The facts
On Friday, Zinedine Zidane’s inaugural home game as France manager concluded with a 1‑1 draw against Italy in the Nations League. Michael Olise gave France the lead in the 55th minute with a curling shot that struck the crossbar before going in, after a short free‑kick from Rayan Cherki. Italy equalised midway through the second half when Alessandro Bastoni slotted a low shot inside the right post. The hosts were reduced to ten men late in the game when Dayot Upamecano received a second yellow card and was sent off. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma made a series of crucial saves, including a low stop on Eduardo Camavinga in stoppage time to preserve Italy’s point. Zidane said he was “happy with the performance albeit not with the result,” while Italy boss Roberto Mancini praised his side’s effort against a top opponent. In other Group A fixtures, Belgium beat Turkey 3‑0 and France remain top of Group A1, a point ahead of Belgium.
Our take
Fuck, what a slap‑in‑the‑face welcome party for the new French boss. Zidane steps onto the Stade de France with a squad that looks like a collection of over‑paid celebrities, and the best they manage is a 1‑1 draw that they only hold onto because they finish the match with ten men. Upamecano’s late red card feels less like a disciplinary blunder and more like a tactical excuse – as if losing a defender somehow makes the team look tougher. The French attack, which should have been a nightmare for any keeper, was reduced to a wet paper bag after Olise’s lone goal. Alessandro Bastoni’s equaliser was a textbook finish, and Donnarumma’s heroics in the dying minutes reminded everyone that Italy still have a world‑class goalkeeper. Zidane’s post‑match comments – “happy with the performance albeit not with the result” – read like a half‑hearted pat on the back for a job barely done. Mancini’s praise of his side as “one of the best teams in the world” is a polite way of saying Italy did the heavy lifting while France flailed. Meanwhile, Belgium cruised past Turkey 3‑0 and Northern Ireland thumped Ukraine 3‑0, proving that even minnows can out‑perform the French superstars on a night when France look like a bunch of pretentious, over‑hyped cunts. If this is the benchmark for Zidane’s tenure, the French fans might want to start buying tickets for the opposition’s games instead. The only thing France promoted tonight was the idea that their new messiah could be a fucking fraud.
