France vs Italy Recap: Olise's Free Kick, Bastoni's Equalizer and a Late Upamecano Red Card
- 🔑 France and Italy drew 1-1 at the Stade de France on Friday, October 2, 2026, in Matchday 3 of UEFA Nations League League A Group 1. Michael Olise scored in the 55th minute and Alessandro Bastoni equalized in the 68th, in a match that kicked off at 2:45 p.m. ET.
- Olise’s goal was a direct free kick from about 25 yards, taken after a short routine involving Rayan Cherki, that went in off the underside of the crossbar. Bastoni’s equalizer came after he dispossessed Lucas da Cunha, drove forward and finished low past France goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
- France defender Dayot Upamecano was sent off in about the 85th minute for a second yellow card after fouling Moise Kean near the box. The French federation said he is suspended for Monday’s match against Belgium and released him to return to Bayern Munich on Saturday, October 3.
- It was Zinedine Zidane’s first home match as France coach and Roberto Mancini’s third match since returning as Italy’s coach. France, still without the injured Kylian Mbappé, had won 1-0 at Türkiye and at Belgium before Bastoni’s goal gave them their first conceded under Zidane.
- As of the end of Matchday 3 on Friday night, October 2, France lead Group A1 with 7 points, ahead of Belgium on 6, Italy on 4 and Türkiye on 0. Belgium beat Türkiye 3-0 the same day. Matchday 4 on Monday, October 5, will change this table.
- Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma kept the score level with a string of saves, including a double stop to deny Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembélé just after halftime. This is a recap of a completed match, and no betting odds, spreads, or win-probability models appear anywhere on this page.
France and Italy drew 1-1 at the Stade de France on Friday, October 2, 2026, as Michael Olise’s free kick was answered by Alessandro Bastoni’s equalizer and France’s Dayot Upamecano was sent off late. The match was Matchday 3 of UEFA Nations League League A Group 1 and kicked off at 20:45 local time, which was 2:45 p.m. ET, a Friday afternoon in the US. It was Zinedine Zidane’s first home match as France coach and Roberto Mancini’s third match back in charge of Italy.
What was the final score of France vs Italy?
France 1, Italy 1. Both goals came after a scoreless first half, with Olise putting the hosts ahead in the 55th minute and Bastoni leveling in the 68th.
| Min | Scorer | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 55' | Olise | France |
| 68' | Bastoni | Italy |
How did Olise score France’s goal?
Olise scored from a direct free kick from roughly 25 yards, and the ball went in off the underside of the crossbar. The set piece began as a short routine involving Rayan Cherki, and Olise’s curling strike beat Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Olise started this match after scoring the 88th-minute winner as a substitute at Belgium on September 28, which we covered in our Belgium vs France recap .
How did Bastoni equalize for Italy?
Bastoni equalized in the 68th minute after dispossessing France’s Lucas da Cunha, then driving forward and finishing low past goalkeeper Mike Maignan. The central defender took advantage of a French turnover in build-up. He had also scored in Italy’s 4-1 win at Türkiye on September 28, detailed in our Türkiye vs Italy recap . It was the first goal France had conceded in three matches under Zidane, after 1-0 wins at Türkiye on September 25 and at Belgium.
Why was Upamecano sent off, and is he suspended?
Upamecano was shown a second yellow card for fouling Moise Kean near the box, and the resulting red card came in about the 85th minute. Because it came with roughly five minutes of normal time left, France were a man short only for the closing stretch, not for the second half. A second yellow card carries an automatic one-match ban. The French federation said Upamecano is suspended for the Belgium game on Monday, October 5, and released him to return to his club, Bayern Munich, on Saturday, October 3.
Which saves and near misses kept it level?
Donnarumma made a string of saves that kept Italy level, including a double stop to deny Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembélé just after halftime. He also stopped efforts from Adrien Rabiot and Eduardo Camavinga. Reports differ on the exact save count, so we don’t give a total. At the other end, Maignan got a hand to a looping Kean header late on, and it struck the crossbar.
What did Zidane and Mancini say afterward?
Zidane said France deserved more from the night, while Mancini said Italy had limited France’s chances. Zidane said he was “disappointed for the players because we deserved better,” according to the wire-service report. Mancini told Italy’s public broadcaster that his side allowed very few chances even though France had more of the ball.
