Italy come from behind to beat France 3-1, handing Zidane first defeat as coach

Italy beat France 3-1 at San Siro in Milan in the Nations League. It was the first defeat for Zinedine Zidane as France head coach. Al Jazeera reported that the match took place on Thursday. It was played in pouring rain.

France took the lead after 10 minutes. Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma passed the ball straight to Michael Olise, who skipped past a defender and scored. It was Olise's fifth goal in five Nations League games. Only England captain Harry Kane, with seven, has a better record.

Francesco Pio Esposito equalised in the 26th minute from a Nicolo Cambiaghi cutback. It was Italy's first chance of the game. Two minutes later, his older brother Sebastiano Esposito forced a save from France goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

France hit the woodwork twice. Bradley Barcola struck the foot of the far post before half-time. In the second half, Donnarumma tipped a Rayan Cherki shot onto the post.

Around the hour mark, Malo Gusto tripped Cambiaghi for a penalty. Sebastiano Esposito shot it wide. Three minutes later, Davide Frattesi put Italy ahead from a cross by Federico Dimarco, who had just come on as a substitute. Dayot Upamecano then tripped substitute Antonio Vergara for a second penalty. Francesco Pio Esposito scored it into the bottom corner for his second goal. The reports do not give the minute of that goal.

France played without Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele, both injured. The reports do not describe the nature or expected length of the injuries. Adrien Rabiot captained France for the first time.

The win extended Italy's unbeaten run to four matches under Roberto Mancini, in his second spell as coach. It was Italy's first home win over France since 1962.

Italy lead Group A1 on 10 points. France also have 10 points but are behind on head-to-head record. Belgium are third on nine points after beating Turkey (Turkiye), who are bottom of the group after a fifth straight defeat. According to the Guardian, Belgium won 2-1 at the Gursel Aksel Stadium. Arda Guler opened the scoring with a free-kick. Kevin De Bruyne and Charles De Ketelaere replied for Belgium.

In the final group round on Sunday, Belgium host Italy and France host Turkey.

The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include comments from Zidane, Mancini or the players. The Al Jazeera and Guardian match reports are nearly word-for-word identical. Neither report names a wire service or other source for its account.

Elsewhere, Al Jazeera reported that England beat Croatia 2-1 at Wembley to reach the last eight. Kane scored the winning penalty on his record 126th England cap. The Guardian reported that Spain beat 10-man Czechia 2-0 in Prague.

Analysis

The result leaves Group A1 open before Sunday's final round. Italy and France are level on 10 points, with Belgium one point behind. Italy travel to Belgium, while France host Turkey, who have lost five in a row. If results go differently in the two games, the order at the top could change. Head-to-head record has already separated Italy and France. For Zidane, one defeat in a match without Mbappe and Dembele offers limited evidence about his team's direction. For Mancini, the run is four games unbeaten. Neither trend is conclusive on its own.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.