Coach Zidane to lead France in first home match against Italy — The National
France will host Italy in Paris, France, on October 2 in a Nations League match. For France head coach Zinedine Zidane, it will be his first home game since taking up the post. Ahead of the meeting, the French team earned two 1-0 away victories — over Turkey and Belgium — and leads Group A1.
As The National reports, Michael Olise scored the winning goal late in the match against Belgium. He received a pass from Rayan Cherki, beat defender Maxim De Cuyper, cut in from the right flank and found the bottom corner.
France without Mbappe
France played without captain Kylian Mbappe against Belgium. The forward injured his knee while scoring the winning goal in the match against Turkey, so he ended the international window early. Zidane made nine changes to the starting lineup compared with the previous game, and introduced Ousmane Dembele, Cherki and Olise in the second half.
Zidane called Olise an extraordinary talent and noted his understanding of the game. After the victory in Brussels, the coach said the team was pleased with the six points collected, although the players had little rest, a lot of travel and few training sessions.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
For the 54-year-old Zidane, this is his first experience working with a national team. He returned to coaching after leaving Real Madrid for the second time in May 2021. His predecessor Didier Deschamps led France for 14 years.
Mancini's return
Italy are once again led by Roberto Mancini, who has returned to the head coach's role for a second time. His first match after returning ended in a 0-2 home defeat to Belgium, followed by whistles and discontent from fans in Rome.
However, in the next game, the Italians thrashed Turkey 4-1 away from home. Alessandro Bastoni, Davide Frattesi and Michael Kayode scored three goals in the opening half-hour, while Pio Esposito set the final score after Sandro Tonali's shot hit the post. Mancini said the team has a long journey ahead.
In the next round, France will again play Belgium at home on October 5, while Italy will host Turkey in Bologna.
