The Italian national team achieved a second consecutive success against Turkey in just one week, prevailing 3-1 at home in a match from the fourth round of League A in the Nations League.
The hosts opened the scoring through Gianluca Scamacca, whose goal was recognized after a review of the situation by the VAR system. Shortly before the break, in the 42nd minute, the scorer also received a yellow card, and the first half ended with a minimal lead for the “azurri“.
In the 61st minute, Eren Elmali made an excellent pass to Aral Şimşir, who with a precise finishing shot from close range restored the tie to 1:1.
However, the guests' joy was short-lived, as Riccardo Calafiori, who came off the bench, restored Italy's lead in the 64th minute. Nicolo Barella crossed from a free kick into the penalty area, where Calafiori broke free from the defense and headed a masterful shot from the edge of the goal area, sending the ball into the top right corner for 2:1.
The final 3:1 was made in the 87th minute by another substitute – Francesco Esposito. The young striker demonstrated great technique and scored with a beautiful volley from inside the penalty area into the bottom left corner after an assist from Alessandro Romano.
League A Group 1 Qualification
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1. France – 10
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2. Italy – 7
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3. Belgium – 6
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4. Turkey – 0
Thanks to this triumph, Italy collected 7 points and climbed to second place in the standings, ahead of Belgium. Turkey remains in last position without a point won, while the leader continues to be the French team.