Scamacca scores as Italy beat Turkey 3-1 in UEFA Nations League 2026-27

Roberto Mancini made a substitution. Davide Frattesi replaced Antonio Vergara (Italy). Szymon Marciniak showed a yellow card to Abdulkerim Bardakci (Turkey) for a foul. For Turkey, Kerem Akturkoglu came on for Ismail Yuksek.

The time had come for Turkey to turn to the bench. Vincenzo Montella decided to make two changes to inject some energy into his team's play. Aral Simsir left the pitch and was replaced by Ilhan Fakili, while Irfan Kahveci came off for Bartug Elmaz.

Gianluca Scamacca left the pitch. Roberto Mancini gave final instructions to Francesco Pio Esposito (Italy). Matteo Ruggeri came off and Riccardo Calafiori came on (Italy). Turkey had yet to make a substitution.

A nasty challenge by Zeki Çelik (Turkey), who was shown a yellow card by the referee without hesitation. Giovanni Di Lorenzo's match was over; he was replaced by Michael Kayode (Italy). It was the first substitution of the game.

Issa Doumbia (Italy) unleashed a powerful shot that was blocked by a defender. The ball went out of play. Corner kick for Italy. Matteo Ruggeri received a yellow card for a tackle; Szymon Marciniak did not hesitate to book the player.

The assistant raised his flag and the referee blew his whistle. Gianluca Scamacca (Italy) put the ball in the back of the net, but his goal was disallowed for offside. Turkey made a defensive error that nearly cost them the opening goal of the match.

The ball reached Salih Ozcan (Turkey) at the edge of the box, and he fired a shot through a crowd of players towards the right side of the goal, forcing Gianluigi Donnarumma into action. Italy needed to loosen up significantly and get into the flow of the game.

Abdülkerim Bardakci (Turkey) fired wide; a left-footed shot from outside the box that went too high. Assisted by Ferdi Kadioglu. Shot blocked from Aral Simsir; a right-footed shot from the left side of the box. Abdülkerim Bardakci fired wide; a left-footed shot from outside the box that went too high. Assisted by Ferdi Kadioglu. Two attacking attempts by the visiting team.

Offside, Italy. Alessandro Romano attempted a through ball, but Antonio Vergara was in an offside position. On the next play, Giovanni Di Lorenzo looked for Antonio Vergara with a ball in behind the defense, but the Turkish backline handled it well.

• Italy prevailed 4-1 in the first meeting between the sides this term, extending their unbeaten record against Turkey to 14 matches (10W, 4D).
• The visitors held the worst attacking and defensive records in the group, having scored one goal and conceded eight in three matches.
• Gli Azzurri had lost two of their last three games on home soil.
• The hosts sat 15th in the latest FIFA World Rankings, with the visitors ranked 27th.

Following their match against Italy, the Turkish national team was set to conclude its 2026/27 UEFA Nations League group stage campaign during the November international window. The Turkish side would first host Belgium on November 12 at the Gürsel Aksel Stadium in Izmir and wrap up the regular phase on November 15 by visiting France at the Matmut Stadium. These two competitive fixtures would prove decisive in determining whether Turkey remained among the continental tournament's elite or succeeded in its bid to stay in Group A.

Following their match against Turkey in the 2026–27 UEFA Nations League, the Italian national team was set to conclude the tournament's group stage with their final two official fixtures during the November international break. La Azzurra would host France on November 12 at San Siro (Milan) and wrap up the group stage by visiting Belgium on November 15 at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels. These matches would determine the team's final standing in Group A1, deciding whether they qualified for the finals (Final Four) or retained their place in the competition's top tier.

In the UEFA Nations League, the Italian national team had maintained a high level of competitiveness, competing in the top tier (League A) in every edition and reaching the four-team finals (Final Four) on two consecutive occasions. Azzurra secured third place in both the 2020–21 and 2022–23 editions, defeating Belgium and the Netherlands in their respective bronze-medal matches. Although a spot in the grand final had eluded them, Italy had established itself as one of the tournament's most consistent teams, backed by solid away performances and a firm standing among the continent's powerhouses.

Turkey's senior national team had experienced an inconsistent and contrasting journey in the UEFA Nations League, recording an overall record of 11 wins, 6 draws, and 9 losses, with 44 goals scored and 32 conceded. Throughout the competition, the Turkish side had moved across three different divisions: they were relegated from League B to League C in the early editions, managed to win promotion back up after dominating their group at the third tier of European football, and subsequently broke into the elite ranks by reaching League A, where they competed against the continent's powerhouses.