Italy Ends 64-Year Curse Against France in Nations League
For 64 long years, France came to Italy and left untouched. That streak died under the San Siro lights on Thursday night, ripped apart by a hungry Azzurri side that refused to blink.
Down after just 10 minutes to a sharp Michael Olise finish for France, Italy could easily have folded into old habits and old scars. Instead, they roared back. A brace from Pio Esposito and a ruthless strike from Davide Frattesi turned a fraught evening into a statement 3-1 victory and flipped the Nations League group on its head.
Final Score: Italy 3 - 1 France
By full-time, the scoreboard told one story. The table told an even bigger one.
Italy sit top of the group on 10 points. France are level with them on 10, but behind on both goal difference and the head-to-head tiebreaker. Belgium lurk just a point back on nine. Turkey, still without a single point after five matches, are already out of the running.
San Siro had not seen an Italian win over France in more than six decades. It finally did, and the timing could hardly be more significant.
What Italy have earned – and what still lies ahead
Roberto Mancini’s team did more than just win a prestige fixture. With that result, Italy are now mathematically safe from relegation and guaranteed to finish no lower than third in the group. League A status is secure.
But this campaign is no longer about survival. It is about control.
The final round of fixtures arrives on Sunday evening. Italy travel to Brussels to face Belgium, while France meet Turkey. Everything funnels into those 90 minutes.
The equation for Mancini is clear:
- Win in Brussels, and Italy are guaranteed to finish as group winners. No calculators, no waiting on other results, just a clean march into the Nations League quarter-finals as the top seed from the section.
- Draw with Belgium, and Italy are certain to reach the quarter-finals as at least runners-up. To stay on top of the group in that scenario, they would need France to drop points against Turkey – a team that has lost all five of its matches so far.
- Lose, and the picture becomes more delicate, but even then Italy cannot fall below third. Thanks to their points haul, they would still be in contention to progress as one of the two best-ranked third-place teams across League A.
The pressure finally told against France, and Italy seized their moment. Esposito’s double gave the night its cutting edge, while Frattesi’s goal underlined the midfield drive that has become a feature of this side. It was not just a comeback; it was a reshaping of the group’s balance of power.
Now comes the real test. San Siro has been conquered. History has been rewritten. But can this Italy walk into Brussels, stare down Belgium, and finish the job as group leaders?
