Türkiye’s Nations League campaign suffered another setback Monday as Italy raced to a 4-1 victory in rainy Bursa, exposing the hosts’ defensive weaknesses before comfortably seeing out the UEFA Nations League A Group 1 match.
The defeat left Vincenzo Montella’s team without a point after two matches following a 1-0 loss to France in its opener, while Italy collected its first three points after losing 2-0 to Belgium.
Alessandro Bastoni opened the scoring in the ninth minute after Türkiye failed to clear a corner, with the Italy defender reacting quickest inside a crowded penalty area to fire into the roof of the net beyond Altay Bayındır.
Italy doubled its advantage in the 22nd minute. Michael Kayode’s effort was parried by Bayındır, but Davide Frattesi was in the right place to convert the rebound.
Five minutes later, Kayode marked his senior international debut with a goal of his own. The defender finished a flowing move with a low shot after Francesco Pio Esposito helped create the opening, putting Italy 3-0 ahead before the half-hour mark.
Türkiye emerged with greater urgency after the break and quickly gave its home supporters something to celebrate.
Barış Alper Yılmaz pulled one back in the 47th minute, finishing from Oğuz Aydın’s delivery after Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and his defense failed to deal with the situation.
Any prospect of a comeback, however, disappeared three minutes later.
Sandro Tonali struck the post, and Pio Esposito reacted quickest to head home the rebound and restore Italy’s three-goal cushion.
Türkiye continued to push forward, with Arda Güler increasingly involved in the attack, but several efforts were blocked or missed the target. Kerem Aktürkoğlu and other substitutes also created opportunities, although the hosts could not find a second goal.
Italy remained dangerous on the counterattack and controlled the closing stages to secure a convincing victory.
The result intensified scrutiny around Montella, although the Italian coach said afterward that he had no intention of resigning and remained convinced by the work being done with the national team.
“No, I believe in the work I am doing,” Montella said when asked whether he was considering stepping down. “We have work that we are continuing here, and our belief in our players will continue until the end.”
Montella acknowledged that Türkiye’s opening 30 minutes fell well below the required standard but said the team’s second-half reaction was encouraging.
“We started the match very badly in the first 30 minutes,” he said. “We showed a national team that was out of character. I think we deserved to be booed. In the second half, we reacted.”
The coach also pointed to the difficulty of competing at Nations League A level, noting that Türkiye had risen from League C to the top tier during his tenure.
“This team was in League C two and a half years ago,” Montella said. “Together we won League B and now we are in League A. The level is different in this league. Playing at this level every three days is not easy. We have to make it a habit.”
Montella said Türkiye had been unable to field its strongest squad, with Kenan Yıldız, Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Mert Müldür among those unavailable. He also defended Barış Alper Yılmaz and Kerem Aktürkoğlu, who have been asked to operate outside their usual positions.
“Both of them are playing outside their positions and trying to do their best,” Montella said. “If it were up to me, I would give all my support to players who make these sacrifices.”
He also argued that introducing new players at this level requires patience rather than rushing them into the lineup.
“Instead of blocking their path, I think it is better to integrate them gradually,” he said.
Montella was particularly critical of the reaction toward Bayındır after the goalkeeper’s involvement in Italy’s opening goal, saying players needed support after mistakes.
“Football is a game of mistakes. Everyone can make mistakes,” he said. “When we need to support someone, how logical is it to bring them down even further?”
The coach said Türkiye needed to improve its mental preparation as well as its physical recovery when facing high-level opponents on a tight schedule.
“When you play at this level, mental regeneration is as important as physical regeneration,” Montella said. “We need to work on that.”
He also accepted that the home crowd had reason to be frustrated with the first-half performance but felt the reaction later became excessive.
“In the first 30 minutes, I think we deserved it because we were below expectations, but afterward I think it was a little excessive,” Montella said.
The defeat leaves Türkiye at the bottom of Group A1 with zero points. France leads the group, while Belgium and Italy have three points each after two rounds.
Türkiye will look to respond when it travels to face Belgium on Oct. 2.
