Zinedine Zidane suffered his first defeat as France coach after Italy came from behind to claim a 3-1 win in the UEFA Nations League at San Siro on Friday.
France took an early lead through Michael Olise but failed to make the most of their chances. Italy fought back with three goals to secure an important victory in the race for a place in the quarter-finals.
France needed only a draw to reach the last eight. Zidane started without Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Marcus Thuram, with Desire Doue leading the attack.
The visitors made a strong start and took the lead in the 10th minute after a costly mistake from Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Donnarumma passed the ball straight to Olise, who went past Alessandro Bastoni before finding the net. France controlled much of the first half but struggled to turn their chances into goals.
Italy made them pay when Nicolo Cambiaghi beat Malo Gusto on the left and sent a cross into the box. Pio Esposito reached the ball ahead of Dayot Upamecano and scored the equaliser.
Bradley Barcola almost restored France’s lead after a fine attacking move, but his shot struck the woodwork. France continued to create chances after the break. Donnarumma made important saves to deny Rayan Cherki and Adrien Rabiot.
Italy then won a penalty after Cambiaghi got past Gusto again. Sebastiano Esposito stepped up but sent his effort wide. The missed penalty did not stop Italy from pushing forward.
Federico Dimarco delivered a cross from the left after Gusto failed to stop the attack. Davide Frattesi met the ball and beat Mike Maignan to put Italy ahead.
France’s problems grew when Upamecano fouled Antonio Vergara inside the box and gave away another penalty.
This time, Pio Esposito made no mistake. He scored from the spot to complete his brace and seal Italy’s victory. Zidane also handed international debuts to Senny Mayulu, Sael Kumbedi and Eli Junior Kroupi during the match.
The defeat marked France’s first away loss to Italy since 1962. France now sit second in Group A1 of the Nations League. They will face Turkiye at home on Monday as they look to secure a place in the quarter-finals.
