Answer in brief
Italy answered its opening defeat with a 4–1 victory in Bursa on 28 September. Four scorers and a heavily changed lineup offered progress, while Raspadori’s withdrawal complicates the next step.
Four goals provide a concrete response
The Italy Türkiye win changed the immediate picture of the Azzurri’s Nations League start. Italy won 4–1 in Bursa on 28 September 2026 after losing its opener 2–0 to Belgium. FIGC’s match report and Atalanta’s account of its internationals confirm the away result. For supporters assessing the recovery, the useful evidence lies in the scoring pattern, the changed lineup and the next selection problem, rather than the margin alone.
Alessandro Bastoni, Davide Frattesi and debutant Michael Kayode gave Italy a three-goal lead before the interval. Barış Yılmaz replied just after the restart, but Pio Esposito quickly restored the cushion. Four different scorers meant the goals were distributed across defence, midfield and attack. That is a concrete feature of this match, without proving that every future version of the team will create the same variety.
The goal sequence limited the comeback window
FIGC’s match sheet places the Italian goals at nine, 22 and 27 minutes, followed by Yılmaz in the first minute of the second half and Esposito in the fifth. Expressed on a continuous match clock, those last two entries are 46 and 50 minutes. The table preserves that conversion explicitly. It shows how briefly Türkiye played with the deficit reduced from three goals to two.
Our interpretation is that Italy’s response after conceding mattered more than simply adding decoration to a comfortable score. A two-goal gap can change the attacking team’s willingness to commit players forward; restoring three changes that calculation again. The published sequence establishes the quick answer. It cannot establish that a Turkish comeback would otherwise have happened, or attach a reliable probability to that alternative match situation.
| Minute | Scorer | Score after goal |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Alessandro Bastoni | 0–1 |
| 22 | Davide Frattesi | 0–2 |
| 27 | Michael Kayode | 0–3 |
| 46 | Barış Yılmaz | 1–3 |
| 50 | Pio Esposito | 1–4 |
Eight changes produced a different combination
Roberto Mancini made eight changes to the starting side that faced Belgium, according to FIGC. Bastoni and Giorgio Scalvini formed the central defensive pair, with Kayode and Matteo Ruggeri making their debuts at full-back. Pio and Sebastiano Esposito started together in attack. The federation identifies them as the fourth pair of brothers to play together for Italy, giving the revised team a separate historical detail.
Atalanta’s report confirms Scalvini played the full ninety minutes, Giacomo Raspadori played the first half and Gianluca Scamacca appeared late on. That club account helps establish involvement independently of the federation’s narrative. A successful changed lineup creates options for the coach, but it does not automatically become the next starting eleven. Opponent, recovery and availability remain part of selection, especially within a short international window.
Recovery brought a confirmed absence
The 29 September FIGC update says the starters from Bursa, together with Nicolò Cambiaghi, completed pool recovery work after returning to Coverciano. Raspadori underwent medical tests and was set to return to his club because he would be unavailable for the upcoming matches. The update establishes an absence. It does not specify a diagnosis or a comprehensive timetable for his return, so neither should be inferred.
That changes the practical meaning of the win: Italy cannot simply assume every contributor is available to repeat the same role. Recovery sessions also need careful interpretation. Working separately after a match is not, by itself, evidence that every participant is injured. The federation distinguished routine recovery from Raspadori’s confirmed unavailability, and the editorial account should preserve that distinction when considering the next selection.
Scalvini frames France as a new examination
In a 30 September federation interview, Scalvini described the win as evidence of the group’s quality and France as an opportunity to assess its level. He also connected his club experience in a back four with his national-team work. These are the defender’s reported assessments. They add a participant’s view of adaptation, without serving as independent proof that the defensive structure has already solved its hardest problems.
The next match asks a different question from Bursa. Italy scored freely, but also conceded and allowed further threatening moments described in the match report. Against another opponent, the timing of support runs and the protection behind them may matter differently. Our analysis is that attacking confidence and defensive control must be assessed together; four goals demonstrate output in one game, while repeatability requires further evidence.
The points improved; the programme continues
UEFA’s completed results and FIGC’s group summary leave France on six points, Italy and Belgium on three, and Türkiye on none after two rounds. Italy’s immediate programme is France away in Saint-Denis on 2 October, then Türkiye at home in Bologna on 5 October. Those dates are scheduled commitments at the 1 October cutoff. Neither a French result nor an Italian lineup is established by the Bursa score.
The recovery story is therefore specific and useful: a four-goal away win, several successful new combinations and a confirmed absence to manage. France supplies the next test of whether those combinations function under different pressure. Readers can judge that match against the actual scoring sequence and availability update, rather than treating one emphatic evening as a final verdict on the entire rebuilding process.
Questions and answers
Who scored Italy’s four goals in Bursa?
Alessandro Bastoni, Davide Frattesi and Michael Kayode scored before half-time. After Barış Yılmaz replied for Türkiye, Pio Esposito restored Italy’s three-goal advantage early in the second half.
Is Raspadori available for the next matches?
FIGC’s 29 September update says he underwent medical tests and would return to his club because he was unavailable for the upcoming matches. The cited update does not provide a specific diagnosis or a full return timetable.
What comes after the victory over Türkiye?
Italy is scheduled to visit France in Saint-Denis on 2 October and then host Türkiye in Bologna on 5 October. These are future fixtures at the 1 October cutoff; the Bursa result does not determine either outcome.