Italian dominance in Bologna puts pressure on the Red Devils' chances

While the Red Devils recently suffered a 4-1 defeat to France, Italy in Bologna overwhelmed Turkey 3-1, a victory that brings the Belgian side one step closer to the group leader.

Intense first half

The Turks started sharply and put the Italian defence under pressure. Gianluigi Donnarumma, who had to intervene early on an attempt by Ozan Kabak, shortly afterwards also had work to do on a header from Yunus Akgün. Despite the danger, Italy created few chances until halftime.

The first Italian goal came in the 26th minute via Gianluca Scamacca. After a disallowed goal for offside, a cross from Giovanni Di Lorenzo, who reached the striker through Kabak, sent a hard ball against the underside of the bar and then in. It was an efficient finish after a long period of Turkish pressure.

After the break, Turkey retained a lot of possession and found the deserved equaliser in the 61st minute. Zeki Çelik pulled from the back line, Eren Elmalı extended it and Aral Şimşir freed the ball to make it 1-1. It gave the Turks a brief glory, but the Italian response came quickly.

Italy puts pressure on Red Devils with nine subs against Turkey

Four minutes later, Nicolò Barella turned a free kick into a goal by substitute Riccardo Calafiori. The Arsenal defender headed the ball towards the second post and thus scored his first goal for the Italian national team. It gave Italy the advantage again.

Turkish protests led to a VAR check that yielded nothing, after which Donnarumma had to intervene again on an attempt by Salih Özcan. In the 87th minute, Issa Doumbia blocked a shot, after which Alessandro Romano sent the ball to Pio Esposito, who scored the 3-1 from close range.

With the 3-1 victory, Italy closed the international window with seven points in Group A1 and jumped to second place, just ahead of Belgium. The Red Devils, who earlier lost 4-1 to France, therefore remained in third place.

Mancini makes Italy smile with the win in Bologna

Implications for the group standings

The victory of Roberto Mancini’s side confirmed that Italy was once again too strong for the men of Vincenzo Montella. With the three points, Italy moved just ahead of Belgium, who now have to hope for a better result in the remaining matches. For the Red Devils this means extra pressure to improve their position.