Zidane's first stumble in Milan: French press angry
Zinédine Zidane's France suffers its first defeat under his management, beaten 3-1 by the Italian national team at San Siro, Milan, with goals from Pio Esposito and Frattesi, while Adrien Rabiot and teammates fail to react.
Qualification for the quarter‑finals is not yet compromised, as the Équipe de France still has to play Turkey on Sunday in Bordeaux. This match will complete the group stage of the Nations League.
The Équipe, in its digital edition, called the defeat the “first stumble” of the Zidane era. The print edition headlined “Ice‑cream and sunk”, referring to the pounding rain over Milan and analyzed the collapse in the second half and the defensive difficulties on the flanks.
Le Parisien highlighted the lack of defensive solidity and international experience of a rejuvenated squad. On the front page a photo of Zinédine Zidane was also published accompanied by the headline “First false step of the Zidane era”.
Zidane bets everything on Mbappé's return against Turkey
Zidane analyses the defeat
Zidane said he is frustrated by the good moments of the first half, but that the team deteriorated in the second half, especially in duels and one‑on‑ones, calling it a learning experience. He admitted that the squad did not know how to react once under pressure and that, when the opponent gained the advantage, the players became a bit scattered, especially in defence. He added that they are not worried, that it is part of football and that it is important to see how we will respond, stressing that it is better that it happens now because France is still in the race.
Journalist Virginie Sainsily asked Zidane why Warren Zaïre‑Emery was left on the bench instead of playing right‑back against Italy, despite his performances as a midfielder at Paris Saint‑Germain. She highlighted that Zaïre‑Emery possesses volume, game‑power, defensive ability and familiarity with the demands of top‑level football, demonstrated with PSG. She concluded by asking whether Zaïre‑Emery would be the best full‑back for France, emphasizing that modern football requires using players where they are most useful.
Nations League: the fall of the French Blues under Zidane
The defeat makes the elimination scenario real, should France lose on Sunday against Turkey and Belgium beat Italy.