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.   Mancini’s decision to rotate with eight lineup changes proved inspired, introducing promising young players like Michael Kayode—who even found the back of the net! It was particularly heartwarming to witness brothers Francesco Pio Esposito and Sebastiano Esposito sharing the pitch together, with Pio also getting on the scoresheet.

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.

While it’s premature to declare Italy’s full resurgence, there’s no denying the impressive nature of their 4-1 triumph over Turkey. Still, the real challenge awaits on Matchday 3 when France comes calling—that’s genuinely a formidable hurdle to overcome.

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 scored 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. First cap and what a way to celebrate his debut with a goal!

 

First cap, first goal 💙#TURITA #Azzurri #VivoAzzurro pic.twitter.com/FhR8hsbAzK

— Italy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@Azzurri_En) September 30, 2026

 

👉 🇹🇷 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.

 

Pio’s fifth goal for his country ❤️‍🔥#TURITA #Azzurri #VivoAzzurro pic.twitter.com/1EcUyZtUwv

— Italy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@Azzurri_En) September 30, 2026

#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

 

Turkey vs Italy Official Starting Lineup, Monday, 28 September 2026, UEFA Nations League

Turkey – Italy   
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Here’s the official starting lineup for Turkey versus Italy on Monday, September 28, 2026, in a UEFA Nations League match at the Atatürk Spor Kompleks in Bursa. Italy’s Head Coach Roberto Mancini has made some adjustments to the squad as the team aims to bounce back and secure their first three points.

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

Subs: Şengezer, Kocuk, Akaydin, Bardakcı, Kadıoğlu, Yüksek, Tıknaz, Eskihellaç, Kahveci, Aktürkoğlu, Akgün, Deniz Gül.

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.

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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 – 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)

 

 

“Türkiye are an excellent side, it will be a great game” Italy Head Coach Roberto Mancini

Italy’s Head Coach Roberto Mancini and midfielder Sandro Tonali held a press conference on Sunday, 27 September 2026.  The Italian national team is gearing up for an exciting clash against Vincenzo Montella’s Turkish squad tomorrow night at the Atatürk Spor Kompleksi (8:45 PM Italian time, broadcast live on Rai 1, with England’s Oliver officiating the match).

The game brings Mancini and ‘L’Aeroplanino’ together again, as they once made an incredible striking duo at Sampdoria. When playing under Sven-Goran Eriksson, these two talented forwards combined to score an impressive 37 goals throughout the 1996/97 season.

The pressure is high for the Azzurri.  Mancini addressed the media, asking supporters to show patience and understanding while Italy worked through a challenging period following their 2-0 defeat to Belgium in their opening match.

In an interesting tactical move, Mancini plans to make several changes to Italy’s lineup for the Turkey clash, explaining: ‘It’s not feasible to rely on the same player across four matches played in such quick succession’. Ten squad members have remained in Italy to continue their preparation at the Coverciano training facility.

Mancini reflected on the squad’s composition, pointing out that today’s Italy team doesn’t have the caliber of superstars from previous championship-winning generations, such as the legendary Francesco Totti and Alessandro Del Piero. He stressed that the national team is currently going through a clear rebuilding phase.

After defeat to Belgium, Italy return to action tomorrow evening looking to pick up their first points in the group. Mancini comes up against ‘L’Aeroplanino’ once again, the man with whom he formed a prolific strike partnership at Sampdoria. Tonali: “We need to let the younger players play with freedom so they can develop. We’re a strong side and our quality will come through.”

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Mancini highlighted that “Montella has done, and continues to do, an excellent job.  Türkiye did not deserve to go out in the group stage of the World Cup. They’re an excellent side with a wealth of talented players. I think tomorrow will be a great game.”

After a disappointing first half against Belgium, the Azzurri improved after the break, only to concede a second goal just as they appeared close to finding an equaliser. “Belgium were top of the rankings for many years. They made things difficult for us in the first half, but we need to take the positives from our second-half performance and build on them. There’s too much anxiety around at the moment, but we have to stay calm. We simply need time to work and to develop into a competitive team. Criticism comes with the territory and, in football as in any sport, results are the surest way to change the narrative. “It’s up to us. If we can play well and win, then things will change, because ultimately these situations are always influenced by results.”

ITALY CHANGES EXPECTED.

Mancini will welcome Bastoni back after his suspension against Belgium and is set to make changes from the side that started in Rome. With four matches packed into a short period, the coach also opted not to take the entire squad on the demanding trip to Türkiye, instead arranging a tailored training programme at the CTF in Coverciano for ten players: Ahanor, Barella, Coppola, Inacio, Kouadio, Maldini, Mancini, Pessina, Ricci and Zoma. Nicolò Zaniolo, meanwhile, has returned home after being ruled out of the next three matches. “There will be some changes, because it’s impossible to play four games in such a short space of time. It’s also important to see how the younger players cope in demanding matches.”

SANDRO TONALI SPEAKS LIKE A LEADER.

After getting his start in the match against Belgium, Sandro Tonali is all set to take the field once more as Italy aims to recover from their loss to the Red Devils. “I feel good. I’ve recovered 100%.”

Tonali also stressed the importance of allowing the younger players to develop without placing too much responsibility on their shoulders. “We didn’t play well on Friday and we deserved to lose. Every defeat hurts, but you have to stay positive. It’s up to us more experienced players to shoulder the difficult moments and allow the younger ones to play with freedom and to grow.”

Optimism and composure will be key as Italy look to return to winning ways and climb back towards where they want to be. “This is a very healthy, very young group, and you can’t expect everything straight away. We don’t have that one star who can change a game in ten seconds, so we have to work and take things step by step. “We still have plenty of matches to play together and we need to keep working to become even more of a team. We’re strong players and, little by little, our quality will come through.”

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