Italy Triumphs Over France: Domenech's Tweet Backfires
The old ghosts of Berlin resurfaced in Milan on Thursday night, and Raymond Domenech walked straight into them.
As Italy and France went toe to toe at San Siro in the Nations League, the former France head coach decided to offer his verdict in real time. It was not subtle.
“You really never understood football,” he posted during the game, before doubling down when the score was 1-1: “Italy 1-1 France, it's beyond the Italians' wildest dreams. So weak in every department, but what's most surprising is their technical level. So many mistakes from easy passes, it's alarming.”
Ninety minutes later, that alarm had turned on him.
A Statement Win in San Siro
Italy didn’t just beat France. They broke a 64-year wait for a home victory over Les Bleus with a 3-1 win that felt bigger than the scoreline.
Michael Olise had struck for France, but the night belonged to Roberto Mancini’s side and, in particular, to Pio Esposito. The young forward hit two, including Italy’s third, and could have walked away with the match ball if his brother Sebastiano had not missed a penalty.
Between Esposito’s double, Davide Frattesi’s crisp finish for 2-1, and a relentless collective effort, Italy turned what Domenech had dismissed as a “wildest dreams” scenario into a cold, clinical reality.
The victory launched the Azzurri above France and into top spot in their Nations League group heading into Sunday’s final round. Now, a draw against Belgium is enough to secure a place in the quarter-finals. For a team accused of being “so weak in every department,” that table makes a loud counterargument.
Italy Roar, France Fume
In Italy, the reaction was instant and euphoric. The tone in the morning papers said everything.
Tuttosport announced that the Azzurri “are back”, while Corriere dello Sport splashed its gratitude to Mancini across the front page. The narrative has shifted: this is no longer a side searching for itself, but one that believes it can trade blows with Europe’s elite again, and win.
Across the border, the mood could hardly be more different. France’s defeat, and the manner of it, has triggered a familiar bout of introspection. Domenech, never far from controversy, chose the wrong night to aim his fire at Italy.
His criticism might have passed as just another grumble from a former coach. The match, and the scoreline, turned it into a punchline.
Social Media Trial for Domenech
Once Frattesi put Italy 2-1 up and Pio Esposito added the third just over ten minutes later, Domenech’s words were already being bookmarked. The final whistle simply opened the floodgates.
Italian fans flooded social media with mocking replies to his tweet. The most common response was not even a sentence, but a memory: clips and gifs of Fabio Cannavaro lifting the 2006 World Cup trophy in Berlin, the night Italy beat Domenech’s France in the final.
Images resurfaced of Domenech standing on the Olympic Stadium pitch, watching Cannavaro and his teammates hoist the trophy that had slipped from France’s grasp. For many Italian supporters, it was the perfect way to frame his latest outburst: another defeat, another reminder.
The replies grew sharper.
“You always provide, dear Raymond, thank you for the entertainment,” wrote one fan.
“Keep reading your horoscopes, Raymond,” added another, a pointed nod to the coach’s long-mocked interest in astrology during his time in charge of the national team.
Old Rivalries, New Fuel
This was more than just a Nations League group game. Italy and France carry history into every meeting, and Thursday night added a fresh layer.
On the pitch, Italy produced the kind of aggressive, purposeful performance that supporters have been demanding. Off it, they watched a former rival coach dismiss them in real time, then saw his words implode as the goals flew in.
San Siro celebrated a 3-1 win and a step towards the quarter-finals. Online, Italian fans celebrated something else: the rare spectacle of a long-time antagonist scoring the most avoidable own goal of the night.
