Key events
Here’s a great stat, courtesy of Opta: before tonight’s victory in Georgia, Northern Ireland were the only one of 55 nations to play in the Nations League and have never won an away match.
Consider that one ticked off then: Georgia 0-1 Northern Ireland.
Full-time: Hungary 0-1 Ukraine
Ukraine cling on for an excellent victory in Budapest. They join Northern Ireland as joint early leaders of League B Group 2.
“For all the quality in attack and defence, France seems to lack options in midfield,” emails Kári Tulinius. “Deschamps tried to fix that problem by overloading up front, but that didn’t work against Spain. It’ll be interesting to see how Zidane solves that problem.”
France’s away fans, bouncing away in delight high in the stands, look happy enough, it should be noted. Lacroix played well for France, which tells you all you need to know about how dominant France were (or weren’t).
Full-time: Turkey 0-1 France
Zizou starts with a victory, but only just. Turkey away is never an easy place to go, but this was far from convincing. And there will be concern for Mbappé, who looked in real pain after scoring for France. He was forced off shortly afterwards. Not what Real Madrid need after Barcelona’s rapid start to the season.
90+6 min: Turkey 0-1 France
Turkey are pushing for the equaliser, despite being down to 10 men. Zidane looks nervous – not a sentence I have ever typed before – but France look like they are going to hold on. Demiral desperately hurls himself to the floor as he tries in vain to win a penalty for Turkey, but the referee waves play on. Upamecano didn’t touch him.
Full-time: Montenegro 2-1 Cyprus
Montenegro came from behind to win and spoil the international debut for Burnley’s Marcus Edwards, who opened the scoring for Cyprus.
Full-time: Sweden 2-1 Romania
Romania ran Sweden close, but the quality of Isak and Gyökeres proved just too much. A good win for Graham Potter.
Full-time: Poland 0-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Goalless in Warsaw. Not a classic.
Full-time: Italy 0-2 Belgium
It’s all over in Rome, as Belgium close out a very impressive first win for Van Bommel. There are a few afters at the final whistle, with Donnarumma clashing with Lukaku. The Italy fans in the Stadio Olympico are not happy, and are letting Roberto Mancini know.
GOAL! Montenegro 2-1 Cyprus (Osmajic 86)
Heartbreak for Cyprus! The former (and fiery) Preston striker Osmajic latches onto a knockdown and stoops to head Montenegro into a late lead!
Red card for Turkey’s goalkeeper!
86 min: Barcola is sent clean through and touches the ball around the onrushing Ugurcan Cakir, who advances out of his area and blocks the ball from going past! Was that with his arm?! It was close to his shoulder, but I think it looks like a handball, the ball ‘saved’ with his upper arm but outside the Turkey box. Initially, the referee waves play but after going to the monitor to check, dismisses Ugurcan Cakir. Turkey protest, as is their wont, but it’s the correct decision.
Altay Bayindir, the Manchester United keeper on loan at Celta Vigo, comes on for 10-man Turkey.
83 min: Italy 0-2 Belgium
Italy are desperately trying to get back into this, to no avail. A Tonali corner rolls all the way across the Belgian six-yard box, with no player in Azzurri blue there to turn it home. Scalvini has another great opportunity from a set piece but can’t convert!
80 min: Turkey 0-1 France
Zidane brings on Barcola (for Olise) and Camavinga (for Cherki) as he looks to wrestle back some sort of control in the match. France have looked really poor in the last 15 minutes. Turkey could easily be level.
78 min: Hungary 0-1 Ukraine
Hungary are very much in this, pushing for an equaliser. Szoboszlai, operating in the No 10 position for his country, is very much the orchestrater for the hosts.
74 min: Turkey 0-1 France
Turkey seem buoyed by that injury to Mbappé and are pouring forward to score the equaliser. Arda Güler picks the pocket of Koundé and tries a shot from the acute angle when he really should have squared it. Still, Turkey have a corner, from which Maignan drops the ball! Turkey scramble to shoot but France throw bodies on the line and survive. This is by no means a dominant French performance. I can see the L’Equipe ratings now.
70 min: Turkey 0-1 France
“Here’s something weird,” emails Boring Ink. “On regular TV (DAZN), France is playing right to left. But on French TV (TF1), they are playing left to right. It seems like the French have set up cameras on the opposite side, just to show French advertising hoardings. With the big dug-outs, it looks less ‘professional’.”
GOAL! Montenegro 1-1 Cyprus (Krstovic pen 66)
Cyprus’ lead evaporates after Krstovic converts from 12 yards, following a blatant foul in the box.
