Milan, Nov 13 — Pio Esposito scored twice and Davide Frattesi added the other as Italy mounted a stunning comeback in Milan to end Zinedine Zidane's unbeaten start as France coach.
France suffered their first defeat of the season losing 3-1 to Italy at the Giuseppe Meazza stadium in Milan, during the 5th round of the league phase of the 2027 UEFA Nations League.
France, who led via Michael Olise's crisp early finish, were pegged back midway through the opening half by a clever touch from Esposito. Bradley Barcola and Rayan Cherki both struck the upright for Les Bleus before Frattesi swept Italy in front just minutes after Sebastiano Esposito powered a penalty wide.
Esposito drilled in his second of the contest from the spot to ensure the hosts claimed a first home win in this fixture since May 1962 and moved level with France at the summit on ten points.
"There were some good things in the first half, and then some other good things later on, but ultimately we lost the match. It's all part of the learning process. When we were struggling in the second half, we didn't know how to react and stay within the game plan we had set for ourselves. When Italy took the lead, we became a bit scattered, especially defensively. But I'm not worried; having moments like that is part of football. You have to experience them to know how you'll react.
"It wasn't a bad game: we had possession, created chances, but as the game went on, we became more vulnerable. This means there's room for improvement, but there's no need to panic. We'll analyze this match thoroughly, rest, and focus on Turkey on Sunday.” We're still in the running (to qualify for the quarter-finals)," said Zidane after the match.
Elsewhere, Albania and Belarus are confirmed as the top two in Group C1 after beating Finland and San Marino respectively. They will meet on Matchday 6 to decide who will finish top and gain automatic promotion, with Albania two points ahead going into that fixture.
Montenegro sealed promotion from Group C2 as Aleksa Maras' added-time effort gave them a 2-1 triumph over Latvia. Cyprus' 1-1 draw in Armenia ensured them a top-two finish in the same section.