Francesco Pio Esposito delivered a decisive two-goal performance to hand Zinedine Zidane his first defeat as the head coach of France. Italy staged a commanding 3-1 comeback victory at the San Siro on Thursday, a result that moves the hosts to the top of their Nations League group.
The visitors initially took control just 10 minutes into the match after a miscue by Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. His errant pass found Michael Olise, who capitalized on the mistake by slotting home his fifth goal in five Nations League appearances. France, missing injured stars Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele, showed early dominance in the rainy conditions, with Adrien Rabiot and Lucas Da Cunha both forcing saves or narrowly missing the target. But it did not show as they made an electric start in pouring rain in Milan, france were without star attackers Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele through injury. Desire Doue hit the side netting and first-time captain Adrien Rabiot tested Donnarumma before Lucas Da Cunha’s rasping half-volley flew narrowly wide.
Italy responded in the 26th minute when Nicolo Cambiaghi drove down the wing to set up Esposito for a composed finish. The momentum shift energized the crowd, and both teams traded chances until the interval. France came agonizingly close to regaining the lead when Bradley Barcola’s curling effort struck the base of the post, while at the other end, Mike Maignan denied Sebastiano Esposito a quick follow-up goal.
The end-to-end intensity persisted after the break. Donnarumma redeemed his earlier error by tipping a powerful strike from Rayan Cherki onto the post, and Italy countered instantly, forcing Maignan to make a critical point-blank save against Cambiaghi. The host’s opportunity to pull ahead arrived on the hour mark after Malo Gusto fouled Cambiaghi in the box, though Sebastiano Esposito misfired the resulting penalty wide.
Italy finally broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute. Shortly after being introduced, Federico Dimarco delivered a precise cross that Davide Frattesi drilled into the net. The victory was sealed when substitute Antonio Vergara drew a foul from Dayot Upamecano, allowing Francesco Pio Esposito to convert his second goal of the night from the penalty spot.
This result places Italy at the summit of Group A1 with 10 points.
While level on points with France, Italy holds the advantage through their head-to-head record. Belgium remains in third place with nine points following a 3-1 win over bottom-side Turkiye, who have now suffered five consecutive defeats. This win marks a significant milestone for Italy manager Roberto Mancini, extending his unbeaten run to four matches and securing the team’s first home victory over France since 1962. The final group fixtures on Sunday will see Belgium host Italy, while France travels to face Turkiye.
In a separate Nations League fixture at Wembley, England captain Harry Kane marked his record-breaking 126th appearance with a match-winning penalty to secure a 2-1 victory over Croatia. The Bayern Munich forward converted from the spot in the 64th minute, scoring his 92nd international goal in front of 80,400 spectators. The 33-year-old followed a script that seemed destined to happen when he stepped up in the 64th minute to put England ahead in front of an 80,400-strong crowd after the hosts had conceded a sloppy equaliser five minutes earlier. And there was never any doubt from the moment he placed the ball and sent it straight down the middle as goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic dived to his left, it was the Bayern Munich forward’s 92nd England goal.
Kane’s historic night began with a ceremony where he received a commemorative token from Peter Shilton, the previous record holder for international caps. Having surpassed Bobby Moore’s 108-cap milestone earlier, Kane’s decisive strike helped England qualify for the Nations League quarter-finals, cementing a memorable evening for the veteran striker. Handed a commemorative token by former goalkeeper Peter Shilton, the previous record holder since 1989, when he surpassed Bobby Moore’s 108 caps, kane had started a night of celebration as the centre of attention.
