Italy Defeats France 3-1, Marking Zidane’s First Loss as Coach

Italy defeated France 3-1 in Milan on November 12, 2026, marking Zinedine Zidane’s first loss as the coach of the French national team. The match took place at the San Siro Stadium during the UEFA Nations League.

France started strong when Michael Olise scored in the 10th minute after taking advantage of a mistake by Italy’s goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. However, Italy quickly equalized with a goal from Francesco Pio Esposito, who finished a pass from Nicolo Cambiaghi.

France had chances to regain the lead, hitting the post twice through players Bradley Barcola and Rayan Cherki. In the second half, Italy missed a penalty when Sebastiano Esposito shot wide. Despite this, Italy took control of the match with a goal from Davide Frattesi, who scored from a cut-back by Federico Dimarco.

Francesco Pio Esposito then scored again, converting a penalty after Dayot Upamecano fouled Antonio Vergara. This victory allowed Italy to move ahead of France in Group A1 based on head-to-head results, with both teams currently having 10 points.

Looking ahead, Belgium is just one point behind the two teams. Belgium will host Italy on Sunday, while France will play at home against Turkey, who recently lost their fifth consecutive match to Belgium.