Montella steers Turkey towards another Nations League collapse

In Bologna on Monday evening, Turkey’s side under Vincenzo Montella produced a respectable Leistung yet fell victim to a 3‑1 defeat, extending their Nations League Nächste Pleite and leaving the coach still without a point after four matches.

Match details and Turkish woes

After four games Turkey sit on zero points with a humiliating 2‑11 goal difference. The campaign began with a 0:1 loss to Frankreich, followed a week later by a 1:4 drubbing at the hands of Italien and a 0:3 defeat to Belgium. The string of defeats has amplified the pressure on the Coach.

Italy opened the scoring in the 26th minute when Gianluca Scamacca met a Nicolo Barella cross and hammered the ball under the bar. The home side enjoyed roughly 40 percent possession and had only four shots in the first half, one of which found the net.

Turkey responded through Aral Simsir, who equalised in the 61st minute after a pass from Zeki Celik and a clever run by Eren Elmali opened space for the Trabzon striker to slot the ball low to the right‑hand side of the goal.

Just three minutes later Riccardo Calafiori rose to meet a Nicolo Barella delivery, heading the ball past goalkeeper Ugurcan Çakır to restore Italy’s lead.

The final blow came in the 87th minute when Francesco Esposito, after a swift solo by Doumbia, found the far post and forced the ball into the net, leaving no chance for Çakır. Earlier, Gianluigi Donnarumma had denied Turkish attempts, and Salih Özcan’s long‑range effort was comfortably saved.

Montella’s situation grows ever tighter. At the 2026 World Cup in USA, Canada and Mexico, Turkey exited at the group stage as bottom‑placed. The Nations League defeats echo that disappointment, and the coach now faces mounting scrutiny as the side struggles to find a point.