Nations League: Italy rebound in Turkey as France snatch late win in Belgium
Italy convincingly beat Turkey 4-1 in rainy Bursa, while France secured a late 1-0 win over Belgium through a Michael Olise goal in the 88th minute, keeping their lead in Group A1.
Monday brought two significant Nations League Group A1 fixtures. In Belgium, France, now coached by Zinedine Zidane, struggled to break down the home defence until Michael Olise broke through in the 88th minute and slotted the ball home for a 1-0 win. It marked Zidane's second victory since taking charge of the national team.
Meanwhile in Turkey, Roberto Mancini's Italy bounced back after a disappointing start to the campaign, having lost their opening match at home to Belgium on Friday. In a rain-soaked match in Bursa, Italy raced to a three-goal first-half lead, capitalizing on errors from Turkish goalkeeper Altay Bayindir. Pio Esposito, Alessandro Bastoni and Davide Frattesi all found the net, with Michael Kayode also contributing to widening Italy's advantage.
In the second half, Turkey briefly gave their home crowd hope when Baris Yilmaz equalized following a Donnarumma error, but Esposito restored Italy's lead just five minutes later, converting a rebound after a Sandro Tonali shot hit the post. The match finished 4-1 in Italy's favor. Esposito dedicated his goal to his grandmother, who is going through a difficult period, and spoke about the emotional experience of playing alongside his brother Sebastiano, who made his Italy debut in the match.
Mancini praised his team's performance, saying they played aggressively throughout. Italy will next face France in Paris on Friday.
Elsewhere, in League B, Sweden beat Poland 3-1 in Solna for their second win in the group, while Bosnia and Herzegovina defeated Romania 4-2 in Bucharest. Northern Ireland held onto top spot in their group following a 0-0 draw with Hungary, and Georgia and Ukraine also played out a goalless draw in Tbilisi.
