Italy denied Zinedine Zidane a perfect start to his France reign, battling back for a 1-1 draw at the Stade de France, with a France player sent off late on to compound a frustrating night for the hosts.
Olise’s Moment of Brilliance
France broke the deadlock in spectacular fashion, with Michael Olise curling home a stunning free-kick in the 55th minute, set up by a pass from Rayan Cherki, to give the hosts the lead. For a while, it looked as though Zidane would become just the third France coach in history to win his first three matches in charge, and the first since 1984 to keep three successive clean sheets.
Italy Punish a Costly Mistake
But Italy, fresh off bouncing back from their opening defeat to Belgium with a 4-1 rout of Türkiye, refused to go quietly. Pressing high up the pitch, the Azzurri capitalized on a defensive mix-up as France tried to play out from a goal kick — a loose pass into midfielder Lucas Da Cunha was pounced on, and Alessandro Bastoni finished the move clinically to level the score at 1-1 in the 68th minute, spoiling the homecoming of a man once considered one of the greatest players to wear the France shirt.
A Night That Got Worse
Adding to the frustration, France were reduced to ten men five minutes from time when Dayot Upamecano was shown a red card, leaving the hosts to see out the remainder of the match a player light as they searched in vain for a winner.
What It Means
The draw leaves France top of Group A1 on 7 points from three games, still unbeaten under Zidane but denied the perfect start their head coach was chasing. For Italy, the result continues an encouraging bounce-back under Roberto Mancini following their opening-day defeat to Belgium, picking up a notable point away from home against one of the tournament’s strongest sides.
Leave a Reply