Italy ended the first stretch of the 2026/27 Nations League with another important result, defeating Turkey 3-1 at Bologna’s Renato Dall’Ara Stadium and moving into second place in Group A1.
The scoreline looks comfortable. The match itself was not.
Turkey equalised shortly after the hour mark and, for a few minutes, Italy had to deal with the possibility that a game it had controlled in patches could suddenly turn against it. Instead, Roberto Mancini’s side reacted immediately. Riccardo Calafiori restored the lead three minutes after the Turkish equaliser, and Pio Esposito sealed the result late in the game.
The victory leaves Italy on seven points after four matches, three behind France and one ahead of Belgium. Turkey remain bottom without a point. France strengthened their position at the top by beating Belgium 4-1 on the same night.
For Mancini, however, the most interesting part of the evening was not simply the table. It was the way the team managed a difficult game while making nine changes from the side that had drawn 1-1 with France three days earlier.

Nine changes and a very different Italy

The decision to rotate so heavily was understandable.
Italy had just played four matches in eleven days, including the difficult trip to Paris. Mancini therefore changed nine of his starting players, keeping only Gianluigi Donnarumma and Alessandro Bastoni from the team that had faced France.
Di Lorenzo returned at right-back, with Gianluca Mancini joining Bastoni in central defence and Matteo Ruggeri starting on the left. In midfield, Nicolò Barella returned alongside Alessandro Romano and Issa Doumbia. The attacking line was completely different, with Tommaso Vergara and Daniel Maldini supporting Gianluca Scamacca.
It was not an Italy built around continuity.
It was an Italy built around depth.
That distinction matters because Mancini is trying to construct a squad rather than simply find eleven players capable of starting the biggest matches.
The Bologna game offered him an opportunity to test that idea.

Donnarumma remains one of the foundations

The opening period was not particularly smooth for Italy.
Turkey, despite missing several important players, found spaces and forced the Italian defence into some uncomfortable moments. Donnarumma was again required to show why he remains one of the most important figures in this rebuilding project.
That has become a recurring theme during the opening four matches of the Nations League.
Against Belgium, Donnarumma kept Italy in the game during a difficult first half. Against France, he produced several crucial saves during a demanding night in Paris. Against Turkey, he again provided security when the team was not yet fully in control.
A young team can make mistakes.
Having a world-class goalkeeper behind it gives that team room to grow.

Scamacca finally gets another Italy goal

Italy took the lead in the 26th minute.
Di Lorenzo delivered from the right, Doumbia challenged in the box and the ball fell into a dangerous area after a defensive ricochet. Scamacca reacted quickest and struck a powerful right-footed finish under the crossbar.
The goal had a personal significance that went beyond the score.
It was only Scamacca’s second goal for Italy and his first for the national team in more than three years. His previous international goal had come against England at Wembley in October 2023.
The wait was finally over.
For Mancini, it was also another sign that the new Italy may not necessarily need to discard the previous generation. Some players can still return to the picture if they rediscover confidence and consistency.

Italy leads, but Turkey refuses to disappear

The Azzurri had another promising moment before half-time when Scamacca found the net again, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
Italy therefore went into the break 1-0 ahead.
It was not a spectacular first half.
But it was efficient.
That is an important distinction.
The 4-1 victory in Bursa had produced a much more explosive Italy, with aggressive pressing and several attacking combinations. Bologna was different. The game was more fragmented and the Italian midfield did not always find the right distances.
Mancini was therefore going to need his bench.

The substitutions change the game

At the beginning of the second half, Mancini made three changes.
Michael Kayode replaced Di Lorenzo, Calafiori came on for Ruggeri and Pio Esposito replaced Scamacca.
Those substitutions changed the balance of the team.
Kayode added energy on the right. Calafiori brought physical presence and quality from the left. Esposito provided a different reference point in attack.
For several minutes, however, the changes did not prevent Turkey from growing into the game.
Then came the equaliser.

Şimşir makes it 1-1

Turkey levelled in the 61st minute.
Yunus Akgün found Zeki Çelik, whose ball across the area was touched on before Aral Şimşir arrived at the far side and finished from close range.
It was Şimşir’s first goal for the Turkish national team.
Suddenly the match was open again.
Italy had gone from controlling the score to having to react.
And this time the reaction was immediate.

Calafiori answers three minutes later

In the 64th minute, Italy regained the lead.
Barella delivered a free-kick from the right and Calafiori attacked the ball at the far post. His header was powerful and precise, sending the ball into the top corner.
2-1.
It was Calafiori’s first goal for Italy.
The location made the moment even more significant.
The defender had developed into a major player during his time at Bologna, and returning to the Dall’Ara in an Italy shirt gave the goal an almost circular quality to it.
He had already made his mark at the stadium as a club player.
Now he was doing it for the national team.

