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Mancini turns the page on Turkey and focuses on France

Mancini turns the page on Turkey and focuses on France

Midfielder Sandro Tonali had pleaded with the media and fans not to attack the Italian national team, a sentiment Mancini agreed with.

Mancini rediscovered the winning tune at the helm of his country's technical management in his second match of his second tenure when he defeated hosts Turkey 4-1 in Bursa on Monday in Group A.

Mancini was met with jeers in the capital Rome on Friday when the team lost its opening home match against Belgium 0-2, but his side delivered a striking performance under heavy rain during the first half in Turkey.

He told Italian television after the final whistle: "All the players performed excellently today. It was a difficult match and we handled it the right way, through high pressing and playing with intensity throughout the game."

Italy imposed complete control, deciding the result in the first half with a trio from Alessandro Bastoni, Davide Frattesi, and new arrival Michael Kayode, before Francesco Pio Esposito added the fourth goal after the break.

Italy had not won an away match by a margin of three goals or more since defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-0 on November 15, 2019.

More importantly, the "Azzurri" returned to winning ways under Mancini for the first time since defeating the Netherlands 3-2 on June 18, 2023, ending an 1198-day wait.

Mancini told the Italian media: "We will try to recover our strength and be ready for the Paris match. I am confident. We have many young, energetic, and ready players."

He added: "We know we didn't start this journey well, a journey that might be long or short, I don't know."

He continued: "But it is certain that it will take some time, especially since we only had two training sessions between the matches, one of which was dedicated to recovery and eliminating fatigue. However, I do not feel that time is our enemy at this stage."

Midfielder Sandro Tonali had urged the media and fans not to attack the Italian national team, a stance Mancini agreed with.

He said: "No one should be attacked, because it is ultimately a football match. All we need is to focus on what we see, on footballing ideas, and for that to always be in good faith, not bad faith."

He added: "We are participating in the Nations League, so we can afford some risk. I don't understand why no one showed much enthusiasm in the past when we reached the final stages of the tournament on two occasions."

He continued: "In fact, people are now acting as if the Nations League is the most important tournament in the world. It might be an important competition, because we want to reach the semi-finals, but we know we are in a tough group, and there are still four more matches to play."

On the other hand, brothers Pio and Sebastiano Esposito entered Italian football history by matching a 111-year-old record by leading the "Azzurri" attacking line as starters, achieving a new milestone as their family is the first to have three of its sons represent the senior national team.

The match marked the first time Italy's starting lineup included two brothers since Aldo and Luigi Cevenini participated against Switzerland in 1915.

Thus, the Esposito brothers also ended a 24-year wait since Filippo and Simone Inzaghi shared the pitch for 11 minutes against England in November 2000.

The Esposito family also made history as the first family to have three of its sons represent the senior Italian national team.

The eldest brother, Salvatore, was the first to do so when he made his international debut under Mancini against England in 2022, setting a standard followed by his two younger brothers.

Speaking about his determination to join them, Sebastiano recently joked: "After Salva and Pio, if I hadn't made it to the national team, I would never have forgiven myself."

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