France and Italy played to a 1-1 draw at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis on Friday, with Michael Olise and Alessandro Bastoni trading second-half goals in a UEFA Nations League Group A1 clash that also saw France finish the match a man down. The result, Zinedine Zidane's first game in charge of Les Bleus on home soil, denied the French icon a victory in his stadium debut as national team coach.
The draw came on Matchday 3 of the 2026-27 international window, which has already produced several notable results across the continent and beyond, including South Korea's shock halftime deficit against Uruguay earlier this window.
How the goals unfolded in Saint-Denis
France and Italy played out a 1-1 draw at the Stade de France, with Michael Olise giving Les Bleus the lead with a brilliant free kick, before Alessandro Bastoni responded for an Azzurri side that finished the match with a one-man advantage. Olise's strike arrived in the 55th minute, and Bastoni's response came roughly a quarter of an hour later to level the score.
Confirmed lineups
France lined up with Maignan; Truffert, Upamecano, Jacquet, Kalulu; Rabiot, Da Cunha, Cherki; Doué, Dembélé as captain, and Olise, with Zidane forced into defensive reshuffles due to several absences. Italy responded with Donnarumma as captain; Calafiori, Bastoni, Scalvini, Kayode; Fagioli, Tonali, Frattesi; S. Esposito, Kean, and F. Esposito under head coach Roberto Mancini.
Mbappe's absence overshadows Zidane's homecoming
The biggest storyline heading into the match was the absence of captain Kylian Mbappe. Mbappe did not feature in the clash at the Stade de France after being ruled out with a left-knee injury picked up in the 1-0 win over Türkiye in Zidane's first game in charge. He had scored France's goal in that match before being substituted in the 58th minute, with Real Madrid later confirming he suffered a hyperextension of the posterior capsule in his left knee. Mbappe did not stay with the France squad and instead returned to Madrid for further treatment, leaving Ousmane Dembélé to captain the side in his absence.
Red card turns the final stretch tense
France's night got harder in the closing stages when Dayot Upamecano was sent off. The defender was already on a yellow card for an argument with Moise Kean before getting into a tussle with the striker, pulling him down to earn a second yellow and his marching orders. Italy pushed for a winner in the closing minutes but could not find a second goal, and the match ended level, meaning Zinedine Zidane's first victory as France head coach at the Stade de France will have to wait.
Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was a key figure for the visitors throughout the contest, helping Italy hold on for a point despite playing much of the second half with a numerical advantage they could not convert into three points.
Where the two sides stand
Group A1 table
Before kickoff, France sat top of Group A1 with two wins from two matches and six points, with Belgium second on three points, Italy third also on three points, and Turkey bottom without a point. The draw moves France to seven points and lifts Italy to four, with both sides keeping their positions in the table heading into the final two matchdays of the autumn window.
What comes next
France are set to face Belgium on Monday, October 5, while Italy host Türkiye on the same day to close out this block of fixtures. The competition then pauses until November, when Matchdays 5 and 6 will decide who tops each group and who reaches the League A quarter-finals scheduled for March 2027, with the bottom side in each group facing relegation to League B.
Friday's result extended the long-running rivalry between the two countries. The sides have met 41 times in total, with Italy holding 19 wins to France's 12, along with 10 draws, and their most recent meeting before Friday came in November 2024, when France won 3-1 in Italy. For broader context on how national teams around the world have fared in this international window, see the latest from the Canadian men's national team's post-World Cup opener and the Socceroos' hosting of Brazil in Brisbane.