France suffered a 3-1 defeat against Italy in Milan on Thursday, November 12, during the fifth matchday of the UEFA Nations League, marking the first loss under coach Zinedine Zidane’s tenure and temporarily halting the team’s path to the quarterfinals.
Michael Olise gave the visitors an early advantage, but defensive vulnerabilities quickly unraveled the French side during a rainy fixture at San Siro, as reported by Le Parisien – Sports. The result leaves France waiting to secure its spot in the knockout stages of the European competition.
Defensive struggles defined the night for Les Bleus, with Malo Gusto enduring a difficult evening at right-back against the Italian attack.
In goal, Mike Maignan was handed a rating of 4 following a frustrating outing where his backline provided little resistance. Maignan had very little active work outside of two stops in the 28th and 53rd minutes, and he could do little to prevent the goals from open play before Francesco Pio Esposito converted a penalty in the 75th minute.
The heavy rainfall at San Siro matched a gloomy night for the French defense, which lacked the necessary cohesion to handle Italy’s sustained pressure. Individual errors compounded the team’s tactical difficulties across the pitch.
Gusto found himself repeatedly exposed on the flank, struggling to contain the hosts’ attacking movements.
The defeat leaves France’s qualification campaign on hold heading into the final stretch of the group stage. Les Bleus must regroup quickly to address the defensive frailties exposed on Italian soil.
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