France Player Ratings vs Italy: Michael Olise Impresses Amid Malo Gusto's Difficult Night as Zidane Faces First Defeat at San Siro

Michael Olise gave France an early lead, but they fell to a 3-1 defeat against Italy in the Nations League at San Siro, marking Zinedine Zidane's first loss as France manager.

Olise capitalized on a mistake by goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 10th minute, finishing calmly to put France ahead. The visitors maintained control early on, but Italy fought back. Nicolo Cambiaghi outplayed Malo Gusto to assist Pio Esposito for the equalizer in the 26th minute. Before halftime, Bradley Barcola struck the post.

After the break, Rayan Cherki hit the post as well. Gusto was later penalized for fouling Cambiaghi, leading to a penalty missed by Sebastiano Esposito. Still, Italy scored twice more: Federico Dimarco set up Davide Frattesi in the 63rd minute, and Pio Esposito converted a penalty in the 75th after Dayot Upamecano fouled Antonio Vergara.

Despite holding 65% possession and taking 18 shots, France endured their first ever defeat at San Siro. Both teams are now tied with ten points in Group A1, with Italy ahead on head-to-head results. France will face Turkiye next, needing just a point to reach the quarter-finals.

France Player Ratings from San Siro

• Mike Maignan (6/10): Made two crucial saves denying Esposito twice but was beaten by powerful finishes and couldn’t stop the second penalty despite guessing correctly.
• Malo Gusto (4/10): Struggled throughout the match, frequently beaten by Cambiaghi and responsible for the penalty foul. His only notable contribution was a cross creating a chance for Barcola before being substituted.
• Dayot Upamecano (5/10): Read the game well in spots but gave away a costly penalty with a reckless challenge on Vergara.
• Jeremy Jacquet (6/10): Booked early for stopping a counter-attack, he wasn’t at fault for any goals and attempted an overhead kick late in the game.
• Adrien Truffert (6/10): Advanced regularly from left-back and assisted Cherki’s shot, mostly untroubled defensively before being replaced late on.
• Adrien Rabiot (7/10): Led with aggressive pressing and created chances, including an early header saved brilliantly by Donnarumma. Also made a key defensive recovery.
• Lucas Da Cunha (7/10): One of the most active players early on, narrowly missing a shot before Olise’s goal and assisting another chance. Penalized for a late foul.
• Rayan Cherki (6/10): Orchestrated play behind the strikers and nearly restored France’s lead with a shot that hit the post. Was guilty of overplaying at times.
• Michael Olise (8/10): The standout performer in Mbappe’s absence, scoring the opener and setting up Barcola’s near-goal. Persisted with several shots from distance until the end.
• Desire Doue (7/10): Showed energy from the start, delivering an early cross and taking a blow during the match but continued before being substituted.
• Bradley Barcola (7/10): Unlucky not to score after hitting the post and causing problems for the defense, though caught offside twice before being replaced.

Substitutes and Manager

• Sael Kumbedi (6/10): Debuted replacing Gusto with the team trailing.
• Senny Mayulu (6/10): Came on for Doue, winning a late free-kick that led to a close attempt from Olise.
• Andy Diouf (5/10): Substituted in but struggled to impact the game.
• Junior Kroupi (5/10): Made his debut late on and was booked for a foul in stoppage time.
• Eduardo Camavinga (6/10): Entered late and created a chance for Olise with a shot from distance.
• Zinedine Zidane (5/10): His team started well but lost structure after Italy’s equalizer, going over 25 minutes without a shot after Rabiot’s 58th-minute effort. His multiple substitutions came only after conceding the third goal.