Arda Güler's start not enough to stop Turkey's loss to Italy

Arda Güler celebrated his teammate Barış Alper Yılmaz's goal at the Yüzüncü Yıl Atatürk Stadium in Bursa while Turkey fell 1‑4 to Italy in the UEFA Nations League matchday, Group A, on September 28, 2026. The game featured a first half dominated by the Italians and a second half in which Güler tried to revive his team, without achieving the needed result.

Tactical disaster in the first half

Vincenzo Montella, Turkey's coach, lined up a 3‑4‑3 that in practice turned into a 4‑4‑2 without pressure and with a loose defence. The Italians broke through the first line of defence with simple passes and found Michael Kayode on the wing, creating dangerous chances. Zeki Çelik's mistakes in the first two goals and the lack of support from Eren Elmalı to Ozan Kabak left Turkey vulnerable, ending the half at 0‑3.

Renewal and fight in the second half

After the break, Turkey introduced three changes, raised its line and pressed with greater intensity. Italy, feeling the pressure, fell back and relied on the counter‑attack, but had already caused most of the damage. In the 46th minute, Turkey scored, but three minutes later Altay Bayındır made a mistake that allowed Pio Esposito to score the fourth Italian goal.

Although Güler delivered a standout performance, with the highest number of touches (100), shots (four), dribbles (four) and fouls drawn (five) of the match, his assist was ruled out for offside and his brilliant play did not translate into goals. Aktürkoğlu missed an open‑goal chance and the defence continued to give way.

Reaction and upcoming commitments

Social media followers described the Italian performance as a replica of World Cup power, while Turkey's second half was labelled as a metaphor for its current era: a lot of effort, few results. With zero points after two matches, Turkey is preparing to face Belgium in its next encounter.