GOAL! Italy 0-2 Belgium (Lukébakio 66)
Belgium double their lead! It looked like Van Bommel’s decision to replace De Bruyne with Lukébakio was a strange one, but the Benfica forward has an instant impact, cutting inside off the right flank and darting a brilliant shot into the side netting, past Donnarumma. Strike! Italy had been building into the game, but that looks like a terminal blow by Belgium.
60 min: Montenegro 0-1 Cyprus
The last time Cyprus won a competitive international match that wasn’t against San Marino or Lithuania was four years ago, when they beat Israel in 2022.
GOAL! Montenegro 0-1 Cyprus (Marcus Edwards 56)
Marcus Edwards, on his international debut for Cyprus, has given the island nation a famous lead in Montenegro! The Burnley winger, born to an English-French father and a Greek Cypriot mother, arrows a brilliant shot into the corner and the Cyprus bench empties! Wow!
Mbappé injured!
56 min: Turkey 0-1 France
Is Mbappé injured?! It looks that way, with the Real Madrid superstar wincing as he wheeled away in celebration of that goal. Mbappé is going to leave the field for treatment, which leaves France with 10 men, temporarily.
Mbappé comes back on, but almost immediately collapses to the turf. He’s not going to be able to continue. A terrible blow for France, and Real Madrid, of course!
GOAL! Turkey 0-1 France (Mbappé 54)
Who else?! Mbappé scores his 67th international goal and makes Turkey pay for missing those chances just a moment ago! It’s a lovely finish to end a scrappy move, the ball pinging around the midfield before Olise took charge and slipped in Mbappé, who converted his trademark finish: opening up his body as though he is going to curl it into the far corner Henry-style (an R2 finish, for the Pro Evo heads out there), before whipping a disguised shot inside the near post! Great goal.
51 min: Turkey 0-0 France
Aydin has a golden opportunity to give Turkey the lead, but the winger can only nod his header down into the turf, which allows Maignan to spring across and tip the ball over the bar. Where was the marking?! Dembele was asleep as Aydin ghosted past him at the back post!
48 min: Turkey 0-0 France
Güler wriggles out of one tackle before an outrageous drag and flick sees the Madrid man pivot around Cherki, who brings him down. A very promising free-kick for Turkey, right on the edge of France’s area. Güler over it … but the ball deflects off the wall and squirts juuuuuust wide. Maignan was stranded, if the shot/deflection was on target. Credit to Lacroix in the wall, he got a crucial head on it.
47 min: Italy 0-1 Belgium
Lammens makes a point-blank save to deny Kean! Oooooh, the goalkeeping tonight has been special, and this might be the best save of us: Kean absolutely leathered a first-time shot from a cross low toward the bottom corner but the Manchester United stopper stuck out a right boot and – despite going the other way – somehow connected with the ball to divert it wide!
Peeeeeeeeeep!
We are underway again (in most of the games). There seems to be a slight delay with Turkey and France.
Half-time reading (international edition):
France have been the better team but have certainly not been faultless. Turkey are in the game and look dangerous on the counter-attack. France’s substitutes could be crucial here, to inject new life into Zidane’s attack. He has Barcola and Doué lurking on the bench.
Italy grew into that half, the better side for the final 10 minutes. But Belgium were the dominant side and should really be two or three up. But for Donnarumma, they would be. A very exciting half, if you are Belgian. Van Bommel has got them ticking.
Half-time scores!
Turkey 0-0 France
Italy 0-1 Belgium
Hungary 0-1 Ukraine
Sweden 2-1 Romania
Poland 0-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Montenegro 0-0 Cyprus
A goal for Ukraine, there, just before the break. Danylo Sikan completely unmarked in the Hungary box to nod his country into the lead. Easy for the Anderlecht forward.
GOAL! Sweden 2-1 Romania (Gyökeres 43)
Sweden re-take the lead through their other elite striker, Viktor Gyökeres. Right place, right time for the Arsenal man, who pounces on a rebound and rifles a bouncing finish into the net, before flouting his trademark mask celebration.
43 min: Turkey 0-0 France
Turkey are hanging on! They have to get to half-time without conceding. Olise cuts in off the right wing and bends his trademark Robben-esque curler towards the top corner – you know what he’s going to do etc – but Cakir just gets a fingertip to it. Two minutes later, Cherki pulls a ball back for Rabiot, but the Milan midfielder blazes a first-time effort over the bar from 20 yards out!