Pio Esposito continues his remarkable start

Turkey did not give up.
With Italy still defending a narrow lead, Donnarumma had to intervene again, producing an important save from Salih Özcan in the final stages.
That save mattered because the third goal had not yet arrived.
When it did, the game was over.
In the 87th minute, Alessandro Romano delivered the ball across the six-yard box and Pio Esposito reacted first.
3-1.
The young striker continues to build an extraordinary international record. The goal was his seventh for Italy in 13 appearances.
For a player still establishing himself at international level, those numbers are difficult to ignore.
Esposito is no longer simply an interesting prospect for the future.
He is becoming a genuine option for the present.

Mancini’s bench deserves attention

One of the clearest lessons from Bologna was the impact of the substitutes.
Calafiori came on and scored.
Pio Esposito came on and scored.
Kayode provided additional energy.
Tonali and Frattesi were introduced later to help Italy manage the final stages.
This is exactly what Mancini needs if he wants to build a competitive national team.
The Nations League schedule has exposed the importance of squad depth. Four matches in eleven days make it impossible to rely on the same starting eleven every time.
Italy therefore needed alternatives.
Against Turkey, it found them.

A mix of experience and youth

There is a broader story developing underneath the result.
Scamacca scored.
Calafiori scored.
Pio Esposito scored.
Romano produced an assist.
Doumbia showed personality.
Kayode provided energy.
Barella continued to offer experience.
Bastoni remained a defensive reference.
And Donnarumma once again stood behind the entire project.
This is the balance Mancini appears to be looking for: experienced players who can provide stability alongside younger footballers who can change the pace and identity of the team.
It is still work in progress.
But the direction is becoming easier to see.

Mancini’s first home win of the new cycle

The victory was also significant for Mancini personally.
It was his first win with Italy on home soil since returning to the national team.
Bologna is a particularly symbolic location for him. The Dall’Ara was the stadium where he made his Serie A debut as a player 45 years ago.
Now he returned as Italy’s coach and celebrated his 39th victory in charge of the national team.
The symbolism is nice.
The football is more important.
After losing 2-0 to Belgium in Rome, Italy have now gone three matches unbeaten: a 4-1 win over Turkey in Bursa, a 1-1 draw against France in Paris, and this 3-1 victory in Bologna.
That is a significant change in momentum.

The Group A1 table is now fascinating

France remain first with 10 points.
Italy are second with seven.
Belgium are third with six.
Turkey are bottom on zero.
The result in France made the table even more interesting because Zinedine Zidane’s side came from behind to defeat Belgium 4-1.
Under the competition format, the top two teams from each League A group qualify for the quarter-finals.
Italy are therefore in a strong position, but the job is not finished.
The final two matches will be played in November: France in Milan on 12 November and Belgium in Brussels on 15 November.

What Italy needs from the final two matches

The mathematics are now much clearer.
Italy have seven points, Belgium six.
That means the Azzurri control much of their own destiny.
A win against Belgium in the final match would be enough to secure at least second place even if Italy were to lose to France, according to the current qualification scenarios. A victory over France, meanwhile, would give Mancini’s side a chance to challenge for first place before the trip to Brussels.
But the France game will be much more than a mathematical exercise.
It will be another test of whether the improvements seen since the Belgium defeat can survive against the strongest team in the group.

San Siro will be the next major test

The first meeting with France ended 1-1 in Paris.
That result was one of the strongest signs yet that Mancini’s Italy can compete against a major European opponent.
The second meeting will take place at San Siro.
By then, the context could be completely different.
France may be close to securing first place. Italy may need points to protect second. Belgium may still be waiting for an opportunity to overtake the Azzurri.
Every detail could matter.
And unlike the Turkey match, there will be no possibility of hiding behind a comfortable result.
France will test Italy’s ability to defend without the ball, play under pressure, manage transitions and remain mentally stable when the opponent controls long periods of possession.
That is why the November meeting may tell us more about Mancini’s project than any result achieved in this first phase.

The 3-1 matters, but it should not create illusions

There is a temptation after every convincing result to declare that a national team has finally found its identity.
Italy is not there yet.
The Belgium defeat exposed real problems.
The Turkey games showed both the potential and the weaknesses of the new side.
The France draw demonstrated resilience and competitiveness.
The Bologna victory demonstrated depth and the ability to react after conceding.
Taken together, these matches tell a more interesting story than any single result.
Mancini is not simply looking for a starting eleven.
He is trying to build a group capable of changing shape, personnel and rhythm without losing its identity.
That is harder.
And it takes time.

A new Italy is beginning to take shape

Three consecutive positive results have changed the atmosphere around the national team.
The whistles of the opening night against Belgium have been replaced by something much more useful: cautious optimism.
There are young players pushing for places.
There are experienced players returning to form.
There is a goalkeeper who continues to provide a safety net.
There is Pio Esposito, whose goals are beginning to turn potential into substance.
There is Calafiori, who has just scored his first international goal.
There is Scamacca, finally back on the scoresheet.
And there is Mancini, trying to combine all of these pieces into something that can survive the biggest matches.
The next one will be against France at San Siro.
Then comes Belgium away.
Those two nights will tell us whether this encouraging start becomes something bigger.
For now, Italy can enjoy second place.
More importantly, it can look forward rather than backward.

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