Nations League: Italy's comeback ends Zidane's unbeaten run
Francesco Pio Esposito scored twice as the Azzurri overcame an early deficit against France at San Siro.
By Madison Darwish ·
The Nations League Group A1 standings shifted on Thursday after Italy defeated France 3-1 at San Siro, marking the first loss for Zinedine Zidane in his tenure as the French head coach. The result places the Azzurri in first position in their group, a status secured through a direct head-to-head advantage over their visitors despite both teams finishing the matchday with ten points.
France opened the scoring in the 10th minute after a turnover by goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma allowed Michael Olise to bypass a defender and fire home. Olise has now scored five goals in five Nations League matches, a tally surpassed only by Harry Kane's seven. Italy equalized in the 26th minute when Francesco Pio Esposito finished a cutback from Nicolo Cambiaghi, capitalizing on the hosts' first attempt on goal. Sebastiano Esposito, the striker's brother, and Bradley Barcola both missed subsequent opportunities before halftime.
The second half featured a penalty for Italy that was missed by Sebastiano Esposito in the 60th minute. However, Davide Frattesi put Italy ahead in the 63rd minute with a drilled shot off a cross from Federico Dimarco, who had entered the game as a substitute. Antonio Vergara won a second penalty after being tripped by Dayot Upamecano, and Francesco Pio Esposito converted the spot kick to secure the 3-1 victory.
The win extends Italy's unbeaten streak to four matches under Roberto Mancini, who is in his second spell as manager. It is also Italy's first home victory over France since 1962. In the final round of group play scheduled for Sunday, Belgium will host Italy, while Turkiye will travel to France. Belgium currently holds third place with nine points, having defeated Turkiye earlier in the day to extend the Turkish side's losing streak to five games.
In a separate match at Wembley, England secured qualification for the Nations League last eight with a 2-1 win over Croatia. Harry Kane scored the decisive goal from the penalty spot in the 64th minute, his 92nd international goal. The 33-year-old striker earned his 126th cap for the nation, a record previously held by Peter Shilton, in front of a crowd of 80,400.
