France were held to a 1-1 draw by Italy in the UEFA Nations League in a lively Group A1 match which could have gone anywhere at the Stade de France.
Michael Olise gave the host the lead early in the second half, but Alessandro Bastoni equalised for the visitors after a defensive mistake.
The French national team finished the encounter with 10 men after Dayot Upamecano was sent off for a second yellow card which could have been avoided.
The result ended France’s perfect start under new head coach Zinedine Zidane. They had won their first two Nations League matches against Türkiye and Belgium.
However, they could not make it three wins in a row in Zidane’s first home match in charge as head coach of the national team.
Italy started the match with confidence and came close to scoring inside the opening 10 minutes. Michael Kayode sent the ball across the face of goal and Dayot Upamecano failed to deal with it properly.
Moise Kean found himself with a close-range chance, but France goalkeeper Mike Maignan reacted quickly to keep the ball out with a wonderful save.
The host then began to take control of possession and created chances of their own. Michael Olise delivered a dangerous cross that was deflected onto the top of the crossbar by Sandro Tonali.
The visitors also thought they had taken the lead before half-time when Kean found the net, but the goal was ruled out for offside. The first half ended 0-0 after an end to end fight between both teams.
France started the second half strongly and went close through Desire Doue. The young attacker produced a curling effort that forced Gianluigi Donnarumma into a save.
The visitor’s goalkeeper was then called into action again when Ousmane Dembele followed up, with Donnarumma making an important double save to keep the scoreline goalless.
The French national team finally broke the deadlock in the 55th minute. Olise stepped up for a free kick and produced a superb strike that went in off the underside of the crossbar.
It was a brilliant finish from the Bayern Munich winger and gave France a 1-0 lead. Rayan Cherki was credited for the assist after rolling the ball perfectly for the attacker to score.
Italy responded well and found an equaliser in the 68th minute. Bastoni took advantage of a poor touch from Lucas Da Cunha, won the ball high up the pitch and calmly finished to make it 1-1.
The final stages were open, with both teams having chances to win the match. Kean came close for the away side with a header, but Maignan made another important save.
The home team also pushed for a second goal, with Eduardo Camavinga forcing Donnarumma to make another strong save. Bradley Barcola then had a late chance to win the match, but Donnarumma again stood in his way.
France’s night became more difficult when Upamecano received a second yellow card for pulling back Kean, leaving Zidane’s team with 10 players for the closing stages.
Kean was also booked during the match. The second yellow meant Upamecano was sent off, while Italy finished the game with 11 players. The match ended with France and Italy both sharing the points after 1-1 draw.
The host had the larger share of possession and forced Donnarumma into several saves. While the away team showed strong discipline and took advantage of one of the host defensive mistakes.
The draw leaves the French national team at the top of Group A1, while the Italians picked up a valuable point away from home.
Olise’s free-kick brilliance was not enough to give France all three points, as Bastoni’s equaliser ensured Italy returned home with a share of the points.
