Italy stun France as Nations League Group A1 goes down to final day

Italy came from behind to beat France 3-1 at San Siro, handing Zinedine Zidane his first defeat as France manager and setting up a three-way fight for the two Uefa Nations League quarter-final places.

France made the stronger start when Michael Olise put them ahead after 10 minutes, but Italy recovered quickly and Pio Esposito equalised before half-time.

The hosts missed the chance to move in front when Sebastiano Esposito sent a second-half penalty wide. Italy continued to apply pressure, however, and Davide Frattesi completed the turnaround in the 63rd minute.

Pio Esposito then converted Italy’s second penalty of the evening in the 75th minute to secure a significant victory.

“Conceding a goal against France after 10 minutes could’ve destroyed us, instead we stayed calm, and after seven or eight minutes, we got back on track,” Italy manager Roberto Mancini told RAI Sport.

“We managed to stay calm, continued playing, and eventually thoroughly deserved the victory.”

Zidane, unhappy with France’s defensive mistakes, described the defeat as “part of the process” and said his players needed to show greater discipline without the ball.

The result leaves Italy and France level on 10 points, with Italy top because of their superior head-to-head record. Belgium remain in contention after a 2-1 victory away to Turkiye.

Italy travel to Brussels to face Belgium on Sunday, while France host Turkiye. With only two quarter-final places available, one of the three European heavyweights will fail to progress from the group.

Spain and England secure quarter-final places

Spain and England have already qualified from Group A3 after both won on Thursday.

World and European champions Spain continued their perfect campaign by beating Czechia 2-0 in Prague, reaching 15 points despite the absence of injured Lamine Yamal.

England followed with a 2-1 victory over Croatia at Wembley, moving to 12 points and eliminating both Croatia and Czechia from contention for the quarter-finals.

“It can’t always be glamorous and super-exciting. Sometimes it’s about being serious and determined,” England head coach Thomas Tuchel said.

“We got the job done. We wanted a final on Sunday in Spain.”

Spain and England will meet in Madrid on Sunday to decide who finishes top of the group and earns the higher seeding in the knockout stage. Spain will win the group if they avoid defeat, while England must beat La Roja in Spain to overturn their 3-2 loss at Wembley in September.

Netherlands and Greece meet in Group A2

The qualification picture will become clearer over the next 48 hours. Netherlands and Greece, the Group A2 leaders, face each other tonight at 21:45 SAST, while Germany visit Serbia.

Portugal host Denmark in Braga on Saturday night in their first competitive match since Cristiano Ronaldo’s international retirement. Portugal need only a point to secure their place in the quarter-finals.