France Held to 1-1 Draw by Italy as Zidane’s Home Debut Ends Without a Win

Zinedine Zidane’s long-awaited first home match as France head coach ended in frustration on Friday night, as the hosts were held to a 1-1 Nations League draw by Italy at a packed Stade de France.

Michael Olise put France ahead ten minutes after half-time, curling a superb shot in off the crossbar following a short free-kick move, according to Reuters. The goal — his second in as many internationals after netting the winner in Belgium — was reward for a dominant start to the second half, in which Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma produced a string of fine saves.

But a defensive lapse midway through the second half let Alessandro Bastoni run through to clip a low shot past Mike Maignan for the equaliser in the 68th minute, and France finished with ten men after Dayot Upamecano was dismissed in the closing stages.

The result ended Zidane’s perfect start as France coach following away wins over Turkey and Belgium, though Les Bleus still top Group A1 with seven points, one ahead of Belgium, who beat Turkey 3-0. The two sides meet again at the same stadium on Monday.

Zidane, coaching in front of the Paris crowd for the first time since replacing Didier Deschamps after the World Cup, told TF1 he was “very disappointed for the players because we deserved better.” The fixture carried extra symbolism: Italy were also the opponents in Zidane’s final match as a player — the 2006 World Cup final. Italy coach Roberto Mancini told RAI his side “did well to allow them very little in terms of chances.”

Sources

• https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/france-held-1-1-draw-italy-dampen-zidanes-home-debut-2026-10-02/
• https://www.lemonde.fr/en/sports/article/2026/10/03/france-italy-frustrating-night-for-les-bleus-despite-zidane-s-triumphant-return-to-stade-de-france_6758204_9.html
• https://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/article/zidanes-first-home-game-in-charge-of-france-ends-in-draw-with-italy/