Result Turkey 1 – 4 Italy, Monday, 28 September 2026, UEFA Nations League

% Ball Possession TURKEY and % Ball Possession ITALY
Turkey 1 – 4 Italy   
47′ Baris Alper Yilmaz          9′ Alessandro Bastoni
.                                                   22′ Davide Frattesi
.                                                   27′ Michael Kayode
.                                                   50′ Francesco Pio Esposito

Italy pulled off an impressive 4-1 victory over Turkey on September 28, 2026. Italy won convincingly the Matchday 2 clash in UEFA Nations League A, Group 1 saw the Italian team dominate from start to finish at the Timsah Arena stadium in Bursa, with goals from Alessandro Bastoni, Davide Frattesi, Michael Kayode, and Francesco Pio Esposito, while Turkey managed a consolation goal through Yilmaz.

This commanding performance marked Roberto Mancini’s first victory in his second stint as Italy’s manager. The Azzurri bounced back impressively after suffering an opening-round defeat to Belgium. Adding to the positive news was Michael Kayode’s memorable senior international debut for Italy, where the Brentford defender found the back of the net. Making history in attack, with Francesco Pio Esposito together with his brother Sebastiano Esposito and Raspadori.

With this win, Italy successfully put behind them their loss to Belgium and eased concerns about potential relegation in the Nations League by defeating Vincenzo Montella’s Turkey. The team now sits on three crucial points in Group A standings, trailing France and Belgium who both have four points, while Turkey remains at the bottom with zero points. For the 2021 European Championship-winning coach, this represents his first triumph in his current second tenure with the national team.

Looking ahead to Matchday 3, Italy will take on France in their next fixture, while Turkey aims to bounce back in their upcoming group stage match.

The Azzurri have lost just one of their last 10 UEFA Nations League group stage away games (W7 D2) and have won their last four.

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👉 🇹🇷 Turkey 0 – 1 Italy 🇮🇹

Just 9 minutes in, and the Azzurri take the lead! Alessandro Bastoni finds the back of the net—that’s his fourth goal wearing the Italian jersey. It was a costly mistake from Celik, who fumbled the ball during a corner kick sequence and handed Italy the winning opportunity on a silver platter. The shot sailed past Altay Bayindir and into the goal.

👉 🇹🇷 Turkey 0 – 2 Italy 🇮🇹

Davide Frattesi puts the Azzurri ahead in the 22nd minute with a brilliant left-footed finish into the bottom left corner. What a fantastic performance from the Italian squad!

👉 🇹🇷 Turkey 0 – 3 Italy 🇮🇹

Michael Kayode opened the scoring for Italy in the 27th minute with a well-placed right-footed strike from inside the box, finding the bottom right corner. The assist came from Francesco Pio Esposito. It was a fantastic debut goal for the Brentford defender wearing the Italian national team colors.

👉 🇹🇷 Turkey 1 – 3 Italy 🇮🇹

Baris Alper Yilmaz put Turkey on the board in the 47th minute with a well-placed right-footed strike from inside the box, finding the back of the net. The assist came from Oguz Aydin’s clever setup.

👉 🇹🇷 Turkey 1 – 4 Italy 🇮🇹

At the 50-minute mark, Francesco Pio Esposito scored for @Azzurri_En with a powerful header from inside the penalty area, finding the back of the net. This was Italy’s fourth goal, coming right after a moment of confusion for the opposing team’s defense. Another mistake from Bayindir led to him losing possession to Cambiaghi, who then set up Sandro Tonali—though his shot unfortunately struck the post.

#TURITA #Azzurri #VivoAzzurro

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Turkey’s official starting lineup against Italy

Photo via x.com/MilliTakimlar

Italy’s official starting lineup against Turkey

Credit via x.com/Azzurri_En

 UEFA Nations League  
Group A Matchday 2

Turkey 1 – 4 Italy
Monday, 28 September 2026
Atatürk Spor Kompleks
Bursa, Turkey

20:45

Referee: Michael Oliver (England)
Assistant Referees: Stuart Burt and James Mainwaring (England)
Fourth Official: Darren England (England)
Video Assistant Referee (VAR): Stuart Attwell (England)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee (AVAR): Matthew Donohue (England)

⚽️     Goals: 9′ Alessandro Bastoni (I), 22′ Davide Frattesi (I), 27′ Michael Kayode (I), 47′ Barış Alper Yılmaz (T), 50′ Francesco Pio Esposito (I)

🟨     Yellow Cards:

✅      Official lineups – Tabellino:

👉 🇹🇷 Lineup TURKEY (3-4-3): Bayindir; Celik, Demiral, Kabak; Aydin, Kokcu, Ozcan, Elmali; Guler, Yilmaz, Uzun.

