Nations League: Pio Esposito on target in Italy win

It was the final outing of the international break for Italy, France and Poland, with five Inter players involved on Matchday 4 of the Nations League group stage. Italy signed off with a win, beating Türkiye 3-1 at the Dall’Ara in Bologna. Roberto Mancini handed Alessandro Bastoni and Nicolò Barella starts, with Bastoni playing the full match and Barella featuring for 70 minutes before making way for Tonali. Pio Esposito, meanwhile, replaced Scamacca in the 56th minute. Once again, the Nerazzurri striker made his mark, scoring the goal that sealed the 3-1 victory. It was a classic centre-forward’s finish, as Esposito reacted sharply inside the box to turn Romano’s driven cross-shot into the net and register his seventh goal in 13 appearances for Italy. Scamacca and Calafiori scored the Azzurri’s other two goals.

Andy Diouf made his second start for France and played the full 90 minutes as Les Bleus came from behind to beat Belgium 4-1 at the Stade de France. Zidane’s side pulled level through Doué in the 77th minute before running away with the game late on, with Cherki and an Olise brace completing the comeback. The win takes France top of Nations League A Group 1 on ten points, with Italy second on seven, Belgium third on six and Türkiye bottom without a point.

There was disappointment for Piotr Zielinski and Poland in their away fixture in Bosnia. The Nerazzurri midfielder captained his country and played the full 90 minutes as the hosts claimed a 1-0 win thanks to Basic’s 84th-minute penalty. The result leaves Poland third in the group on four points, behind Bosnia on eight and leaders Sweden on ten after four matches, while Romania remain bottom without a point.