Italy produced a stirring comeback to beat France 3-1 at San Siro in Milan on Thursday and move top of Nations League Group A1, with Francesco Pio Esposito scoring twice after Michael Olise had given France an early lead. The result handed Zinedine Zidane his first defeat as France head coach and left Italy level on 10 points with France but ahead on head-to-head record.
Key Takeaways: Italy beat France 3-1 at San Siro to move top of Nations League Group A1 on 10 points, level with France but ahead on head-to-head record. Francesco Pio Esposito scored twice, while his brother Sebastiano missed a penalty. The result marked Zinedine Zidane’s first defeat as France head coach.
The match mattered because Group A1 remains tightly packed: Belgium are third on nine points after inflicting a fifth straight defeat on bottom side Turkiye, and the final round on Sunday will see Belgium host Italy and Turkiye travel to France. Italy, meanwhile, stretched their unbeaten run to four matches under Roberto Mancini in his second spell and secured their first home win over France since 1962, a historical marker that adds weight to an already significant result.
France, without injured attackers Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele, started strongly in pouring rain. Desire Doue hit the side netting, first-time captain Adrien Rabiot tested Gianluigi Donnarumma and Lucas Da Cunha’s half-volley flew wide. The opener came when Donnarumma passed straight to Olise, who skipped past a defender and scored his fifth goal in five Nations League games. Italy replied in the 26th minute when Nicolo Cambiaghi drove to the byline and cut back for Esposito to convert with a deft touch. Sebastiano Esposito then forced a save from Mike Maignan, while Bradley Barcola struck the foot of the far post before half-time.
The second half stayed end-to-end: Donnarumma tipped Rayan Cherki’s strike onto the post, then Maignan saved point-blank from Cambiaghi. Italy won a penalty when Malo Gusto tripped Cambiaghi, but Sebastiano Esposito hammered it wide on the hour. Three minutes later Federico Dimarco, newly off the bench, crossed for Davide Frattesi to drill Italy ahead. Substitute Antonio Vergara then earned another penalty after Dayot Upamecano tripped him, and Francesco Pio Esposito converted into the bottom corner to seal the win.
Elsewhere at Wembley, captain Harry Kane marked his record 126th England cap with the winning penalty as England beat Croatia 2-1 to reach the Nations League last eight. The 33-year-old Bayern Munich forward scored his 92nd England goal in the 64th minute in front of 80,400 fans after England had conceded a sloppy equaliser five minutes earlier; he had been presented with a commemorative token by former goalkeeper Peter Shilton, the previous record holder since 1989. The focus now turns to Sunday’s final group games, where Italy’s trip to Belgium and France’s meeting with Turkiye will decide the final standings.
Source: www.aljazeera.com