Mancini Hands Zidane His First Defeat, Italy's Historic Victory Over France

Roberto Mancini handed Zinedine Zidane his first defeat since taking charge of the French National Team. Italy came from behind to beat Les Bleus 3-1 on the fifth matchday of UEFA Nations League 2026/2027.

Francesco Pio Esposito was the standout performer behind Gli Azzurri's victory at San Siro Stadium, early morning WIB on Friday 13 November 2026.

The Inter Milan striker scored two goals, while Davide Frattesi contributed one further goal. France had originally taken the lead through Michael Olise in the 10th minute.

This result also brought an end to Zidane's unbeaten start with Les Bleus. Prior to travelling to Milan, France had recorded three wins and one draw from four Nations League matches under his management.

That draw was secured when France hosted Italy at home.

Gli Azzurri remained composed after falling behind. An error from Gianluigi Donnarumma while building play from the back was capitalised on by Olise to put France 1-0 up. The Bayern Munich forward struck a shot that the Italian Goalkeeper was unable to stop.

However, the away side's lead only lasted 16 minutes. Nicolò Cambiaghi beat Malo Gusto before delivering a ball into the penalty area. Pio Esposito met the cross with a clinical finish to level the scores at 1-1 in the 26th minute.

France did create opportunities to retake the lead. Bradley Barcola fired an effort that struck the goalpost.

Following half-time, Rayan Cherki also came extremely close to scoring, only for his shot to also hit the goal frame.

Italy were then awarded a penalty to take the lead after Malo Gusto fouled Cambiaghi inside the box. Sebastiano Esposito stepped up as the taker but failed to convert, sending his kick wide of the target in the 60th minute.

This miss did not break Italy's momentum. Just three minutes later, Federico Dimarco delivered a cross which was met by Davide Frattesi. The Italian midfielder finished the chance to turn the match around at 2-1.

Italy extended their advantage after winning a second penalty. On this occasion, Antonio Vergara was fouled inside the penalty area. Pio Esposito took the spot kick and successfully beat Mike Maignan in the 75th minute. This goal completed a brace for the 21 year old striker.

Italy's victory becomes even more remarkable when reviewing match statistics. Per FotMob data, Gli Azzurri only recorded 35% possession and 11 total shots, compared to France's 65% ball control and 18 attempts on goal.

Despite this, Italy registered an expected goals (xG) value of 2.35, higher than France's total of 1.63.

This demonstrates that Italy did not require possession dominance to create high quality chances. Mancini's side effectively capitalised on key moments including the two penalty opportunities, while France failed to convert multiple clear cut chances into goals.

For Pio Esposito, these two goals against France add to his impressive international record. The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) confirms the Inter Milan striker has now scored 9 goals from 14 senior caps for Gli Azzurri. This brace against France is also his first ever for the senior national team.

This win carries historic meaning for Italy. Official FIGC and UEFA records show Gli Azzurri have finally secured a home victory over France after a 64 year wait. Italy last defeated Les Bleus on home soil back in May 1962.

The three points lifted Italy to the top of the provisional Group A1 standings with 10 points from 5 matches. France hold the exact same points total, while Belgium sit next on 9 points following their 2-1 win against Turkey.

The race is not yet concluded. Italy will face Belgium on the final matchday, Sunday 15 November 2026. A single draw will be enough to confirm Italy's Quarter Final qualification, while victory in Brussels will secure them top spot in the group stage.

Mancini has secured crucial momentum after leading Italy past one of their strongest rivals. Meanwhile Zidane will now have to review this first defeat of his tenure before France's final group fixture against Turkey.