France 1-1 Italy: Bastoni Punishes Rabiot Error to Deny Zidane Home Victory

Zinedine Zidane was forced to settle for a draw in his first home match as France head coach after Italy came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw at the Stade de France.

Michael Olise produced a spectacular second-half goal to put France ahead, but Italy responded through Alessandro Bastoni after an error from Adrien Rabiot. France's task became even more difficult late in the match when Dayot Upamecano was sent off.

The result means France remain at the top of Nations League Group A1, although Zidane's team have now scored just once in each of their three matches.

Italy Waste Early Chances

France controlled possession during the opening stages, but Italy created the more dangerous opportunities.

Moise Kean came close to giving the visitors the lead after Michael Kayode delivered a dangerous low cross into the area. Kean found himself in a promising position but could only shoot directly at France goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

France then threatened at the other end when a deflected cross from Desire Doue struck the crossbar with Gianluigi Donnarumma beaten.

Italy continued to find openings before halftime. Davide Frattesi eventually got a shot away following another long throw from Kayode, but his effort took a deflection and went narrowly wide.

Olise Produces a Stunning Finish

France finally converted their pressure 10 minutes after the restart.

Rayan Cherki earned a free-kick just outside the Italian penalty area before cleverly rolling the ball into the path of Olise.

The Bayern Munich winger struck the ball brilliantly, sending it into the net via the underside of the crossbar to give France a 1-0 lead.

The goal appeared to put France on course for another narrow Nations League victory after they had previously beaten Belgium 1-0 without Kylian Mbappe.

Bastoni Capitalizes on Rabiot Mistake

Italy refused to accept defeat and found their equalizer in the 68th minute.

Rabiot attempted to play Lucas da Cunha out of danger but instead put his teammate under pressure. Bastoni reacted quickly, won possession and calmly finished past Maignan to restore parity.

The equalizer came against the run of play but gave Italy renewed confidence for the closing stages.

France Reduced to 10 Men

France's hopes of finding a late winner suffered another setback five minutes before full time.

Upamecano received his second yellow card after bringing down Kean, leaving France with 10 players for the remainder of the match.

Italy took advantage of the numerical advantage by managing the final minutes effectively and secured an important away point.

France Still Missing Mbappe's Cutting Edge

France previously defeated Belgium without Kylian Mbappe, with Olise providing the decisive moment in that match as well.

Olise again proved influential against Italy, but his outstanding goal was not enough to secure another victory.

Olise, Doue and Ousmane Dembele combined for 12 attempts, including six from Dembele. However, only Olise managed to beat Donnarumma, who produced seven saves during an impressive performance.

The numbers also showed why Italy could leave Paris satisfied. Despite having fewer shots than France, 14 compared with 18, Italy finished with a higher expected-goals figure of 1.46 compared with France's 1.21.

Italy also recorded far fewer touches inside the opposition penalty area, with 18 compared with France's 49.

Defensive Concerns for Zidane

France's defensive performance before halftime also raised concerns.

Italy managed eight shots during the opening 45 minutes, the highest number France had conceded before halftime in a home match since the Euro 2016 semifinal against Germany, when they allowed 11.

Although France remain first in Group A1, their lack of goals will be an area Zidane will want to address.

The French side have scored only once in each of their three Nations League matches, highlighting the need for greater attacking efficiency.

France were unable to give Zidane a winning home debut despite taking the lead through another superb Olise finish.

Italy showed resilience and benefited from Rabiot's costly mistake, with Bastoni producing the equalizer before France were reduced to 10 men.

The draw keeps France at the top of Group A1, but Zidane will have plenty to consider after another match in which his team struggled to turn possession and chances into goals.