Italy held France to a 1-1 draw at the Stade de France on Friday night, ending Zinedine Zidane’s winning start as head coach of the French team.
France took the lead in the 55th minute with a stunning free-kick from Michael Olise, who struck the ball over the Italian wall into the top corner. However, Alessandro Bastoni equalised for Italy midway through the second half after capitalising on a mistake by Lucas Da Cunha, who failed to control the ball just outside the penalty area. The Inter Milan defender slotted his shot past goalkeeper Mike Maignan, silencing the home fans.
Zidane reflected on the match, saying, “We had chances to kill the game afterwards. But when you’re up and controlling things, then you get a setback; it’s difficult to get back into the match.”
Italy pressed for a late winner after France’s Dayot Upamecano received a red card for a second booking in the 85th minute. Zidane expressed disappointment for his players, stating they had given their all and played well.
France leads League A Group 1 with seven points from three matches, while Belgium sits second with six points after defeating Turkey 3-0. Kevin De Bruyne scored twice, and Romelu Lukaku added his 94th international goal in that victory.
Next, France will host Belgium at the Stade de France, while Italy, now on four points, will face Turkey at the bottom of the group. The top two teams from the four groups in League A will progress to the knockout round next March, with the semi-finals scheduled for June 2027.
