Saint-Denis had already seen Michael Olise decide a Nations League night in Belgium; on Friday, the Bayern Munich forward gave France another reminder of his growing authority on the international stage. With Kylian Mbappé absent through injury, Olise lit up a tense meeting with Italy by firing France ahead shortly after the interval.
Olise turns a deadlock into a spectacle
France and Italy had reached half-time without a goal, with the contest still finely balanced at the Stade de France. The breakthrough arrived in the 55th minute from a free-kick on the edge of the Italian penalty area.
Rayan Cherki rolled the ball into Olise’s path, and the left-footed Bayern player struck it fiercely towards the top corner. Gianluigi Donnarumma could only watch as the shot crashed off the frame of the goal and bounced over the line.
- France took the lead in the 55th minute through Olise.
- Cherki supplied the short touch from the free-kick.
- Olise’s left-foot strike hit the woodwork before crossing the line.
- Mbappé was unavailable because of injury.
The French players celebrated wildly, while the Saint-Denis crowd responded to a goal that had broken open an otherwise difficult encounter against the Azzurri.
Italy respond as Paris contest remains unresolved
The home advantage did not last. Alessandro Bastoni brought Italy level in the 68th minute, leaving the score at 1-1 with around 20 minutes remaining in Paris.
It meant another decisive contribution from Olise had not yet settled the match, although it extended a productive week for the attacker in France colours.
A second Nations League intervention in five days
On Monday, Olise had supplied the only goal in France’s 1-0 win away to Belgium in the second round of Nations League fixtures. That late winner came in the 88th minute, when he launched a counterattack from his own half, carried the ball forward unchallenged and finished the move himself.
His long-range free-kick against Italy offered a very different kind of goal, but reinforced the same point: in Mbappé’s absence, France had found its match-winner in the Bayern Munich forward.
