Nations League: Italy Stuns France with Comeback After 13-Second Goal, Belgium Defeats Israel

Italy staged a remarkable comeback to defeat France 3-1 in an action-packed Nations League A Group 2 opener on Friday, despite conceding a goal just 12 seconds into the match.

Bradley Barcola gave France an early lead when he capitalized on a defensive lapse by Giovanni Di Lorenzo, surging into the box and curling his shot past Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Italy equalized half an hour later, with Federico Dimarco volleying in a clever back-heel pass from Sandro Tonali. Both sides went into halftime tied after a thrilling first half.

Early in the second half, Italy struck again, with Davide Frattesi putting them ahead five minutes after the restart. Giacomo Raspadori sealed the win in the 74th minute, silencing the home crowd at Parc des Princes.

Both teams entered the game seeking redemption following underwhelming performances at Euro 2024, but Italy emerged victorious with a much-needed win.

France had a dream start when Di Lorenzo hesitated with a back-pass, allowing Barcola to pounce and score his first international goal. Italy had a chance to equalize shortly after, but Frattesi’s close-range header rattled the crossbar.

Donnarumma made key saves to deny Kylian Mbappe and debutant Michael Olise, before Italy found their equalizer. Tonali, back in the lineup after serving a 10-month ban for betting rule violations, played a brilliant one-two with Dimarco, who volleyed home with his left foot to level the score.

“It was a magnificent game. We were concerned that Tonali wouldn’t last 90 minutes, but he showed his strength and gave us two great moments. We’ve rediscovered a very strong player,” said Italy manager Luciano Spalletti to RAI.

Italy started the second half strongly, with Retegui delivering a perfect ball across the goal for Frattesi, whose sliding finish beat Maignan at his near post. Minutes later, Maignan saved another Frattesi header from a corner.

The third goal came from a combination of substitutes. Destiny Udogie set up Raspadori, who skillfully rounded William Saliba and slotted the ball past Maignan to secure the win.

France applied pressure in search of a comeback, but Italy’s defense held firm, allowing them to claim all three points.

In Thursday’s other group match, Belgium defeated Israel 3-1. On Monday, France will host Belgium, while Italy will travel to Budapest to face Israel.