Roberto Mancini got the first win of his second stint as Italy manager as the Italians ruthlessly thrashed Turkiye at the Timsah Arena in Bursa.
Mancini was hired as Gennaro Gattuso’s replacement after Italy failed to qualify for a third successive World Cup. Mancini lost his first game back in charge to Belgium at home, and Italian fans booed the team. Questions were raised about his ability to spearhead Italy’s quest for reform, and the shadows of the team’s failure to qualify for the World Cup still hung over them.
This scintillating attacking masterclass against Turkiye did more than enough to quell the noise and give Mancini some breathing space as he adjusts to life in his new role.
It was a bottom-of-the-table clash as the two sides faced off against each other. Alessandro Bastoni set the tone for the rout with an early goal before Davide Frattesi got in on the action. Michael Kayode had a dream international debut and scored for Italy five minutes later. The visitors took a commanding three-goal lead into the break. The Turks didn’t have any answer to Italy’s attacking brilliance.
Baris Alper Yilmaz pulled a goal back for Turkiye in the 47th minute before Pio Esposito silenced any hopes of a Turkiye comeback three minutes later. It was a perfect night for Mancini and Italy.
The floodgates open for Italy
Roberto Mancini made eight changes to his starting lineup after last Friday’s 2-0 home defeat to Belgium.
Back from red card suspension and into the starting lineup, Alessandro Bastoni made an immediate impact on his return. He opened the scoring for Italy with just nine minutes on the clock, sweeping home from a corner. Davide Frattesi doubled Italy’s lead thirteen minutes later, rifling the rebound from Kayode’s blocked shot into the net. Italy picked Turkiye apart piece by piece before Kayode’s angled drive was parried to Frattesi at the back post and he did justice to it. Giacomo Raspadori had two chances to increase the Azzurri’s lead but failed to keep his shot on target on both occasions.
Brentford defender Michael Kayode was making his international debut for the Azzurri and capped off a magical night with a beautiful finish. He won’t forget this match in a hurry. Pio Esposito picked out Kayode’s run, who picked up the ball before cutting inside and hammering the ball beyond the goalkeeper at the near post in the 27th minute. Three goals within 18 minutes. It was Italy’s first three-goal showing within the opening half-hour of a competitive game since a World Cup qualifier match against Lithuania in September 2021.
Italy were booed in their last home match after a disappointing performance, but Turkiye were on the receiving end here, as their fans booed them off at half-time. Turkiye made a trio of substitutions at the break and started the second half brightly before pulling a goal back through Baris Alper Yilmaz. A cross-field pass caught the Italian defence napping, allowing Oguz Aydin to release a cutback for Yilmaz to tap the ball into an empty net two minutes after the restart.
All hopes of an unlikely Turkiye comeback were snuffed out almost immediately as the visitors restored their three-goal advantage in the 50th minute. The Turkish defence was left to blame again for their woeful defending. Sandro Tonali’s curling shot crashed against the upright and Pio Esposito pooped up at the right place at the right time to head in the rebound. Esposito became the second player to score over five goals for Italy before turning 21, after Giuseppe Meazza.
Turkiye tried to crawl their way back into the game, but they had a gaping deficit to plug and were unsuccessful. Italy ran out 4:1 winners on the night.
Tougher challenges ahead
Turkey sit at the bottom of the group with zero points from two games, while Italy have three points. Italy impressed greatly in this game, even though critics will point to Turkiye’s abysmal performance in the first half. Nonetheless, they took their chances and delivered when it mattered. A tougher task and a true test await them in the form of France on Friday, while Turkiye travels to Belgium. Mancini managed Italy from 2018 until 2023 and won Euro 2020. His stellar credentials make him a serious contender to restore Italy to their glory days and the top echelons of football.
