Italy fought back to draw 1-1 with France in the UEFA Nations League on Friday, denying Zinedine Zidane a first home victory as Les Bleus coach after Dayot Upamecano’s late red card left the hosts with 10 men.
Michael Olise gave France the lead in the 54th minute with a superb shot that beat Gianluigi Donnarumma. Alessandro Bastoni equalised 13 minutes later, capitalising on a French error while playing out from the back to restore parity at the Stade de France.
Upamecano was dismissed in the 85th minute, handing Italy a numerical advantage for the closing stages, but Roberto Mancini’s side could not find a winner despite late pressure.
France dominated possession for long periods yet struggled to break down Italy’s organised defence in the first half. Moise Kean had the ball in the net for the visitors around the 41st minute only for the goal to be ruled out for offside. Donnarumma produced a series of important saves, including a double stop early in the second half to deny Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembélé.
Olise’s set-piece finally broke the deadlock, but Italy responded quickly through Bastoni. Daniel Maldini, son of Italian legend Paolo Maldini, entered the match late as a substitute.
France entered the match with a perfect record of two wins and two clean sheets under Zidane, having beaten Turkey and Belgium. Italy had recovered from an opening defeat to Belgium with a 4-1 victory over Turkey.
The result leaves both sides still seeking maximum points in Group A1. The teams meet again on November 12 in Milan.
