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The 3-Year Wait Is Over: Gianluca Scamacca Just Broke Free and Italy Is Second in Group A1

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Italy just stomped Turkiye 3-1 in the Nations League, a huge win that officially bumps Roberto Mancini’s squad into second place in Group A1 after France also took down Belgium. This was their fourth match in 11 days, grinding through international duty like champs, and they finished strong.

Scamacca Breaks the Drought, Donnarumma Keeps It Close

Talk about a moment: Gianluca Scamacca hadn’t scored for the Azzurri in *three years*, but he busted that drought wide open! The dude reacted to a lucky ricochet like a shot, slamming a volley in off the underside of the crossbar to break the deadlock. Pure fire. Turkiye, coached by Vincenzo Montella, didn’t just roll over though. Gianluigi Donnarumma was forced into some tricky saves before Aral Simsir tapped in an equalizer, a sweet team move. It was getting tense, for real.

Substitutes Seal the Deal for the Azzurri

But Italy wasn’t letting this one slip. Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori, a substitute, stepped up HUGE with his first senior Nazionale goal. You love to see it! And then, fellow sub Pio Esposito just absolutely put the game to bed, grabbing his second goal of this Nations League group. What a way to close it out for the Azzurri!

Finishing this international break with a win, especially after that 4-1 thrashing of Turkiye earlier and a 1-1 draw against France in Paris, shows what this Italy squad is capable of. Moving into second place in Group A1 is a solid spot right now, and they’re looking to keep that momentum rolling when they hit the pitch again.

This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.

Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.

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