France held by Italy as Olise scores and Upamecano sees red

France were held to a 1-1 UEFA Nations League draw by Italy at a sold-out Stade de France, with Alessandro Bastoni’s 68th-minute finish cancelling out Michael Olise’s superb opener. Les Bleus also finished the match with 10 men after Dayot Upamecano was sent off late on, but protected an eight-game unbeaten run in their Nations League group.

Olise had broken Italy’s resistance 10 minutes after half-time. The Bayern Munich winger found space to bend a fine effort beyond Gianluigi Donnarumma, giving France the breakthrough their territorial control had deserved.

France had 65 per cent possession and spent long spells testing Italy’s compact low block. Olise and Paris Saint-Germain attacker Desire Doue repeatedly threatened from wide areas, while the hosts pressed aggressively under head coach Zinedine Zidane.

But Italy stayed in the contest and Bastoni struck midway through the second period to level the score. The visitors left Paris pleased with the resilience of their defensive display, while France were left frustrated after failing to turn their control into a home victory.

Doue backs Zidane’s message

Doue admitted the result was disappointing, particularly in front of France’s home support, but said the squad had taken encouragement from its performance and from Zidane’s post-match words.

“We are obviously disappointed with the result,” Doue said. “We wanted to win at the Stade de France with our supporters behind us. But we should not ignore the good things. In many ways we followed the manager’s instructions, and he told us afterwards that we are moving in the right direction.”

The 21-year-old stressed that the players are committed to Zidane’s approach as France continue a rebuilding process with a new generation of attacking talent.

France now return to the Stade de France on Monday for their second home match of the international window, still seeking a first win. Olise and Doue will again be expected to provide the cutting edge after encouraging displays against Italy.