Football Italia Show: Convincing Azzurri win, Doumbia and Vergara are here to stay

Football Italia Show: Convincing Azzurri win, Doumbia and Vergara are here to stay Roberto Mancini rotated heavily, retaining only Donnarumma and Bastoni from the previous starting XI, and Italy inevitably lost some fluidity. However, Scamacca still made the difference, scoring with a powerful strike despite looking less polished in possession than Pio Esposito. BOLOGNA – OCTOBER 05: Pio Esposito of Italy celebrates scoring his team’s third goal during the UEFA Nations League 2026/27 group phase match between Italy and Türkiye at Renato Dall’Ara Stadium on October 05, 2026 in Bologna. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images) Doumbia was among the standout performers. The midfielder grew into the game, helping create Scamacca’s opener and repeatedly attacking space with late runs from midfield. He came close to scoring twice and produced an encouraging display on his first Italy start. Turkiye caused problems after the break by targeting the space behind Italy’s defence whenever Bastoni or Mancini stepped forward to press. Meanwhile, Vergara impressed more than Maldini, further underlining his potential. BOLOGNA – OCTOBER 05: Antonio Vergara of Italy is challenged by Eren Elmal of Turkiye during the UEFA Nations League 2026/27 group phase match between Italy and Türkiye at Renato Dall’Ara Stadium on October 05, 2026 in Bologna. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images) After the match, Mancini stressed that youngsters like Romano and Vergara need another 10 to 15 games at this level to keep developing. Watch the full show below.