France lost to Italy in a match that ended in a 1-1 draw, in Zinedine Zidane's first home game after he was appointed manager of the French national team. This match took place after Michael Olise scored an impressive goal.
Four days after Olise came on as a substitute and scored a stunning individual goal that secured a 1-0 victory for France in Belgium, the 'Bayern' star once again demonstrated his outstanding talent. Early in the second half, he struck an unobstructed shot that hit the crossbar.
However, Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni equalized for Italy in the middle of the second half, preventing Zidane from achieving a third consecutive win in charge of his country.
France, which previously suspended defender Dayot Upamecano due to a red card late in the match, is in first place in Group A1 of the UEFA Nations League with seven points, while Belgium trails by six points after defeating Turkey 3-0. France and Belgium will meet on Monday in the final match of this two-week international break. Italy has four points before playing against Turkey.
Zidane was in the spotlight as his home debut in front of a full crowd of 77,118 spectators at the Stade de France near Paris was against the same team as his last match as a player. The icon, who is now 54 years old and a Ballon d'Or winner, never played again after being sent off for the infamous header against Marco Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup final in Berlin, which Italy won on penalties.
This was the former Real playmaker's first appearance at the French national stadium since participating in a friendly match against Mexico in May 2006, during which he earned his 100th cap. He stated: 'It was magnificent. We would have liked to win for our fans tonight, but I was obviously very moved and happy to return to the Stade de France.'
Beyond the attention on his past, Zidane aims to leave his mark on the French team in this Nations League campaign, focusing on the next major tournament—Euro 2028. He noted: 'I am satisfied with the play, although not with the result. We had chances to score a second goal, and we didn't. But I am very proud of my players.'
He could not start alongside captain Kylian Mbappé again, as the Real forward returned to his club after a knee injury sustained while scoring the winning goal in Turkey last week.