40 min: Turkey 0-0 France
France are having all of the ball and probing but yet to get the breakthrough. France swap around some of their attackers: Dembélé goes out to the right, Mbappé comes off the left to move centrally. The switches almost instantly result in a France goal, as Cherki pounces on a loose ball in the Turkey area, only for Demiral to make a sensational last-ditch block! The City man can’t believe he was thwarted.
38 min: Poland 0-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina
It’s been a poor game in Warsaw but bad news for Benfica: Jakub Kamiński has gone off injured. He is replaced by Atalanta’s Zalewski.
35 min: Italy 0-1 Belgium
Italy finally rouse themselves! Kean feeds Romano, who rolls around his marker but De Cuyper makes a brilliant last-ditch block to deny the debutant! Two minutes later, Cambiaghi gets to the byline and crosses low but Kean can’t turn the ball home at the back stick! Much better from Mancini’s side!
32 min: Turkey 0-0 France
Penalty shout for Turkey! In the French box, Baris Yilmaz turns inside Lacroix and goes to ground but the referee waves play on! The Chelsea defender did make contact with the Turkey forward but there was nothing really in it. If anything, it was a dive.
30 min: Italy 0-1 Belgium
Italy are all at sea, and Donnarumma is the only one keeping them in the game. Castagne crosses for Godts, completely unmarked at the back post. Godts heads back across goal but Donnarumma makes a WORLD CLASS SAVE to deny Belgium. Woof! Double woof! Crazy save.
Belgium have now had 12 attempts to Italy’s one. Roberto Mancini, impossibly tanned these days, looks miserable in the Italy dugout. His side are being battered.
GOAL! Sweden 1-1 Romania (Dennis Man 29)
Romania hit back and sting Sweden on the counter attack! An early cross falls to the feet of Dennis Man. His first touch is heavy, ballooning the ball in the air. But that only confuses the nearby Lindelöf, who doesn’t realise the ball has shot straight up, so Man has time and space to volley the ball goalwards … it bounces off the post and in to send the away Romania fans wild!
25 min: Italy 0-1 Belgium
Donnarumma makes a massive double save to keep Belgium’s lead to one! De Ketelaere tries his luck from the edge of Italy’s box but Donnarumma extends another of those go-go gadget arms to repel the shot. The rebound falls to Raskin, but the Manchester City keeper is up on his feet in a flash and smothers the ball. Belgium are all over Italy here – they have had seven attempts to the hosts’ one.
22 min: Turkey 0-0 France
Olise is becoming more of a presence now, cutting in off that right wing with intent. He finds Mbappé with a square pass around Turkey’s box, but the Real Madrid man skews his finish wide.
GOAL! Italy 0-1 Belgium (Godts 20)
Godts scores his first goal for Belgium in his third cap and the Van Bommel era is underway! De Bruyne releases the PSG winger down the left. Godts cuts in on his right foot, feints to floor Mancini and finishes easily past Donnarumma. Godts is such a silky winger, plays like he is wearing silk slipppers. That dummy was delicious and left two Italian defenders in the dust!
GOAL! Sweden 1-0 Romania (Isak 20)
Brighton’s Ayari plays a beautiful slide-rule through ball down the right channel and Isak is onto it in a flash, finishing first time into the far corner. Radu got a hand on it in the Romania goal but couldn’t keep it out. Probably should have done better.
15 min: Italy 0-0 Belgium
Belgium looking much the stronger. De Bruyne whips in one of his trademark crosses from the right wing. He loves to drift from the centre and occupy that pocket of space, and his delivery is deadly. On this occasion, De Ketelaere can’t quite reach it.
12 min: Sweden 0-0 Romania
Sweden have had all the early running against Romania. Very interested to see how Isak and Gyokeres get on tonight, the latter could really do with a goal. Particularly if he is going to get more minutes at Arsenal in the light of Havertz’s injury.
9 min: Italy 0-0 Belgium
Now Esposito hits the post! Barella finds a pocket of space and lifts it over the top for Esposito, who breaks the offside trap and shoots in one fluid movement, nearly catching Lammens cold at his near post. The ball bounces off the foot of the post and away!
7 min: Italy 0-0 Belgium
Huge save from Donnarumma to deny De Ketelaere. De Bruyne finds the Atalanta striker with a pinpoint pass and De Ketelaere goes across goal with his shot, only to watch in astonishment as Donnarumma extends his left paw and claw the ball away.
4 min: Turkey 0-0 France
France clear a ball off the line! Baris Yilmaz races through on goal and after forcing a save from Maignan, Koundé hacks the rebound off the line! Replays show that Baris Yilmaz was offside, so it wouldn’t have counted, but this has been a shaky first few minutes for Zidane and France.
