At San Siro in Milan, France made the stronger start and took the lead following a costly error by Gianluigi Donnarumma. Italy gradually worked their way back into the contest, however, exposing weaknesses in the French defence and securing victory despite missing a penalty.
France without Mbappé as Mancini turns to the Esposito brothers
France arrived in Milan top of Nations League Group A1 with ten points from four matches. Italy were three points behind following an opening 2-0 defeat to Belgium, two victories over Turkey and a 1-1 draw against France. A point would have been enough for the visitors to secure a place in the quarter-finals.
France were missing several key attacking players. Kylian Mbappé was sidelined with a thigh problem, while Ousmane Dembélé and Marcus Thuram were also unavailable. Zidane opted for a 4-3-3, with Michael Olise, Désiré Doué and Bradley Barcola forming the front three. Rayan Cherki, Adrien Rabiot and Lucas Da Cunha made up the midfield.
Mancini also deployed a 4-3-3, selecting brothers Sebastiano and Francesco Pio Esposito alongside Nicolò Cambiaghi in attack. Nicolò Barella, Sandro Tonali and Davide Frattesi started in midfield, with Michael Kayode, Giorgio Scalvini, Alessandro Bastoni and Riccardo Calafiori forming the back four in front of Donnarumma.
France start strongly and capitalise on Donnarumma’s mistake
The visitors put Italy under pressure from the opening whistle. Doué narrowly missed the target after being set up by Barcola in the third minute, before Donnarumma was called into action to keep out a header from Rabiot.
France repeatedly played their way through Italy’s press with quick combinations. The wide areas were particularly effective, with Barcola and Olise regularly taking on their opposing defenders. Italy, meanwhile, struggled to retain possession for sustained periods in the French half.
The breakthrough came in the tenth minute. Attempting to play out from the back, Donnarumma misplaced a pass straight to Olise. The Bayern Munich winger drove into the penalty area, beat Scalvini and finished with his left foot to make it 1-0.
France continued to look the more threatening side, combining effectively around the Italian penalty area. The hosts struggled to put pressure on the French midfield and disrupt their attacking moves before they gathered momentum.
Pio Esposito brings Italy level
Italy gradually found ways to trouble the French defence. Cambiaghi, in particular, caused problems for right-back Malo Gusto, repeatedly taking him on and finding space to deliver crosses from the byline.
The equaliser arrived in the 26th minute. Cambiaghi outmuscled Gusto and fired a low cross into the six-yard box. Pio Esposito escaped the attention of Dayot Upamecano and converted from close range to make it 1-1.
The goal gave Italy greater confidence. Just two minutes later, Sebastiano Esposito threatened to put the hosts ahead, but Mike Maignan produced a save at his near post.
France remained dangerous, though. In the 35th minute, Barcola struck the post from the edge of the area following a swift move involving Olise and Da Cunha. The French attackers continued to find pockets of space between Italy’s midfield and defence, but Mancini’s side were becoming increasingly threatening on the counterattack.
A missed penalty before Frattesi turns the game around
The match remained open after the interval. France continued to enjoy more possession but struggled to turn their attacking moves into clear-cut chances. Italy, by contrast, played with greater purpose and looked to reach the penalty area quickly.
In the 59th minute, Cambiaghi again got the better of Gusto and was brought down by the French right-back inside the box. Referee István Kovács awarded a penalty, but Sebastiano Esposito sent his effort well wide.
Italy responded almost immediately. Three minutes later, Barella played a long pass towards Federico Dimarco, who had made a run down the left. The substitute full-back delivered a low ball into the middle, where Frattesi arrived to fire Italy into a 2-1 lead.
France were increasingly vulnerable to the hosts’ direct attacks. Their full-backs and centre-backs struggled to coordinate their positioning when defending crosses, allowing Italian runners to find space in dangerous areas.
Second penalty seals Italy’s victory
Italy were awarded another penalty in the 74th minute when Upamecano brought down Antonio Vergara inside the area, prompting Kovács to point to the spot once again.
This time Pio Esposito stepped up. The 21-year-old guided his penalty low into the corner, leaving Maignan with no chance. His second goal made it 3-1 and effectively settled the contest.
Zidane introduced attacking reinforcements, but France struggled to create clear openings against an increasingly compact Italian defence. Olise sent a free-kick over the bar, while the hosts protected their two-goal advantage with discipline.
Italy’s cutting edge proves decisive
Despite France enjoying 65% possession compared with Italy’s 35%, the hosts created the better chances. The expected goals figures reflected that difference: Italy finished with 2.22 xG, compared with France’s 1.54 xG.
France held the upper hand for much of the first half but failed to turn their territorial advantage into enough high-quality opportunities. Italy were considerably more direct and repeatedly exploited weaknesses in the French defence. Cambiaghi was particularly influential, while Pio Esposito’s two goals ultimately made him the decisive figure.
Three teams remain in contention heading into the final round
The 3-1 victory takes Italy to ten points, level with France and ahead of their opponents at the top of Group A1. Belgium are just one point behind on nine following their 2-1 win away to Turkey. Three teams therefore remain in contention for the two quarter-final places.
Italy travel to Belgium on Sunday, while France host an already-eliminated Turkey. Mancini’s side now have the chance to secure top spot with another victory. France, meanwhile, must respond to their first defeat under Zidane and take points from their final group match to secure a place in the quarter-finals.
