Rain hammered the worn Bursa pitch, but Italy found clear air again. Five days after a damaging 2-0 defeat to Belgium in Rome, and in the shadow of another missed World Cup, the Azzurri swept past Turkey 4-1 to restore a measure of confidence before Friday’s trip to face France at the Stade de France.
Roberto Mancini made sweeping changes after the Belgium loss, keeping only three players in his starting XI: goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, midfielder Sandro Tonali and centre-forward Pio Esposito. Against a Turkey side that barely resisted before half-time, the reshaped Italy produced the response it urgently needed.
Esposito drives Italy’s first-half surge
Italy’s pressure began immediately. Esposito tested the Turkish goalkeeper with the first effort on target in the seventh minute, earning the corner from which Alessandro Bastoni headed the visitors ahead two minutes later.
The young striker was central again for the second. He laid the ball back to Giacomo Raspadori, whose move released Kayode. The resulting shot was blocked, but Davide Frattesi reacted quickest to make it 2-0 after 22 minutes.
Turkey were overwhelmed by Italy’s attacking movement and offered little protection to their defence. Esposito then supplied Kayode for the third goal on 27 minutes, leaving the home crowd to send their team towards the interval amid whistles.
Donnarumma had little to do during a first half in which Italy, operating in a 4-3-3 with Tonali at the base of midfield, controlled possession and tempo despite the heavy conditions.
Turkey briefly respond, but Italy answer at once
Turkey showed a little more urgency after the restart and reduced the deficit through Yilmaz in the 47th minute. Any prospect of a comeback disappeared almost instantly.
Three minutes later, Tonali was allowed room to strike from distance. His shot came back off the post and fell onto Esposito’s head, with the forward completing a performance in which he had played a decisive role in almost every major Italian attack.
The 4-1 scoreline offers Mancini breathing room after a difficult week, but it does not close the questions around his side. Italy had arrived in Turkey worried not only about embarrassment after failing to qualify for the World Cup, but also about the threat of relegation from the Nations League.
Turkey, meanwhile, face a tense aftermath. Vincenzo Montella’s team struggled to find any answer to Italy’s early dominance and their second-half improvement was too limited to alter the outcome.
France next for a revived but untested Italy
Mancini looked more relaxed at the final whistle, yet Italy’s real examination is still ahead. Turkey’s passive first-half display gave the Azzurri space that France are unlikely to offer.
Italy travel to Saint-Denis on Friday to meet Les Bleus, with the Bursa win providing momentum but not a final verdict on their recovery. Against France, the Azzurri will face the stronger opposition required to show whether this was the beginning of a revival or simply a welcome release after Rome.
