Italy vs Türkiye: Clinical Finishing Beats Turkish Possession in League A

Italy against Türkiye was a game in which the side with the ball did the least with it. Türkiye finished with 55% possession, a better passing accuracy (90% to 87%) and only slightly fewer shots (14 to 15), yet lost 3-1. The gap came from where the chances were taken: Italy's expected goals of 2.04 outstripped Türkiye's 1.42, and the Azzurri turned their better looks into goals when it mattered.

Gianluca Scamacca set the tone with the opener in the 26th minute, and Italy were content to protect it from there. Vincenzo Montella's Türkiye, lined up in a 3-4-2-1, were happy to circulate the ball against a side that sat off them, but possession in front of a compact shape does not always translate into quality chances. Salih Özcan and Yunus Akgün, both rated 7.2 for Türkiye, were the visitors' most productive presences, though neither could pull the game their way.

The pivotal passage came after the break. Aral Simsir levelled in the 61st minute and, for a short while, the momentum belonged to the more possession-heavy side. Italy answered within three minutes. Riccardo Calafiori's goal in the 64th minute is what settled the match: a team that had just conceded refused to let the equaliser breathe, and the response swung the game back before Türkiye could build any pressure on the back of their goal. That kind of reaction, rather than any tactical reshuffle, defined Italy's night.

Discipline also shaped how the second half unfolded. Scamacca and Matteo Ruggeri were booked early, in the 42nd and 47th minutes, which could have forced Italy into caution, but they kept their structure and their composure. Türkiye picked up their own cautions through Zeki Çelik (55th) and Abdulkerim Bardakçı (81st), the latter arriving as the visitors pushed for a way back and left themselves stretched. Italy committed 11 fouls to Türkiye's nine, a sign of a side willing to break up play to protect its lead.

Pio Esposito sealed it in the 87th minute, punishing a Türkiye side that had committed bodies forward. Behind the goals, Issa Doumbia (8.3) and Gianluca Mancini (7.9) were Italy's standout performers, with Mancini's rating reflecting a defensive line that restricted Türkiye to five shots on target despite their territorial share. For Türkiye, the lesson from this League A meeting is uncomfortable: ball retention and tidy passing earned them control without cutting edge, and a fast Italian response to their equaliser ended the contest as a close one.