France Held by Italy After Upamecano Red Card in Nations League Draw

France were held to a 1-1 Nations League draw by Italy at the Stade de France after Dayot Upamecano’s late dismissal left Zinedine Zidane’s side chasing a winner with 10 men.

Match facts

Italy survived intense late pressure to claim the draw, with captain Gianluigi Donnarumma making another key stop from Eduardo Camavinga in stoppage time before Bastoni denied Olise with a sliding tackle inside the box. France appealed for a penalty, but the referee waved play on.

Olise had put the hosts ahead 10 minutes into the second half. Rayan Cherki’s free-kick created the opening and the Bayern Munich attacker struck from outside the area, with a slight touch helping his effort bounce in off the underside of the bar.

Italy responded 13 minutes later through an unexpected scorer. Debutant Antonio Vergara drove a counter-attack forward before Bastoni stepped in as France hesitated. The Inter centre-back won the ball and finished calmly from the edge of the area to level the game.

The equaliser was a landmark moment for Zidane’s France: it was the first time his team had conceded since he took charge. France were without the injured Kylian Mbappe, but still created enough chances to win.

Roberto Mancini had made a notable selection call before kick-off, dropping Nicolo Barella after the recent Belgium disappointment. Michael Kayode retained his place on the right and almost supplied an early opener, delivering a low cross for Moise Kean, whose close-range attempt was stopped by Mike Maignan.

France had their own first-half openings. Ousmane Dembele had an effort ruled out for offside, while Desire Doue struck the top of the crossbar after his cross-shot deflected off Sandro Tonali. Kean then put the ball in the net shortly before the break, only for the assistant’s flag to cut short Italy’s celebrations.

Donnarumma was crucial before Olise’s breakthrough, producing a sharp double save to keep out Doue’s curling attempt and Dembele’s follow-up. After Bastoni’s equaliser, he got down to turn Adrien Rabiot’s shot around the post and later flew across goal to repel a powerful Camavinga drive.

Italy also came close to taking the lead. Vergara sent a cross to the far post and Kean’s looping header appeared headed for the top corner, but Maignan got fingertips to it and pushed the ball onto the frame.

Upamecano’s departure deepened France’s problems. The Bayern defender was booked after confronting Kean, then received a second yellow soon afterwards for dragging the striker down.

France kept attacking despite the numerical disadvantage, but Italy held firm. The draw leaves Zidane’s side with more work to do in their Nations League campaign, while Italy leave Paris with a hard-earned result.