The final whistle in La Nucia brought another difficult night for France’s under-20 side, beaten 3-0 by Italy in Spain and left without a result from their three-match run.
Italy make their chances count
Bernard Diomède’s France team fell behind in the 31st minute when Emanuele Rao converted a penalty for Italy.
France had an opportunity to restore parity before the interval, but Marseille winger Tadjidine Mmadi saw his own spot-kick saved by the Italian goalkeeper. The 19-year-old had been handed a key moment in the match, only for Italy to preserve their advantage going into half-time.
- Emanuele Rao put Italy ahead from the penalty spot in the 31st minute.
- Tadjidine Mmadi missed a France penalty shortly before the break.
- Mattia Mosconi doubled Italy’s lead in the 59th minute.
- Giacomo De Pieri added the third goal in stoppage time.
Three defeats in Spain for Diomède’s squad
Mosconi’s second-half finish gave Italy control of the friendly, before De Pieri struck late to complete a 3-0 result. It was France U20’s third consecutive defeat during their stay in La Nucia.
The young Les Bleus had already lost 1-0 to Germany and 2-1 to England before facing Italy. Their Spanish trip therefore ends with three matches played and three losses.
A difficult day against Italian opposition
Italy’s success followed another frustrating result for French football against the same opposition. France’s senior side had drawn 1-1 with Italy at the Stade de France on Friday evening.
For the U20 group, however, there was no late recovery. The missed penalty proved costly, and Italy’s sharper finishing turned the match into a heavy defeat by the end.
