The last time Roberto Mancini’s side beat Turkey was at the beginning of one of the greatest chapters in Italian football history. It was 11 June 2021 and Italy beat the Crescent Stars at the Olimpico in Rome in the opening match of the Euros, which ended in triumph for the Azzurri at Wembley against England. Eight months later, with the disappointment of missing out on World Cup qualification fresh in their minds, the Azzurri beat Turkey 3-2 in Konya to start this new era under the guidance of Roberto Mancini. “The boys did well, the youngsters too which I am pleased with,” said the Italy boss after full time. “It wasn’t an experimental side, per sé, but a lot of these players had never played together before. It was an intense game and they needed to grow into it. The reaction to going a goal down was good, even if the regrets will remain until December.”

At 22 years old, Giacomo Raspadori has already experienced the joy of becoming a European champion and the disappointment of missing the chance to go to his first World Cup. He confirmed one of his greatest assets in Konya: goals. The Sassuolo striker bagged a brace, which is a certain sign of big things to come for the young star in the national team. “It was a sign that we wanted to give,” he said, “and we did that in spite of the difficulties at the start. It was an important win for us.”

Another member of that Euro-winning squad, Bryan Cristante, scored the equaliser to make it 1-1. His goal allowed Italy to pick themselves up following the early shock at going behind to Cengiz Ünder’s strike. “We did really well to react and put in a good performance and pick ourselves up,” Cristante said. “It wasn’t an easy atmosphere. There’s no time to wallow in self-pity in football and we need to get back to winning ways. We know that we’re a good team and we need to do the best that we can.”

As well as Berardi and Raspadori, there’s another young Sassuolo forward hoping to establish himself as a regular member of this Italy side. Gianluca Scamacca, who was in the stands on Thursday in Palermo, made his third appearance in an Azzurri shirt tonight and he hopes to soon score his first international goal. “As well as the result, it was important that we put in a performance with lots of character tonight and, in spite of what happened a few days ago, we did that. We have the talent. The difference is that young players are allowed to make mistakes in other countries, maybe due to a different mentality.”

There will certainly be space for Sandro Tonali in this team in the future. The young midfielder put in a good performance and assisted Raspadori’s first goal. “Even if this game wasn’t too important, it wasn’t an easy one,” he said. “We struggled in the first few minutes and then – with our quality – we turned it around. Not playing at the World Cup hurts, and not playing in two in a row hurts even more. We need to kick on from this win and draw a line under what we have done before.”