What was the background to the match?
Both coaches are early in their tenures, and France were again without Kylian Mbappé. Zidane was named France coach in late July 2026, succeeding Didier Deschamps. Mancini returned as Italy coach in July 2026, and his side came in after a 2-0 loss to Belgium and a 4-1 win at Türkiye. Mbappé missed a second straight match with the knee injury he suffered while scoring against Türkiye on September 25. Italy’s Antonio Vergara made his national team debut off the bench.
Where does Group A1 stand after Matchday 3?
As of Friday night, October 2, France lead Group A1 on 7 points, one ahead of Belgium, with Italy on 4 and Türkiye on 0. Belgium beat Türkiye 3-0 in Liège the same day, with Kevin De Bruyne scoring twice and Romelu Lukaku once. The table below is as of the end of Matchday 3, before Monday’s Matchday 4.
| Team | Pld | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 3 | +2 | 7 |
| Belgium | 3 | +4 | 6 |
| Italy | 3 | +1 | 4 |
| Türkiye | 3 | -7 | 0 |
When do France and Italy play next?
Both teams are back in action on Monday, October 5, 2026, at 20:45 local time (2:45 p.m. ET), when France host Belgium at the Stade de France and Italy host Türkiye in Bologna. France and Italy then meet again in the return fixture at San Siro in Milan on Thursday, November 12, 2026.
The draw leaves France unbeaten under Zidane after three matches and Italy on four points after a loss, a win and a draw. For how the six matchdays, quarterfinals and Finals fit together this season, see our guide to the 2026-27 Nations League format .
How we verified this
The final score and goals (France 1, Italy 1; Olise 55’, Bastoni 68’) were checked against a wire-service match report, a US sports-network match report and box score, Italy’s national federation’s own match report, a UEFA-side highlights report, and a structured fixtures and standings reference. All agree on the 1-1 result. A minority of live-blog sources list the goals a minute earlier (54’ and 67’); we followed the majority and the structured reference.
The red card (Upamecano, second yellow card for a foul on Moise Kean near the box, around the 85th minute) was checked against the same reports. A few automated summaries garbled the timing or the reason, so we describe only what the match reports and the structured reference agree on, and we do not characterize his earlier booking or any exchange with Kean.
Upamecano’s suspension (an automatic one-match ban, so he misses France vs Belgium on October 5) rests on the French federation’s own statement, which four separate news reports quote. We did not separately check a UEFA disciplinary notice.
Donnarumma’s saves: sources conflict on his total (six in one live blog, seven in the Italian federation’s report), so this page gives no number. The double save on Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembélé and the stops on Adrien Rabiot and Eduardo Camavinga are named only because at least three independent reports mention each. Maignan’s touch on a Kean header that struck the crossbar appears in four reports.
Quotes and names: Zidane’s quote follows the wire-service wording, which a US sports-network report also carries; other outlets render his words differently, so we use only that one. Mancini’s remarks are paraphrased from an interview with Italy’s public broadcaster as reported by the wire service. Several automated summaries misspelled names (Rayan Cherki, Antonio Vergara, Roberto Mancini), so we followed the spellings in match reports and official lineups.
Background facts: Mbappé’s absence through the knee injury suffered on September 25 was checked against a US sports-network report and a news-agency report on the injury. The coaching appointments and earlier Group A1 results match a structured standings reference and this site’s own recaps. That Bastoni’s goal was the first France conceded under Zidane is derived from the two earlier 1-0 results.
Group A1 table was recomputed from the six completed results (Italy 0-2 Belgium, Türkiye 0-1 France, Belgium 0-1 France, Türkiye 1-4 Italy, Belgium 3-0 Türkiye, France 1-1 Italy) and matches the structured standings reference. It is pinned as of the end of Matchday 3 and will change after Matchday 4 on Monday, October 5, which had not been played at write time.
Dates and times: 20:45 local time is 2:45 p.m. ET on both October 2 and October 5, because Europe is still on summer time. The October 5 fixtures and the November 12 return match at San Siro were checked against a structured reference and two schedule pages. The referee and attendance figures appear in only one source, so we left them out.
No betting odds, spreads, or win-probability models appear anywhere on this page.