Carafiori, who scored his first goal for Italy: I want to repay the fans for their support.

Goals from Scamacca, Carafiori, and Pio Esposito secured a 3-1 victory over Turkey in the fourth round of the 2026/27 UEFA Nations League group stage. Carafiori expressed his immense gratitude to the fans for their unwavering support, marking his first goal for the Azzurri in this stadium.

During the match, Di Lorenzo chipped a pass into the penalty area in the 26th minute, Scamaka's header was blocked, but he then volleyed it into the net, giving Italy a 1-0 lead. In the 61st minute of the second half, Ellen Elmaly passed the ball back from the penalty area, and Simsir fired a low shot into the net, leveling the score at 1-1 for Turkey.

In the 64th minute, Barella took a free kick, and Carafiori headed the ball into the net, giving Italy a 2-1 lead again. In the 87th minute, Alessandro Romano delivered a diagonal pass, and Pio Esposito slotted the ball home from close range, extending Italy's lead to 3-1.

In the end, Italy defeated Türkiye 3-1 at home.

Arsenal's Italian defender Carafiori said, "When we were sunbathing together, I told Scamaka that he would score, and it really happened, and we even scored together. It all seems like destiny. I made my national team debut here and scored my first goal here."

“I owe this city and its fans a lot, and I want to repay their support. It really touches me. I haven’t felt this kind of emotion in a game for a long time. It’s a feeling that comes all at once and makes me very excited.”

Carafiori shared, “We are working hard to keep improving because we still have room for improvement in every aspect. Actually, I have to admit that Bonucci initially told me to stay back, but at the last moment, he suddenly told me to go up and let Kayord stay back. That was a very smart on-the-spot decision, so Bonucci deserves special praise. Especially since he is a rather narcissistic person and really wanted me to say that.”

"Coach Mancini gave us a sense of calm, allowing us to play freely, but at the same time he set a clear philosophy for the team, enabling all of us to perform around that philosophy."

Furthermore, with this victory, Italy is currently ranked second in Group A.

Karafiori continued, "The situation changed in just a few days. We said in our first interview that it was impossible to expect the team to show results from training in just three days. But to be honest, even if we had two weeks, we couldn't accomplish everything at once."

“We still have a lot to do. Although we have made progress, we can do better. Next, we will show our strength in the last two games.”

Image source: Internet