A Proud Italy Narrowly Misses Victory Against France in Saint-Denis
Roberto Mancini’s Italy had a great night in Saint-Denis: the Azzurri held France to a 1-1 draw and came close to a victory against Zidane’s team in the Nations League. Bastoni equalized after Olise’s goal, Donnarumma made save after save, and then, following Upamecano’s ejection, the Italian national team tried to pull off a shocker but came up short: In the group, Les Bleus remain in first place with 7 points, ahead of Belgium with 6 (which routed Vincenzo Montella’s Turkey) and Italy with 4.
Italy played excellently in the first half: France controlled the game, but the best chances were almost all for the Azzurri. In the 9th minute, Kean made a colossal mistake in front of Maignan: set up by Kayode following a nice Esposito-Frattesi play, the Como forward squandered an easy tap-in and squeezed his left-footed shot too tightly, allowing Maignan to deflect his attempt into a corner kick.
The French playmakers pinned the Italian national team back in their own third, but Mancini’s squad defended compactly, packing the midfield, and the Bleus were unable to create clear-cut chances. The only real threat to Donnarumma came in the 23rd minute, when a cross from Olise was deflected by Tonali onto the crossbar. But then the Azzurri created another chance: Sebastiano Esposito had a great chance but failed to connect properly, and in the 41st minute, Frattesi’s turn-and-shot in the box sent shivers down Maignan’s spine; a fortuitous deflection by Jacquet proved decisive in saving the Galletti’s goal. In stoppage time, a goal by Moise Kean was disallowed.
In the second half, France took control: Donnarumma made quick saves against Doué and Dembelé within seconds, but in the 56th minute, he could do nothing to stop Olise’s perfect free kick, which found the top corner of the net. Les Bleus attacked relentlessly; Italy struggled, and Mancini made substitutions to inject freshness and give his players a breather: Barella came on for Tonali and Vergara for Pio Esposito.
In the 68th minute, the game was wide open again: Rabiot and Da Cunha made a mess of things, and Bastoni took advantage, stealing the ball from the Como native and breaking into the box to beat Maignan. This was the first goal France had conceded with Zidane as head coach, who scrambled to make adjustments by bringing on Barcola and Camavinga for Cherki and Doué. The 1-1 tie, which came about somewhat fortuitously, restores Italy’s confidence, and they return to the attack: in the 82nd minute, Maignan makes a diving save to preserve the result on a header by Moise Kean. Donnarumma, meanwhile, made two decisive saves against Rabiot and Camavinga.
France was reduced to 10 men: Upamecano failed to contain Kean and was sent off in the 85th minute for a second yellow card. With the numerical advantage, Italy sought the winning goal and had a chance in the 88th minute through Barella, whose shot lacked precision. But Donnarumma once again rose to the occasion against Barcola to preserve the result. The final minutes were frantic, with France protesting for a penalty kick, but the referee let play continue. And that’s how it ended.
