Zinédine Zidane Faces First Defeat as France’s Manager against Italy
Zinédine Zidane’s debut as manager of the France national team ended in disappointment as his side succumbed to a 3-1 defeat against Italy at the San Siro. This loss marked France’s first defeat on Italian soil since 1962, leaving Zidane to reflect on what he described as a state of “disarray” in his team.
France began the match brightly, taking an early lead thanks to Michael Olise, capitalizing on a mistake from Gianluigi Donnarumma. This strong start appeared to set the tone for France, who had previously won three out of their first four games during Zidane’s tenure.
However, the momentum shifted midway through the second half when Sebastiano Esposito brought Italy level with a well-placed shot. Shortly after, Davide Frattesi scored to put Roberto Mancini’s team in front. The situation worsened for France as they struggled to regain control, leading to Esposito’s second goal, finalizing the score at 3-1 for Italy despite them also missing a penalty.
In a post-match interview with TF1, Zidane acknowledged the challenges faced during the game. He remarked, “When we were struggling, we didn’t manage to react within the framework of the game plan that we put in place. We did it at 0-0 or at 1-0, but as soon as they took the lead, we were in disarray, notably defensively. We won’t be worried. It is a part of football. It is better that these kinds of moments come now. It wasn’t a ‘non-match’ tonight, but there is something to improve upon.”
