France held by Italy in Zidane's first home match in charge
Michael Olise scored for France, but Gianluigi Donnarumma made several saves as Italy held on after Alessandro Bastoni’s equalizer.
- On Friday, October 2, 2026, France drew 1-1 with Italy in Zinedine Zidane's home debut as head coach at the Stade de France. Michael Olise scored for France before Alessandro Bastoni equalized.
- Zidane returned to the Saint-Denis field for the first time since 2006, calling the occasion "really emotional." His squad entered following consecutive 1-0 victories over Turkey and Belgium.
- Olise scored with a sublime free-kick in the 55th minute, but France finished with 10 men after Dayot Upamecano received a second yellow card in the 85th minute. Gianluigi Donnarumma made critical saves to preserve the draw.
- France maintains the lead in Group A1 with seven points, while Italy sits third with four. Belgium secured second place after defeating Turkey 3-0 on Friday.
- Italy manager Roberto Mancini described the performance as a "step forward" for his rebuilding side. Italy will host Turkey in Bologna on Monday, while France eyes further success in their Euro 2028 qualification path.
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The first three games of the former leader of the game on the bench were marked by the two major tactical evolutions compared to the last months. The match against Italy showed the forces, and
"I'm happy with the content, not the result," the new French breeder said.
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Bae Jin-nam = France national football team manager Zinedine Zidane, in a return match against Italy—his last opponent as a player—for the first time in 20 years...
INTELLINEWS
Courrier internationalFriday, October 2, at 8:45 p.m., France faces Italy as part of its third League of Nations match. These will be Zinedine's big debut
After two victories in Turkey (0-1) and Belgium (0-1), the French team suffered its first slowdown on Friday, at the reception of Italy at the Stade de France (1-1). Long time without a solution against a solid transalpine defensive block, the men of Zinédine Zidane, acclaimed by a whole stadium for her return home, finally opened the score thanks to a magnificent free shot by Michael Olise, before Italy came back after a mistake by Lucas Da Cun…
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