Italy move into second place with 3-1 Nations League win over Turkey

Italy moved up to second in the Nations League Group A standings after beating Turkey 3-1, extending their unbeaten record in this fixture to 18 matches.

Gianluca Scamacca, Riccardo Calafiori and Francesco Pio Esposito scored for Italy, while Aral Simsir briefly brought Turkey level in the second half.

The result means Italy have now beaten Turkey in 13 meetings and drawn the other five, with no defeat against them. It also condemned Turkey to a fourth consecutive loss, their first run of four straight defeats since 1988.

Italy opened the scoring in the 26th minute after uncertainty in the Turkey defence allowed Scamacca to find space inside the 18-yard area. He took advantage with a shot that put the hosts ahead.

Turkey responded after the interval and levelled in the 61st minute. Simsir finished a low cross into the net to restore parity.

Italy regained the lead only three minutes later, with substitute Calafiori scoring to put the Azzurri back in front.

The hosts then secured the victory with three minutes of normal time remaining. Esposito converted a cross from Romano to complete Italy’s second win in the group.

The goal was another landmark moment for Esposito, who became only the second player in Italy’s history to score seven goals before turning 21. He followed Giuseppe Meazza, who reached the same total in 1931.

Italy’s victory took them to seven points, placing them second in the group. They moved above Belgium, who dropped to third on six points after losing to France.

France remain top with 10 points, while Turkey are bottom without a point.