Riccardo Saponara and Mattia Destro gave Italy a convincing 2-0 win over Euro Under-21 qualifying leaders Turkey.
The Turks were top of the group with a 100 per cent record after four games, while Italy had won both their qualifiers so far on the road to the 2013 European Under-21 Championships.
Riccardo Saponara and Mattia Destro gave Italy a convincing 2-0 win over Euro Under-21 qualifying leaders Turkey.
The Turks were top of the group with a 100 per cent record after four games, while Italy had won both their qualifiers so far on the road to the 2013 European Under-21 Championships.
Mattia Destro came in for the suspended Fabio Borini, but it was goalkeeper Carlo Pinsoglio who needed a crucial save after just nine minutes, denying Sefa Yilmaz in a one-on-one.
Necip Uysal and Destro skimmed the frame of the goal, while a Fausto Rossi snapshot was charged down.
A quickly-taken free kick threatened to send Saponara clear on goal, but Baris Basdas was alert to the danger. Saponara again wasted a good chance when he hesitated in the box and didn't pull the trigger in time.
Before the break, Lorenzo Insigne's give-and-go with Manolo Gabbiadini fell apart with the Atalanta” data-scaytid=”22″>Atalanta man misplacing the final pass.
However, in first half stoppages Italy found the breakthrough goal. It was a well-worked team move started down the left with Insigne, then Destro's dummy allowed the Gabbiadini low cross to reach Saponara unmarked at the back post.
After the restart, the Azzurrini continued to push hard and doubled their advantage. Gabbiadini pounced on a poor clearance and threaded through for Destro to toe-poke in at full stretch.
It was all Italy now, as Gabbiadini's taut cross found substitute Alessandro Florenzi to force a save. The same players combined again soon after, once more testing the goalkeeper.
Florenzi tried turning provider, his cross from the right just failing to make contact with Insigne's head.
Turkey did try to get back into the game in the final 10 minutes, but Pinsoglio tipped a long-range Emre Colak strike on to the crossbar.
There was one late blow for Italy, as Pescara starlet Insigne was sent off for a rather harsh second bookable offence on Colak. It means he'll be suspended for the next game.
Italy 2-0 Turkey
Scorers: Saponara 45 (I), Destro 50 (I)
Sent off: Insigne 91 (I)
Italy U21: Pinsoglio; Santon, Antei, Caldirola, Crescenzi; Saponara (Florenzi 59), Marrone, Rossi; Insigne; Gabbiadini (Bertolacci 71), Destro (Paloschi 83)
Turkey U21: Karabulut; Corekci, Basdas, Nizam, Kaya; Potuk, Gulle (Colak 53), Uysal (Iravul 88), Sefa Yilmaz; Kucik (Aygunes 52), Uludag
Ref: Karasev (Rus)