France suffered a surprise 3-1 defeat to Italy in their first Group A2 Nations League match on Friday at the Parc des Princes. Despite Bradley Barcola scoring France’s quickest goal ever just 12 seconds into the game, Italy replied and won comfortably. This was France’s first loss to Italy since June 2008.
Didier Deschamps, France’s manager, gave debuts to Michael Olise of Bayern Munich and Manu Kone of Roma, who came on as a substitute. Deschamps justified his choice to rotate the squad, emphasising the value of utilising the Nations League to test new players and spread playing time ahead of World Cup qualification.
“The Nations League is an opportunity to introduce new players and manage playing time,” according to Deschamps. “I wouldn’t have done this during the World Cup qualifications, but I think it’s vital. “I’m not going to change course.”
Looking ahead to their forthcoming match against Belgium, Deschamps expressed disappointment with the Italy defeat but remained motivated. “Neither I nor the players are satisfied with the match against Italy. “Tomorrow is another game, another context,” he explained.
France will face Belgium on Monday at the Groupama Stadium in Lyon, hoping for a better showing after defeating them 1-0 in the round of 16 of Euro 2024.