2 min: “I’d be rooting for tiny Cyprus to hold off mighty Montenegro today,” writes AnhTuan Nguyen Huynh.
Cyprus have never beaten Montenegro, although they did earn a couple of score draws back in the 2000s.
Peeeeeeeeep!
We are underway in our six Nations League matches.
Turkey v France
Italy v Belgium
Hungary v Ukraine
Sweden v Romania
Poland v Bosnia and Herzegovina
Montenegro v Cyprus
I am multi-screening so be kind to me. Even if I am scanning like prime Xavi, my fingers only type so fast.
Before kick-off in Italy, there is a minute’s applause for Sandro Mazzola, the legendary Inter midfielder who won two European Cups and a World Cup runners-up medal. You can read our obituary, by Richard Williams, here.
The teams are out! It’s quite the atmosphere in Izmit as the Turkish fans give the France side a warm welcome. Real Madrid teammates Kylian Mbappé and Arda Güler embrace, both talismen for their countries. Zidane looks typically stoic in the French dugout, dressed head to toe in navy suit, shirt, tie.
Two new managers here but both Italy and Belgium have put out established sides with few shocks. Given his form for Brentford, it is a surprise that Michael Kayode is not given his debut at right back, veteran Di Lorenzo is preferred by Mancini. One eye-catching selection is Alessandro Romano, who makes his debut in the middle alongside Barella and Tonali, while Cambiaghi returns to the side after a year in the cold. Arsenal fans will be hoping for an injury-free night for Calafiori, especially with Kai Havertz limping off last night for Germany.
Belgium under Van Bommel are pretty much as expected. Doku is injured but that means the hugely exciting Godts (of PSG) gets a chance on the left, with the in-form Milan winger Moreira on the opposite flank. De Bruyne is still there in the No 10 position, while De Ketelaere keeps Lukaku on the bench.
Italy v Belgium team news
Italy 4-3-3: Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Mancini, Coppola, Calafiori; Barella, Romano, Tonali; Cambiaghi, Esposito, Kean.
Subs: Ahanor, Carnesecchi, Doumbia, Frattesi, Kayode, Maldini, Mandragora, Raspadori, Scalvini, Scamacca, Vicario, Zoma.
Belgium 4-2-3-1: Lammens; Castagne, Ngoy, Mechele, De Cuyper; Tielemans, Raskin; Moreira, De Bruyne, Godts; De Ketelaere.
Subs: De Busser, Debast, Fernandez-Pardo, Keita, Lavia, Lukaku, Lukébakio, Openda, Seys, Theate, Vanaken, Vandevoordt.
“What a great result and a terrific goal from Shea Charles,” emails a delirious Tony Mason. “The penalty decision was bizarre but even more bizarre was the ref, in injury time, telling Ballard to get off the pitch with a clear hamstring injury but afterwards allowing a Georgian defender time on the pitch to recover from cramp. Because of all that it was delightful to see the 40 or so NI fans celebrating that last gasp goal.”
Only six minutes of additional time were awarded in Tbilisi, but after more than eight additional minutes, Northern Ireland hurled a long throw into the Georgia box, and after an initial clearance, Charles pounced on a loose ball to poke the ball into the roof of the net. There was a VAR check for offside but the goal stood!
It should be said that Shea Charles’ younger brother, Pierce, played a blinder in net for Northern Ireland. Pierce Charles has been in fine form for QPR this season and saved a penalty against Georgia to keep the game at 0-0.
Here’s what Shea Charles had to say after the game:
“To come away with the winner is incredible. Pierce made a few massive saves to keep us in the game and then the penalty as well which I thought was justice really. He was incredible, as were the whole back five. I thought everyone on the pitch deserved the win.
“The win sets us up really well for Belfast which I am really excited for as it feels like I have not been there in ages.”
Full-time: Georgia 0-1 Northern Ireland
Shea Charles has scored a 99th-minute winner to give Michael O’Neill’s side a dramatic win in Tbilisi and get their Nations League campaign off to winning start!
Let’s unpack those teams a little. Turkey are missing one of their star players, Kenan Yildiz, who is sidelined with a long-term injury. Yildiz normally operates on the left wing for Juventus, but with him out of action, Montella has leaned into this wing-back system, which seems to lean heavily on Kadioglu on the left. The 24-year-old won Brighton’s player of season last year and has quietly turned into one of the best left backs in the Premier League. Much rests of Arda Güler, in the No 10 position. Expect Turkey to have five at the back against France, when they are out of possession.
