France suffered a 3-1 defeat to Italy on Thursday 12 November in a UEFA Nations League A match, a setback that complicates their path before hosting Turkey on Sunday.
Zidane set his team up in a 4-2-3-1 formation but saw his players lose control after a bright start. Michael Olise had opened the scoring for Les Bleus in the 10th minute. Italy quickly responded through Pio Esposito, who scored twice (26th, 75th penalty), and Davide Frattesi (63rd). Sebastiano Esposito even missed a penalty for the Italians on the hour mark.
Despite dominant 65% possession and 18 shot attempts, efficiency was lacking against a solid Italian defence. Jérémy Jacquet, Eli Kroupi and two Italian players received yellow cards in a fairly physical encounter. This defeat comes after a run of four matches in which France had recorded two wins, one draw and just one loss, a recent form that makes this setback all the more disappointing. This four-match cycle notably included a comprehensive 4-1 victory over Belgium on 5 October, where Michael Olise, who also scored on Thursday, netted a brace.
This result leaves France with a mixed record ahead of their next fixture. They host Turkey this Sunday 15 November at 20:45, a key match to get back on track in this Nations League phase. The absence of Kylian Mbappé, the team's top scorer this season with 10 goals in 8 appearances, is felt even more in these moments when the team lacks cutting edge. He was absent from this squad, as were regular starters Lucas Hernandez and Ibrahima Konaté, both ruled out through injury. The recent sequence of two wins, one draw and one loss shows a team capable of brilliance but one that must rediscover consistency immediately.
On November 13, the French team confirmed that Michael Olise's opening goal against Italy was aided by an error from the Italian goalkeeper. The scorer stated, "The ball slipped, it was a lucky break."
On November 13, Zinedine Zidane confirmed that the 3-1 defeat to Italy was his first as head coach of the France national team. The manager said, "It's a first setback, we must learn the lessons."
On November 13, Pio Esposito revealed his penalty against France was the first he had taken since a shootout failure against Bosnia. The Italian forward said: "That memory came back to me, but you have to summon the courage". He added that his second goal also carried the responsibility of making people forget the penalty missed by his brother Sebastiano fifteen minutes earlier. Italy coach Roberto Mancini confirmed Pio was the primary penalty taker.
On November 14, the Italian Football Federation confirmed Italy now leads Group A1 of the Nations League. Both teams have 10 points, but Italy is ahead of France on their head-to-head record. Belgium is third with 9 points ahead of the final round.
On November 14, the French Football Federation announced that Dayot Upamecano had left the France squad's training camp. The FFF stated in a release that the defender "received permission from Zinédine Zidane to leave the camp and return to Munich." The federation cited "personal reasons" for his departure. Upamecano will therefore not be available for the match against Turkey on Sunday.
