Italy Bounces Back with Nations League Victory Over France
Italy overcame an early setback to secure a 3-1 victory against France in their UEFA Nations League encounter at the Parc des Princes in Paris on Friday. Federico Dimarco, Davide Frattesi, and Giacomo Raspadori scored for Italy after Bradley Barcola had given France a 1-0 lead with the fastest-ever goal by a French player, scored just 13 seconds into the match.
Barcola's goal surpassed the previous record for the fastest goal by a French player, which was 38 seconds set by Bernard Lacombe during the 1978 World Cup against Italy. Despite this rapid start, France was unable to maintain their momentum, allowing Italy to take control of the game.
Italy's comeback began with Dimarco's equalizer at the 30-minute mark. He volleyed a cross from Andrea Cambiaso into the far corner of the net, assisted by Sandro Tonali. Five minutes into the second half, Frattesi gave Italy the lead after intercepting a pass from Youssouf Fofana and scoring from Mateo Retegui's delivery.
France attempted to respond by substituting Michael Olise with Ousmane Dembele and introducing Manu Kone off the bench. Despite these changes, Italy continued to press and nearly added to their tally when Frattesi's header from a corner was saved by goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
Italy did extend their lead in the 74th minute when Raspadori scored after receiving a pass from Destiny Udogie. Raspadori's first touch allowed him to evade William Saliba and score.
France's inability to recover led to a lackluster reaction from their supporters as the match ended. The result provides a much-needed boost for Italy following their disappointing Euro 2024 campaign, where they were eliminated by Switzerland in the Round of 16.
With this victory, Italy is now level at the top of Group A2 with Belgium, who also won their Nations League fixture 3-1 against Israel. Italy's next match is scheduled against Israel on Monday in Budapest due to the security situation in the Middle East. France will face Belgium in Lyon, hoping to recover from their recent defeat.
