The Stade de France rose for Zinédine Zidane before the football settled into a far less comfortable rhythm. France’s new home manager received a thunderous welcome for his first match in Saint-Denis, but Italy made the evening a tense one as Les Bleus were held to a 1-1 Nations League draw.
France struggle to break down Italy
- France began against an Italy side determined to defend in numbers, with the Azzurri forming a compact block that repeatedly stopped the hosts from finding space in dangerous areas.
- Italy created the greater first-half alarm through Moise Kean. The former Paris Saint-Germain forward thought he had silenced the stadium shortly before the interval, finishing during only Italy’s second move into Mike Maignan’s penalty area.
- Kean’s effort was ruled out for offside, leaving the game goalless at half-time.
- After the break, France came closest when Gianluigi Donnarumma produced two important saves in quick succession against former PSG teammates Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembélé.
- The breakthrough eventually arrived through Rayan Cherki and Michael Olise. Cherki cleverly redirected a free-kick before Bayern Munich winger Olise struck powerfully off the underside of the crossbar to put France ahead.
- Italy responded after a damaging French error. Adrien Rabiot played a poor pass through the middle, followed by a loose control from Da Cunha, allowing Alessandro Bastoni to race through and beat Maignan.
- France then had to negotiate the closing stages with ten men after Dayot Upamecano, who had otherwise again looked like the leader of the defence, received a second yellow card in the final ten minutes.
A point preserved under Zidane
France had shown promising moments but lacked sharpness for long spells, particularly against Italy’s disciplined shape. Olise’s strike appeared to have given Zidane the home victory the crowd had anticipated, only for Bastoni to punish a collective lapse soon afterwards.
With Upamecano sent off, Les Bleus held firm rather than finding a late winner. The draw keeps France at the top of their Nations League group, while Zidane’s first home night ended with applause, relief and a reminder of how quickly international football can turn.
