Italy beats France, tops Nations League group
Francesco Pio Esposito's two goals secured a 3-1 victory for the Azzurri, handing Zinedine Zidane his first loss as manager.
By Julia Wang ·
Italy reversed an early deficit to defeat France 3-1 at San Siro on Thursday. The win handed Zinedine Zidane his first loss as head coach of the French national team. It also moved Italy to the top of their Nations League group.
France started the match without key attackers Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele due to injuries. The visitors took the lead in the 10th minute. Gianluigi Donnarumma passed the ball directly to Michael Olise, who beat a defender to score. This marked Olise's fifth goal in five Nations League matches. Only Harry Kane has scored more in the current competition.
Italy equalized in the 26th minute with their first shot on target. Francesco Pio Esposito finished a cutback from Nicolo Cambiaghi. Sebastiano Esposito, Francesco Pio's brother, missed a chance two minutes later when Mike Maignan made a save. Bradley Barcola hit the post before halftime. The second half featured several saves by both goalkeepers. Italy won a penalty in the 60th minute, but Sebastiano Esposito kicked it wide.
The hosts took the lead in the 63rd minute. Davide Frattesi scored from a cross by Federico Dimarco, who had just entered the game. Italy earned a second penalty three minutes later after Dayot Upamecano tripped Antonio Vergara. Francesco Pio Esposito converted the spot kick into the bottom corner to seal the result.
The victory gave Italy 10 points in Group A1. They now hold the top spot over France, who also have 10 points, based on head-to-head record. Belgium sits third with nine points. Belgium will host Italy in the final matchday on Sunday. Turkey will travel to France for their final group game.
The result extended Roberto Mancini's unbeaten run to four matches during his second stint as manager. It was Italy's first home win against France since 1962. In another match on Thursday, Harry Kane scored the winning penalty for England in a 2-1 win over Croatia. The 33-year-old earned his 126th cap and recorded his 92nd international goal.
Kane received a commemorative token from Peter Shilton before the match. Shilton had held the England appearance record since 1989. Kane surpassed Bobby Moore's previous record of 108 caps. The crowd at Wembley numbered 80,400.
