Mark van Bommel, the head coach of Belgium, confirmed that Italy's 3-1 win over France last Thursday was not a surprise to him, pointing to the possibility that the French national team underestimated the abilities of coach Roberto Mancini's side, which contributed to its defeat.
The defeat against Italy was not just a passing stumble in the French national team's calculations, but exposed numerous gaps that have returned doubts to Zinedine Zidane's calculations ahead of the decisive clash against Turkey. Between the return of Kylian Mbappé, the absence of Dayot Upamecano, and the decline in the performance of some key players, the French coach is preparing to rearrange his cards, with the possibility of making wide-ranging changes to the starting line-up in search of a strong reaction that restores prestige to "Les Bleus".
Although the French national team went into their meeting with Italy in the fifth round of the group stage of the UEFA Nations League with the ambition of securing top spot in Group One, they now find themselves in a position that could eliminate them from the continental tournament.
Zinedine Zidane has shielded Malo Gusto from heavy criticism following a difficult display in France's defeat to Italy. The Chelsea defender conceded a penalty in Milan, but his international manager refused to single him out during a frustrating Nations League setback.
France go into their decisive test against Turkey in the UEFA Nations League, amid complex calculations that relate not only to securing a quarter-final qualification spot, but also to clinching top place in the group, which Zinedine Zidane places at the top of his priorities. While the coach has received reassuring news regarding Kylian Mbappé's fitness, uncertainty still surrounds the situation of Désiré Doué, who suffered a worrying injury during the recent clash with Italy.
France received a major morale boost with Kylian Mbappé's return to group training, two days before the decisive clash against Turkey, which will determine who qualifies for the quarter-finals of the UEFA Nations League.
Zinedine Zidane, the France manager, faced a new organisational problem during his side's preparations for the match against Turkey, after the start of the training session scheduled in the city of Bordeaux was delayed due to the sports equipment not arriving on time.
Italy have been dealt a blow ahead of their crucial clash against Belgium, after midfielder Davide Frattesi left the Azzurri camp due to a muscle injury, despite scoring in the 3-1 win over France.
The defeat of the France national team against Italy by a 3-1 scoreline on Thursday, in the UEFA Nations League, was not merely a stumble on the pitch for Zinedine Zidane and his players, as the hours that followed the match revealed a state of frustration within the France camp, coinciding with some logistical problems that added to the complications of the Milan night.
On a night of Azzurri ‘rebirth’, there is also a negative note: Gigio Donnarumma’s mistake. It was a costly error from the captain, who is not going through the best spell of his career at Manchester City either.
The defeat to Italy was not merely a passing stumble at the start of Zinedine Zidane's journey with the French national team, but placed the new coach before an early test that leaves little room for miscalculations. After going down three goals to one at the San Siro, France are now required to beat Turkey to salvage their position in the UEFA Nations League, something that has brought Kylian Mbappe's name back to the forefront, despite the doubts surrounding his physical condition. Between the team's need for its captain and fears of his injury recurring, Zidane finds himself facing a highly sensitive decision: does he gamble on his number one star, or does he look for another route to avoid an early catastrophe?
France, under the leadership of Zinedine Zidane, suffered their first defeat since the French coach took charge of the role, after falling to Italy 3-1 on Thursday evening at the San Siro in the UEFA Nations League, in a match that exposed a number of weaknesses that need addressing within Les Bleus.
Francesco Pio Esposito admitted he felt immense psychological pressure stepping up to the spot after watching his brother miss earlier during a 3-1 victory over France. The Inter young striker was the hero of the night, continuing his sensational individual form to secure a vital victory for the Azzurri in the Nations League.
France’s 3-1 defeat to Italy at San Siro did not sit well with former Les Bleus head coach Raymond Domenech. Commenting on the match live through his social media channels, the manager harshly criticised the Azzurri despite the final defeat, while also highlighting France’s poor performance with a phrase made famous in Italy by Massimiliano Allegri.
France playmaker Rayan Cherki has offered a brutally honest assessment of what went wrong during Les Bleus' disappointing 3-1 defeat to Italy. Despite a promising start in the UEFA Nations League clash, the 2026 world runners-up struggled to break down a resilient Azzurri side as the contest progressed.
The competition to host the 2030 World Cup final is no longer merely a race between stadiums and sporting facilities. It has turned into a battle of influence and direct messages between the three parties organising the tournament: Spain, Portugal and Morocco. At the heart of this struggle, Real Madrid have decided to raise their voice before FIFA, with a message carrying a great deal of confidence and challenge: "You can build a golden stadium, but the most important thing is to know how to manage events, and we are the best."
Davide Frattesi was one of the key figures in Italy’s thrilling and convincing 3-1 win over France at San Siro. The midfielder scored to put Italy 2-1 ahead and turn the match in their favour, after Sebastiano Esposito’s missed penalty and before Pio Esposito’s goal sealed the result. But beyond his name on the scoresheet, it was his post-match words, polite but far from commonplace, that left a mark.
France have suffered another major blow to their defensive ranks following the news that Dayot Upamecano has left the national team camp. The Bayern Munich defender was granted permission to depart just hours after Les Bleus slumped to a disappointing defeat against Italy.
Italy secured a historic Nations League victory over France at San Siro, but the night was nearly overshadowed by a bizarre moment of confusion from the penalty spot. Roberto Mancini has now opened up about the internal mix-up that saw the wrong Esposito brother step up to take a crucial spot-kick during the 3-1 win.
The Italian press celebrated their national team's big win over France by a score of 3-1 yesterday, Thursday, in the UEFA Nations League, considering the victory to represent a fresh start for the Azzurri a few months after the shock of failing to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Dayot Upamecano, the France defender, has left the camp of Les Bleus following the 3-1 defeat to Italy yesterday, Thursday evening, in the UEFA Nations League.
The Italy national team sent a strong message to their critics after securing a thrilling 3-1 victory over France, in an encounter that carried much technical and psychological significance and brought back memories of the Azzurri's past glories against Les Bleus on Italian soil. Amid the joy of victory, the frustration over a missed penalty, and an early mistake that almost turned the tie around, coach Roberto Mancini emerged with comments that reflected his delight at his players' performance, though he did not hide his displeasure at some of the details witnessed during the match.
France manager Zinedine Zidane has offered a frank assessment of his side's defensive shortcomings following their 3-1 UEFA Nations League defeat to Italy on Thursday night. Despite taking an early lead at San Siro, the Bleus were overwhelmed in the second half as the Azzurri surged back to claim all three points.
Zinedine Zidane suffered his first real blow since taking charge of France, after Les Bleus fell 3-1 to Italy, in a match that exposed clear contradictions in the team's performance and triggered a wave of criticism over the French coach's choices, especially following the striking collapse in the second half, which turned a promising evening into a night to forget. The defeat was not just a passing stumble, but opened the door to early questions about Zidane's ability to impose his ideas and manage the difficult details.
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