Zinedine Zidane accepts first France defeat as ‘part of the process’ after Italy loss

Zinedine Zidane has admitted France must improve defensively after suffering his first defeat as head coach, following a 3-1 loss to Italy in the UEFA Nations League on Thursday.

Despite an encouraging start at San Siro, Les Bleus struggled to maintain their early momentum as Italy produced a second-half turnaround to claim all three points.

Michael Olise gave France an early advantage, putting Zidane’s side on course for a positive result in Milan. However, Francesco Pio Esposito scored twice, while Davide Frattesi also found the net as Italy overturned the deficit.

France had controlled much of the opening period and went into the break on level terms. However, their defensive organisation deteriorated after the restart, allowing the hosts to take control of the contest.

Frattesi struck three minutes after Sebastiano Esposito had missed a penalty, before the younger Esposito converted another spot kick to complete Italy’s victory.

The defeat marked an early setback for Zidane, who acknowledged his team’s struggles without the ball but insisted the result should be viewed as part of their development.

“We started well, and we were good in possession, but in the second half we ran into difficulties, especially defensively,” Zidane told a press conference.

Asked whether his players lacked courage, the former Real Madrid manager rejected the suggestion, pointing instead to their inability to maintain their performance after conceding the second goal.

“No, quite the opposite. We stayed in the game, we did well in possession, especially in the first half, but in the second half we caved in a bit, especially after 2-1. It’s part of the process,” he added.

Zidane identifies defensive problems despite France’s attacking threat

France produced encouraging attacking numbers but failed to translate their possession into a positive result.

Zidane’s side enjoyed 60 per cent possession and registered 18 attempts, with two efforts striking the woodwork during an entertaining encounter.

However, the French coach insisted that their inability to defend effectively, rather than their attacking output, was the major concern from the defeat.

He maintained that creating opportunities remains important but wants his players to understand why their organisation deteriorated when they were out of possession.

“The most important thing is creating chances,” Zidane said.

“Hitting the post had an impact, but I’m not disappointed. I would have been if we hadn’t created good possession. What we need to analyse is why we weren’t at the right level off the ball.”

The result leaves France second in Group A1, behind Italy on their head-to-head record, as the competition approaches its final round of matches.

Les Bleus will look to respond when they host Turkey on Sunday, with their opponents yet to collect a point in the group. Italy, meanwhile, travel to Belgium, who sit third, one point behind the leaders.

Zidane expects Mbappe return as Italy celebrate Esposito’s rise

France were without attacking stars Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele for the trip to Milan, but Zidane dismissed suggestions that their absence contributed to the defeat.

The coach maintained that his players remained focused but admitted their performance levels dropped after the interval.

He also provided an encouraging update on Mbappe, revealing that the Real Madrid forward could return for Sunday’s meeting with Turkey after being rested because of a minor problem.

“I think all the players were focused. As I said, we were a little less focused and less effective in the second half,” Zidane said.

“I hope (Mbappe) can play against Turkey. That is the plan, we decided not to risk him tonight because he had a little problem.”

While France reflected on their defensive shortcomings, Italy celebrated another impressive performance under Roberto Mancini.

The victory extended Italy’s unbeaten run to four matches and continued Mancini’s encouraging start to his second spell in charge.

Esposito was the standout performer, taking his international tally to nine goals in 14 appearances with his brace against France.

His performances have already attracted attention, with Mancini suggesting the Inter Milan striker could eventually challenge the long-standing national scoring record held by Gigi Riva, who finished his international career with 35 goals.

“Let’s hope he scores a lot more goals,” Mancini said.

“Gigi Riva has been up there on 35 for a lifetime. Let’s hope someone surpasses him. We need goals from Pio and the others too, but he can score a lot.”

Esposito could have completed a hat-trick had his older brother Sebastiano converted Italy’s first penalty of the match.

Mancini revealed that Pio was the designated penalty taker ahead of his brother, joking that the decision to let Sebastiano take the kick was a family matter.

“Pio is first choice and then Sebastiano. It was a family thing,” Mancini laughed.