Mancini's Italy Reignite Nations League Bid with Turkey Thrashing as France Edge Belgium Late

Italy produced a commanding response to their opening-night disappointment on Monday, dismantling Turkey 4-1 in soaking conditions in Bursa to breathe new life into their Nations League campaign. The emphatic victory came just three days after Roberto Mancini's side had been booed off in Rome following a home defeat to Belgium, and it offered both relief and reassurance to a squad still finding its footing under the returning coach.

The match was effectively decided inside the opening quarter of an hour, as Turkey's defensive frailties in the wet weather were ruthlessly exposed. Goalkeeper Altay Bayindir endured a torrid evening, twice failing to deal with low deliveries from the Italian right, and the hosts found themselves chasing the game almost immediately. Alessandro Bastoni opened the scoring after nine minutes, reacting quickest after Zeki Celik's miscued clearance fell invitingly for the Inter Milan defender, who lashed the ball into the roof of the net.

Barely fourteen minutes later, the lead was doubled. Michael Kayode, who plays his club football for Brentford, delivered another testing cross-shot that Bayindir could only parry into the path of Davide Frattesi, and the Lazio midfielder made no mistake from close range. Italy's intricate passing around the Turkish penalty area repeatedly carved openings on the right flank, and it was from that same channel that the third goal arrived, Kayode's driven effort beating the diving goalkeeper at his near post.

Turkey briefly threatened a revival five minutes after the interval when Gianluigi Donnarumma was drawn out of position to close down Oguz Aydin, leaving Baris Yilmaz with the simple task of rolling the ball into an unguarded net. The reprieve, however, lasted only five minutes. Sandro Tonali struck the post from distance, but Pio Esposito was alert to the rebound, diving to head home and restore Italy's three-goal cushion.

The goal carried particular emotional weight for the young Inter Milan striker, who dedicated it to his grandmother and savoured the rare experience of sharing a pitch with his older brother Sebastiano, who was making his senior Italy debut. Speaking afterwards, Esposito described the occasion as deeply moving and expressed hope that the pair would wear the national shirt together many more times. Turkey thought they had pulled another goal back when Yilmaz curled an effort beyond Donnarumma, but Besiktas forward Aydin was adjudged offside after positioning himself in front of the goalkeeper.

Mancini was fulsome in his praise of his players, telling Italian television that the performance had been excellent from start to finish and that his side had approached a difficult fixture in exactly the right manner, pressing high and playing aggressively throughout. He also struck a confident note about the challenges ahead, noting that Italy would need to recover their strength quickly before travelling to the Stade de France on Friday, and expressing faith in a group containing plenty of young, fresh and ready players.

The result eases the scrutiny that had mounted on Mancini following Friday's jeers in the Italian capital, while intensifying pressure on Turkey boss Vincenzo Montella, his former Sampdoria teammate and fellow ex-Italy international. Montella had guided Turkey to the quarter-finals of Euro 2024, but his team finished bottom of their group at the summer's World Cup, and a second consecutive defeat will do little to quiet questions about the direction of the side.

Elsewhere on a busy night of Nations League fixtures, France maintained their perfect start under Zinedine Zidane with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Belgium in Brussels. Both teams squandered opportunities before Michael Olise broke through the home defence in the 88th minute and drilled a low shot inside the post, handing Zidane a second victory since taking charge of the national team.

In League B, Sweden secured their second win of Group 4 by defeating Poland 3-1 in Solna. Celtic's Benjamin Nygren opened the scoring at the far post after eight minutes, only for Rennes midfielder Sebastian Szymanski to level with a strike that cannoned in off both posts. Brighton's Yasin Ayari restored the Swedish lead with a composed finish despite losing his footing, and Arsenal striker Victor Gyokeres completed the scoring to seal the points.

Bosnia and Herzegovina climbed into second place in the group after a 4-2 victory over Romania in Bucharest, a result that keeps them firmly in contention for promotion. In Group 2, Northern Ireland preserved their position at the top of the table with a goalless draw at home to Hungary, while Georgia and Ukraine also played out a stalemate in Tbilisi.

For Italy, the challenge now is to build on a performance that blended attacking fluency with defensive solidity. Friday's trip to Paris represents a stern test against a France side buoyed by their own winning start, but Mancini will take encouragement from a display that suggested his young players are adapting quickly to the demands of international football. Whether the rout in the rain proves a turning point or merely a bright spot in an inconsistent campaign will become clearer when Italy step out at the Stade de France.