Zinedine Zidane’s first France XI throws no huge surprises, although notable additions include Bournemouth’s Adrien Truffert, who earns his second cap, four years after making his international debut. Interesting that Zidane also favours Lacroix as the replacement for the injured Saliba at centre-back. Jacquet and Yoro have to make do on the bench. Cherki gets the nod in midfield, alongside Rabiot and Manu Koné, who has been in sublime form for Roma at the start of this season. There is no room for Tchouameni or Kanté in this new-look squad, even if the XI is mostly unchanged. Jean-Phillipe Mateta (Crystal Palace), Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan) also miss out.
Turkey v France team news
Turkey 3-4-2-1: Cakir; Celik, Demiral, Bardakci; Aydin, Salih Ozcan, Yuksek, Kadioglu; Güler, Uzun; Baris Yilmaz
Subs: Akgun, Aktürkoglu, Bayindir, Elmali, Gül, Kabak, Kabasakal, Kahveci, Kocuk, Topcu, Simsir.
France 4-3-3: Maignan; Koundé, Upamecano, Lacroix, Truffert; Koné, Rabiot; Cherki; Olise, Mbappé, Dembélé.
Subs: Butz, Barcola, Akliouche, Camavinga, Diouf, Doué, Jacquet, Kalulu, Lepaul, Restes, Yoro, Da Cunha.
Preamble
Of all the new international appointments, the most eye-catching is probably Jürgen Klopp with Germany, which feels both a radical and a natural fit for the four-time World Cup winners, who are in desperate need of a hard reset. Klopp was denied a win in his first game in charge against the Netherlands – now managed by Xavi – with Cody Gakpo striking in injury-time to earn a 1-1 draw for the Dutch.
The next most exciting appointment is surely France and Zinedine Zidane, who has not stepped into a dugout since leaving Real Madrid (for a second time) five years ago. After winning three consecutive Champions Leagues and a couple of La Liga titles in the Age of Messi, nobody is really sure Zizou is a managerial great, or simply an elite vibesman, who uses his personal aura to instill deference and respect into a talented squad, rather than being a master tactician. Maybe a vibesman is just what France need after the rigidity of Didier Deschamps – Les Bleus are surely the best team on the planet on paper, but have looked clunkier and less cohesive than they should, despite their tournament success in recent years. This opening test for Zidane, away to Turkey, should be enlightening and this is an excellent piece by Jonathan Wilson that expands on those ideas about Zidane. Get stuck in.
Turkey do not have a new manager, which is something of a surprise given they finished bottom of a relatively kind World Cup group that also included USA, Australia and Paraguay. Vincenzo Montella has clung on, with the Turkish federation taking a long-term view of his reign. “I could have been sacked, but the federation looked beyond: to the future,” Montella explained. “When I arrived, we couldn’t qualify for the Euros, and we won the group. They didn’t judge me on those two matches, but on all my work.”
Nobody is expecting a Turkey win over France, but a shock victory would certainly help Montella’s cause, with Italy and Belgium also lurking in Group A of the Nations League. Italy (Roberto Mancini) and Belgium (Mark van Bommel) also have new appointments. Mancini, of course, returns for the Euro 2028 cycle, having steered Italy to European glory at Euro 2020. The pressure, though, is on, after Italy failed to qualify for a third straight World Cup finals earlier this year.
Following their historic failures, many were expecting the Italian federation to break with the establishment and make a bold appointment. Mancini is seen as the continuity candidate, which has frustrated some, but there is no denying his success (38 wins, 12 draws and just eight losses in his previous tenure) or passion for the job. One key reason that Mancini was appointed was his discipline within the camp and his tendency to give youth a chance. It will be very interesting to see the starting XI against Belgium, with Mancini’s 34-man squad including an unprecedented 10 players from outside Serie A, with more expected to join in the future, including Giovanni Leoni and Marco Palestra. Brentford’s Michael Kayode is in line to make his senior debut, while Mohamed Ali Zoma, playing in the second tier in Germany with Nürnberg, has also been called up.
Lots of intrigue, then, to get the juices flowing. We’ll have live updates of six 7.45pm BST kick-offs (below), as well as mopping up the final results of the two early 5pm BST kick-offs: Georgia v Northern Ireland and Armenia v Latvia.
Turkey v France
Italy v Belgium
Hungary v Ukraine
Sweden v Romania
Poland v Bosnia and Herzegovina
Montenegro v Cyprus
