Italy takes group lead from France, Zidane suffers defeat

With a 3-1 victory over France at the San Siro, Italy have seized the group lead in the Nations League and handed Zinédine Zidane his first defeat as head coach of Les Bleus, who are now under pressure ahead of the final group match.

Key moments in the match

Michael Olise opened the match in the tenth minute with a goal after a pass from goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Francesco Pio Esposito brought Italy level in the 27th minute with a header after a cross from Nicolo Cambiaghi. Sebastiano Esposito missed a penalty in the 58th minute, after which five minutes later Federico Dimarco delivered a cross that Davide Frattesi scored from in the 63rd minute. Antonio Vergara took a penalty in the 75th minute, with Francesco Pio Esposito putting the ball in the net to set the final score at 3-1.

The French played without injured Kylian Mbappé (minor hamstring issues) and Ousmane Dembélé (thigh injury), so their attack consisted of Bradley Barcola, Desiré Doué and Michael Olise. Barcola, Rayan Cherki and Doué hit the post, but could not score.

Implications for the Nations League

The match was officially recorded as ITA 3–1 FRA. With the win Italy reach ten points and take the top spot from France, who also have ten points but an inferior goal difference. Belgium sit in third place with nine points after a 1-2 win in Turkey, while Turkey remain at the bottom with no points.

The final round of fixtures takes Italy to Brussels for an away game against Belgium on Sunday. France must play at home against Turkey to secure a quarter‑final place in the Nations League.