Michael Kayode did not take long to make his case. The Brentford defender scored on his senior Italy debut and set up a fourth goal as Roberto Mancini’s side ran out 4-1 winners away to Turkey in Bursa last month.
Italy went in 3-0 up at the break. Alessandro Bastoni headed in from a flat corner on nine minutes, Davide Frattesi tapped home a rebound in the 22nd after Altay Bayindir had parried Kayode’s shot, and the 22-year-old right-back arrived in the 27th minute to finish an angled move with Giacomo Raspadori and Francesco Pio Esposito.
Baris Alper Yilmaz pulled one back for Turkey early in the second half, but Pio Esposito restored the three-goal cushion in the 50th minute, nodding in after Sandro Tonali had rattled the post.
Mancini pleased on a difficult pitch
Mancini had returned to the Azzurri bench off the back of a 2-0 home defeat to Belgium, and the win in rainy Bursa was his first since reclaiming the job.
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“I am satisfied because the boys played well on a tough pitch and it wasn’t easy,” the Italy coach said after full-time. “They did beautiful things and I’m happy for them because they deserve it.”
On the debutant, Mancini was pointed.
“He was very good, it was his first in the National team and it wasn’t easy for him. But he was good beyond the goal scored.”
He also drew a line under the result itself.
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“It’s worth as much as the defeat against Belgium was worth. The thing that matters is that the boys have understood that they can do good things, but the road is still long.”
Premier League race already on
Kayode’s audition in a Mancini side will not have escaped a Premier League boardroom. Liverpool have the Brentford right-back at the top of their defensive watchlist, with Arsenal and Tottenham also monitoring him, according to reporting from the weekend.
Brentford are in a strong spot. Kayode signed a new six-year contract in July that runs until 2032, and the club value him at €60-65m against a market value tracked at around €40m. No bid has reached London and sources describe the file as “monitoring and reporting” ahead of the winter window.
Bologna rematch tonight
Italy and Turkey meet again this evening, this time at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara in Bologna, in matchday four of the group. Kick-off is at 8:45pm local time.
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Mancini has lost Moise Kean to a late physical problem, with Gianluca Scamacca stepping into the line. Turkey are without the suspended Arda Guler.
Last Friday’s trip to Paris complicated the group picture: Italy drew 1-1 with France at the Stade de France, Bastoni again on the scoresheet. France top Group A1 on seven points, Belgium have six, Italy sit third on four, and Turkey are bottom without a point.
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