Head Coach: Vincenzo Montella

👉🇮🇹   Lineup ITALIA (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Kayode, Scalvini, Bastoni, Ruggeri; Frattesi, Tonali, Fagioli; Raspadori, Francesco Pio Esposito, Sebastiano Esposito.

Subs: Carnesecchi, Vicario, Di Lorenzo, Calafiori, Ghilardi, Romano, Mandragora, Doumbia, Vergara, Cambiaghi, Kean, Scamacca.

Head Coach: Roberto Mancini.

Click the video to watch Turkey 1 – 4 Italy highlights on Monday, 28 September 2026

Result Italy 0 – 2 Belgium, Friday 25 September 2026, UEFA Nations League
Matchday 1

56% Ball Possession ITALY and 44% Ball Possession BELGIUM
   Italy 0 – 2 Belgium  
.                                          20′ Mika Godts
.                                          69′ Dodi Lukébakio

🏆👉         Belgium came away with a convincing 2-0 victory over Italy at the Stadio Olimpico during their opening Group A1 fixture in the 2026-27 UEFA Nations League on September 25, 2026. It was a disappointing result for Italy to mark their historic 900th match with a loss. To make matters worse for the Azzurri, the evening was capped off by an intense confrontation between goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and Belgium’s striker Romelu Lukaku.

I really thought Italy would put on a strong showing, but honestly, what we witnessed was pretty disappointing. Italy’s ongoing struggles are genuinely concerning. Playing on home turf at the Olimpico and failing to find the back of the net? That’s tough to swallow.

The honor goal never showed up. Italy made an effort in the second half, but unfortunately came up short.  Ironically, both of Belgium’s goals were set up by players from Serie A! Napoli’s Kevin De Bruyne provided the assist for Mika Godts’ opening goal. And Atalanta’s Charles De Ketelaere set up Dodi Lukébakio for the other one.

Before the action kicks off, the team paid tribute to legendary figures Sandro Mazzola and Franco Baresi. Roberto Mancini, back for his second stint as Italy’s Head Coach, sadly with a defeat.

Here’s what stood out from the Italian squad! Alessandro Romano, a 2006-born talent, made his exciting senior Italy debut. Pio Esposito and Moise Kean teamed up in the starting eleven. The Como striker positioned himself on the left wing of the attacking trio, while Cambiaghi held down the right flank. Romano stepped into the holding midfield spot for his debut, with Barella and Sandro Tonali providing support on either side. Since Bastoni was unavailable, Mancini and Coppola partnered up in central defense, with Di Lorenzo and Calafiori handling the full-back duties.

On the Belgian side, three Serie A regulars made appearances: Kevin De Bruyne, AC Milan’s new recruit Diego Moreira, and Atalanta’s De Ketelaere, who Van Bommel cleverly deployed as a false nine.

GROUP A1: RESULTS AND STANDINGS

Italy fell short against Belgium with a 0-2 defeat

Türkiye couldn’t find the back of the net in their 0-1 loss to France

Standings: Belgium and France are leading with 3 points each; Türkiye and Italy are still searching for their first points with 0

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Mancini’s Return: The Sequel. His last official match was on June 18, 2023, and now, 1195 days later, Roberto Mancini is back on the Italy bench. The coach will lead the Azzurri in their Nations League debut against Belgium’s new squad under Van Bommel, in the opening match of Group A1, which also features Zidane’s France and Montella’s Turkey.

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🇮🇹👉 Italy 0 – 1 Belgium 🇧🇪

Belgium struck early with a stunning goal in the 20th minute! Mika Godts found the back of the net for @BelRedDevils, firing a right-footed strike from inside the box that sailed into the bottom left corner. The assist came from Napoli’s Kevin De Bruyne, who set up the chance perfectly after a swift counterattack. Things are already looking challenging for Italy as they face an uphill battle at the Olimpico…

🇮🇹👉 Italy 0 – 2 Belgium 🇧🇪

Dodi Lukébakio netted a stunning goal in the 69th minute for @BelRedDevils, striking a left-footed effort from well outside the penalty area into the bottom left corner. The assist came from @Atalanta_BC’s Charles De Ketelaere, who capitalized on a rapid counterattack. Things are looking pretty tough for the Azzurri right now.

#ITABEL #Azzurri #VivoAzzurro

Moise Kean in action against Belgium

Get ready for an exciting showdown! The Olimpico di Roma Stadium is all set to host the thrilling Italy vs Belgium match!

