Italy Triumph 3-1 Over France in UEFA Nations League; Erling Haaland Held Scoreless Against Kazakhstan
Italy pulled off a stunning comeback to upset France 3-1 after falling behind early on in a thrilling UEFA Nations League match.
In just 13 seconds, Bradley Barcola’s game-winning goal placed France ahead, but Italy’s tenacity was evident at the Parc des Princes in Paris.
In Group B3, Benjamin Sesko scored a penalty in Slovenia’s 1-1 draw with Austria, while Erling Haaland was unable to score as Norway was held to a 0-0 tie on their arduous journey to Kazakhstan. The 109th-ranked Kazakh team was able to stop Haaland, the striker from Norway who has scored seven goals in his first three Premier League appearances for Manchester City.
In their Friday UEFA Nations League match in Paris, Italy overcame a 1-1 deficit in 13 seconds to defeat France 3-1, while Wales drew with Turkey and Belgium defeated Israel.
Bradley Barcola scored the first goal in France’s history at the Parc des Princes, but the national team was unable to build on the incredible start, as Federico Dimarco, Davide Frattesi, and Giacomo Raspadori all found the back of the net to secure a well-deserved victory for Italy.
The outcome is encouraging for Luciano Spalletti’s Italy squad following a dismal performance at Euro 2024, where Switzerland put an end to their championship defense in the round of 16.
“Italians love football and they have been very sad recently,” Spalletti remarked.
“We are glad to see a better performance tonight, which makes me happy.
“Now we can continue on this road because we saw how much potential we have.”
France, whose captain Kylian Mbappe found it difficult to create an impression, continued their success from the Euros, where they advanced to the semi-finals but never found their finest form. “It hurts for all of us,” Didier Deschamps, their coach, said.
Barcola overshadowed him even though he granted right-winger Michael Olise of Bayern Munich, who was born in London, his first full international appearance.
The Paris Saint-Germain winger beat the previous fastest French goal, scored after 38 seconds by Bernard Lacombe, also against Italy at the 1978 World Cup, by robbing Giovanni Di Lorenzo of the ball and scoring.
Frattesi struck the crossbar shortly after, but Italy equalized on the half-hour mark with a breathtaking goal. Dimarco set up Sandro Tonali for a first-time return, and the latter met it with a lovely volley that sailed into the far corner.
Early in the second half, Frattesi headed in a cross from Mateo Retegui to give Italy the lead. Three minutes later, Raspadori, a replacement, scored their third goal. Italy’s successful start to the Nations League matches has them equal with Belgium at the top of Group A2, following Belgium’s 3-1 victory against Israel on Friday.
After Belgian officials deemed the match too high-risk to host, Kevin De Bruyne scored twice for Belgium, including a penalty, in a game played in Hungary. Youri Tielemans also scored a goal, and Timothy Castagne also scored an own goal.
Next up for Italy is a match against Israel on Monday, which will take place in Budapest because of the security situation in the Middle East. Belgium plays France in Lyon. In other Group 4 action on Friday, Wales, under the direction of new coach Craig Bellamy, drew 0-0 in Cardiff with Turkey in the second-tier League B.
Despite having Baris Yilmaz sent off in the second half, Turkey managed to salvage a point. “Believe me, after just one game, I am not a pro at this. However, I relished it. I am incredibly glad that I got to play against such a fantastic country in your first game,” Bellamy told the BBC.
Wales will now play Montenegro, who suffered a 2-0 loss in Iceland on Friday. Group C2 saw Romania, led by the seasoned Mircea Lucescu, triumph 3-0 in Kosovo.
