Vincenzo Montella 'did not expect' such an angry Turkish reaction to 4-1 defeat

Vincenzo Montella states he "didn’t expect" such an angry reaction from Turkish fans following the 4-1 defeat to Italy, considering "all that these players have achieved in the last three years."

The Italian coach was already facing significant criticism after the team’s exit from the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and a subsequent 1-0 home loss to France in the Nations League.

Against Italy, his team struggled significantly in the first half, finding themselves down 3-0 due to goals from Alessandro Bastoni, Davide Frattesi, and Michael Kayode. Although Baris Alper Yilmaz managed to pull one back shortly after the break, his goal was disallowed for offside. Francesco Pio Esposito then sealed the 4-1 victory for Italy.

Montella confronts angry Turkish fans

“The first thirty minutes were certainly one to forget,” Montella told Sky Sport Italia.

“Playing every three days at this level demands a certain focus and experience that we currently lack. We were in Nations League C two years ago, and won Nations League B last time, so we’ve shown that we clearly need to improve in this area.

“It requires both a mental and physical reset every few days, and that’s not something easily learned quickly.”

Montella was questioned about the reasons for the team's poor performance against Italy in the first half.

“Certainly in the initial approach, they were mentally better prepared. We were uncoordinated, so we ran more and lost belief.”

Even before halftime, loud chants from the Bursa crowd were heard calling for Montella and the head of the Turkish Football Federation to resign.

“They also jeered the players after the first goal, which they didn’t deserve. The atmosphere was wonderful before the game. I genuinely didn’t expect such a quick negative reaction, given all that these players have done in the last three years,” the Italian coach admitted.