The Italian squad is making their way into the iconic Olimpico di Roma Stadium.

Italy’s official starting lineup against Belgium

 UEFA Nations League  
Group A

Italy 0 – 2 Belgium
Friday, 25 September 2026
Olimpico di Roma Stadium
Rome, Italy

20:45

Referee: Daniel Siebert GER
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Seidel GER
Assistant Referee 2: Rafael Foltyn GER
Fourth Official: Sascha Stegemann GER
VAR: Bastian Dankert GER
AVAR: Pascal Müller GER
Referee Observer: Hugh Dallas SCO

Attendance: 47,155.

⚽️     Goals: 20′ Mika Godts, 69′ Dodi Lukébakio

🟨     Yellow Cards: Raskin (B), Moreira (B), Mancini (I), Lavia (B), Fernandez-Pardo (B), Donnarumma (I) and Lukaku (B).

✅      Official lineups – Tabellino:

Lineup ITALIA (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Mancini, Coppola, Calafiori; Tonali, Romano, Barella; Kean, Esposito, Cambiaghi.

Subs: Carnesecchi, Vicario, Kayode, Ahanor, Scalvini, Frattesi, Doumbia, Mandragora, Raspadori, Scamacca, Zoma, Maldini.

Head Coach:  Roberto Mancini

Lineup BELGIUM (4-3-3): Lammens; Castagne, Ngoy, Mechele, De Cuyper; Tielemans, Raskin, De Bruyne; Moreira, De Ketelaere, Godts.

Subs: Vandervoordt, De Busser, Seys, Debast, Theate, Vanaken, Lukebakio, Lavia, Keita, Fernandez-Pardo, Openda, Lukaku.

Head Coach: Van Bommel

Click the video to watch Italy 0 – 2 Belgium highlights on Friday, 25 September 2026

The Italian national football team kicked off their training camp at Coverciano under head coach Roberto Mancini on Monday, 21 September 2026.    Mancini is optimistic about embarking on his second stint leading the Azzurri. The squad is gearing up for their upcoming UEFA Nations League matches, starting with Friday’s clash against Belgium on September 25 in Rome.

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Morning session

Roberto Mancini held his official press conference. Here are the key takeaways from the head coach:

Objectives: “I’m here to win, and we’ll achieve some wonderful results. We want to bring the national team back to where it belongs.” Young Players: He emphasized calling up many fresh faces and young talents to get to know them better and build a strong foundation for the future squad.

About the 4 UEFA Nations League games: “We have to try to win them, also to climb back up the rankings. We don’t know how much time we’ll need, but we have to be quick in assessing the players we have and understanding what they can give us in the future.  We’re open to any solution. We can play with two strikers, with a 4-3-3, but also in other ways.”

Regarding the FIGC/Malagò Situation: He reassured everyone that the team should focus solely on training hard and securing a win in the challenging match against Belgium.

Italy Head Coach Roberto Mancini’s Press Conference on Monday, 20 September 2026

Afternoon Session.

The first training session took place on the Coverciano pitch this afternoon. Early tactical insights showed: Base Formation: Mancini immediately set up a 4-3-3 system. He tested players in dual and triple roles.   Mancini experimented with various combinations and different setups (such as Riccardo Calafiori being tried as a fullback).

The squad dealt with some absences due to injuries from the recent league matches, forcing the head coach to adjust his roster. For instance, Inter defender Federico Dimarco had to leave the camp due to injury. In his place, Mancini called up Aston Villa defender Matteo Ruggeri. Roma midfielder Bryan Cristante also couldn’t answer Mancini’s call, so the coach brought in Como midfielder Samuele Ricci instead.

ITALY’S UPCOMING MATCHES UNDER MANCINI

September 25, 2026 – 8:45 PM: Italy vs. Belgium (Rome)
September 28, 2026 – 8:45 PM: Turkey vs. Italy (Bursa)
October 2, 2026 – 8:45 PM: France vs. Italy
October 5, 2026 – 20:45: Italy vs Turkey (Bologna)

Day 1 done 👊✅#Azzurri #VivoAzzurro pic.twitter.com/MY4fye3evw

— Italy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@Azzurri_En) September 21, 2026

Welcome, lads 🤝💙#Azzurri #VivoAzzurro pic.twitter.com/YiCl1loVow

— Italy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@Azzurri_En) September 21, 2026

Via x.com/Azzurri_En

Matteo Ruggeri replaced injured Federico Dimarco

Samuele Ricci replacing Bryan Cristante