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.

Nigeria’s historic FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup triumph has given Flamingos captain Harmony Chidi an opportunity to reflect on the difficult journey that brought her to the top, including her mother’s initial opposition to her football ambition.

The 17-year-old revealed that her mother wanted her to get married rather than pursue a career in football after the early death of her father.

Speaking in an interview with BBC News Pidgin, Chidi said her late grandmother was the person who encouraged her to continue playing despite her mother’s disapproval.

“When I started football, my mother didn’t want me to play. My father died early, so my mother wanted me to get married. It was my grandmother who stood by me and pushed me to play football. Unfortunately, my grandmother is late,” she said.

The Flamingos captain explained that her journey became easier after she met her foster father, Prince Chidi, who supported her ambition and encouraged her to pursue a professional football career.

Prince Chidi, owner of her grassroots team, Imo Strikers, played an important role in her development, ensuring that she had the encouragement needed to keep working towards her dream.

Chidi, who also plays for Bayelsa Queens, said the support she received from her foster father helped her overcome the challenges she faced while trying to establish herself in football.

However, family opposition was not the only obstacle she had to overcome. The young forward disclosed that a serious injury nearly ended her football career and prevented her from featuring in the previous edition of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

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She described the injury as the most difficult period of her career, explaining that some of her friends abandoned her when she was struggling to recover.

“There is nothing that has been more difficult than my injury. It is an injury that has killed the dream of many players in Nigeria. All my friends deserted me and it was tough. I even thought of an alternative plan,” she recounted.

The setback forced her to consider whether she could continue playing football, but she eventually recovered and returned to the game.

Her comeback culminated in a historic achievement as she captained Nigeria’s Flamingos to their first-ever FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup title in Morocco.

Nigeria defeated Japan 2-1 in the final, becoming the first African country to win the competition.

The triumph marked a remarkable turnaround for Chidi, whose football ambition had faced family opposition and whose career had nearly been derailed by injury.

Despite the milestone, the young captain says she has even bigger ambitions. She named five football stars she admires and hopes to surpass: Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, Manchester City forward Erling Haaland, England captain Harry Kane, Brazilian winger Raphinha and Nigerian women’s football star Asisat Oshoala.

“I have like five players that I want to be like: Victor Osimhen, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Raphinha and Asisat Oshoala. I want to be greater than them,” she said.

She particularly singled out Oshoala, whose achievements with the Super Falcons and at club level have made her one of Nigeria’s most prominent female footballers.

“My dream is to be greater than Asisat Oshoala,” Chidi declared.

Her contribution to Nigeria’s historic World Cup success has also earned her a ₦100 million Federal Government savings bond under the reward package announced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the victorious team.

At a reception held at the State House in Abuja, the players were each awarded ₦100 million in savings bonds, while head coach Akeem Busari received ₦100 million in cash and members of the technical crew were allocated ₦50 million each.

For Chidi, the achievement represents more than a football title. It is the outcome of years of determination, personal sacrifices and the support of people who believed in her ambition when the path ahead was uncertain.

From a young girl encouraged by her grandmother to a captain who led Nigeria to a historic world title, Chidi’s story has become an inspiring account of resilience and determination in women’s football.