Cup play-offs.

Italy doubled their advantage through a beautifully crafted team move, as a sequence of sharp one-touch passes between Davide Frattesi, Francesco Pio Esposito, and Giacomo Raspadori culminated in Michael Kayode's angled shot being parried directly to Frattesi, who turned it in at the back post. The onslaught continued shortly after as the Azzurri replicated that sweeping combination almost exactly for their third. Another high-speed passing move sliced through the Turkish defense, ending with Pio Esposito sliding a pass to Kayode on the right flank. The debutant capped off his impressive start by finishing clinically at the near post to beat Altay Bayindir. This flurry of goals marked the first time since September 2021 that the Nazionale had managed to score three times within the first 30 minutes of a competitive fixture.

Turkiye attempted to claw their way back into the game immediately after the interval, making three tactical substitutions. The changes initially seemed to work as a defensive lapse from Italy allowed Baris Alper Yilmaz to sweep home a cross from Oguz Aydin just 90 seconds into the second half. However, Italy's response was swift and decisive. Substitute Nicolo Cambiaghi intercepted a loose pass and surged down the left, picking out Sandro Tonali. Tonali's curling effort struck the far post, but Francesco Pio Esposito was on hand to nod the rebound into an empty net.

The match remained lively as Turkiye searched for another way back. Yilmaz went down in the box under pressure from Gianluigi Donnarumma, but the referee was unmoved and instead booked the Turkish attacker for simulation. The hosts did manage to put the ball in the net again when Yilmaz's drive went in off the post following a clever pass from Arda Guler. However, the celebrations were cut short as Oguz Aydin was ruled offside for interfering with Donnarumma's line of sight.

In the final stages, Italy remained the more likely side to add to the scoreline. Bayindir was forced into several difficult saves, notably denying Cambiaghi's low drive and reacting quickly to prevent Kayode from tapping in the rebound. Real Madrid starlet Guler tried to inspire his side with a curling effort that drifted just wide of the top corner, and Kerem Akturkoglu missed a golden opportunity from six yards out after Guler had danced past three Italian defenders.

The victory moves Italy up to third place in Nations League Group A1 with three points, sitting level with second-placed Belgium and trailing leaders France, who hold a maximum of six points. The Azzurri will look to build on this momentum when they travel to face France in a high-stakes clash on October 2.