Italy Fight Back to Deal Zidane First Loss as France Coach
Francesco Pio Esposito scored twice as Italy rallied after an early error and moved top of Group A1 on head-to-head record.
- On Thursday, Italy defeated France 3-1 at the San Siro in a UEFA Nations League match, with Francesco Pio Esposito scoring twice after Michael Olise gave France an early lead.
- This victory ended Italy's 64-year home winless streak against France, dating back to May 5, 1962, and marked the first defeat for France head coach Zinedine Zidane.
- Davide Frattesi put Italy ahead in the 63rd minute, moments after Sebastiano Esposito missed a penalty; Pio Esposito later sealed victory in the 75th minute after Dayot Upamecano fouled Antonio Vergara.
- Roberto Mancini's Italy now leads Group A1 on head-to-head records with France, both on 10 points, needing only a draw against Belgium on Sunday to reach the quarter-finals.
- France played without injured Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele during the loss, which also marked a rare defensive collapse as France conceded three goals with Dayot Upamecano playing the full 90 minutes.
254 Articles
254 Articles
Italy vs France Player Ratings — Esposito strikes twice as Italy beats France 3-1
Francesco Pio Esposito struck twice to inflict a first defeat on Zinedine Zidane as France head coach as Italy stormed back to win 3-1 at San Siro and go top of its Nations League group on Thursday.
Italy, having failed to qualify for the World Cup finals for the third consecutive time, is sailing smoothly under manager Mancini. The Italian men's national football team, led by manager Roberto Mancini, defeated France 3-1 in the fifth match of Group 1, League A of the UEFA Nations League, held at the San Siro Stadium in Milan on the 13th (Korean time).
[OSEN=Reporter Seo Jung-hwan] Italy broke a long-standing jinx by defeating France at home for the first time in 64 years. Italy defeated France 3-1 in the 5th round of Group 1, League A of the 2026-2027 UEFA Nations League, held at the Giuseppe Meazza in Milan, Italy, at 4:45 AM (KST) on the 13th. France [fell] from the absence of Kylian Mbappé (28, Real Madrid), who was sidelined due to a hamstring injury
In the League of Nations, the fifth round was marked by Harry Kane, and Zinedin Zidan lost to France for the first time.
Italy inflicted the first defeat on France under new national coach Zinedine Zidane on Thursday. At San Siro, the Italians defeated the...
Despite a serious mistake by Gianluigi Donnarumma, Azzurra defeated France 3-1 with double Pio Esposito in the UEFA Nations League
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