Italy Stun France 3-1 as Pio Esposito Brace Hands Zidane First Defeat

Italy produced an impressive comeback to defeat France 3-1 in their UEFA Nations League encounter at the San Siro in Milan on Thursday night, handing French coach Zinedine Zidane his first defeat in charge of the national team.

Inter Milan striker Francesco Pio Esposito scored twice, while Davide Frattesi added another goal as the Italians overturned an early deficit to claim all three points and move to the top of Group A1.

France took the lead in the 10th minute after an unexpected error by Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

The former Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper gifted possession to Michael Olise, who capitalised on the mistake, moved past a defender and fired into the net to put France ahead.

Italy responded strongly and restored parity in the 26th minute. Nicolò Cambiaghi delivered a dangerous ball into the box, allowing Pio Esposito to finish from close range and bring the hosts back into the contest.

Both sides continued to create opportunities, but the score remained 1-1 at half-time.

Italy had an opportunity to take the lead shortly after the restart when Sebastiano Esposito was awarded a penalty in the 60th minute. However, he failed to convert from the spot, sending his effort wide.

The hosts did not allow the missed opportunity to affect their momentum. Three minutes later, Davide Frattesi put Italy ahead after receiving a pass from Federico Dimarco and driving the ball past the French goalkeeper.

Italy extended their advantage in the 75th minute when substitute Antonio Vergara was brought down inside the penalty area by France defender Dayot Upamecano.

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Pio Esposito stepped forward to take the resulting penalty and converted confidently, completing his brace and giving Italy a commanding 3-1 lead.

France attempted to respond but could not find a way past the Italian defence, with the hosts holding on for an important victory in front of more than 71,000 spectators at the San Siro.

The defeat was the first suffered by France under Zidane, who took over as head coach following the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Notably, France captain Kylian Mbappé was absent from the encounter after being left out because of a hamstring problem. Forward Ousmane Dembélé was also unavailable through injury.

Despite the absence of their star attackers, France had started brightly and created several opportunities, but Italy’s response after conceding proved decisive.

The result moved Italy to the top of Nations League Group A1 with 10 points, level with France but ahead on the head-to-head record. Belgium occupied third position with nine points after defeating Türkiye 2-1.

Italy will travel to Belgium for their final group fixture on Sunday, while France will host Türkiye.

The top two teams in the group will advance to the Nations League quarter-finals, leaving the final round of matches crucial to the qualification race.

For Italy, the victory represents a significant boost ahead of the trip to Brussels, while France will need to respond against Türkiye to secure their place in the knockout stage.