France held to 1-1 draw as Italy dampen Zidane's home debut
In France's Nations League match against Italy at the Stade de France, the hosts were held to a 1-1 draw by their opponents. The game, which marked Zinedine Zidane's first home match as manager, saw the French team take the lead in the second half. Zidane had previously played against Italy in their 2006 World Cup final, a match ended in a penalty shootout where Zidane was sent off for headbutting Marco Materazzi in extra time.
France dominated possession early on, but struggled to create clear scoring opportunities. Michael Olise scored the opening goal for France just ten minutes after the break, deflecting a cross into the net. Despite their early dominance, France could not hold on to their lead. In the 68th minute, Italy equalized through Alessandro Bastoni after France's defensive error allowed the Italian player to capitalize on a free kick.
With Italy's Lucas Da Cunha receiving a second yellow card, France were left with 10 men for the final five minutes of the match.
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