Zidane's France held 1-1 by Italy in Stade de France home debut

France and Italy shared the points in a 1-1 UEFA Nations League draw at the Stade de France on Friday, denying Zinedine Zidane a winning home debut as Les Bleus coach in front of 77,118 fans.

What happened

Michael Olise put France ahead in the 55th minute after Rayan Cherki laid off a free-kick, with Olise's shot bouncing in off the underside of the bar. Alessandro Bastoni equalised in the 68th minute, stealing possession from Lucas Da Cunha outside the box and finishing to make it 1-1.

Dayot Upamecano was sent off in the 85th minute after a second yellow card, leaving France to see out the closing stages with 10 men. Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma produced a string of saves, denying Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembele, Olise, Adrien Rabiot and Eduardo Camavinga as France pressed for a late winner.

Zidane's start

The match was Zidane's first home game since taking charge of France. He had won his first two competitive fixtures 1-0 away, against Turkey and Belgium, and arrived in Saint-Denis looking for a third straight victory. Kylian Mbappe was unavailable with a knee injury, forcing Zidane to reshuffle his attacking options without his talismanic forward.

Roberto Mancini, in his second spell as Italy coach, saw his side earn a valuable point on the road after falling behind. Bastoni's opportunistic strike rewarded a more aggressive second-half approach from the Azzurri.

Group picture

France remain top of Group A1 on seven points, ahead of Belgium on six and Italy on four. The result keeps Zidane's side in pole position but leaves the group open heading into the next round of fixtures. France host Belgium on Monday in another key Group A1 clash, while Italy host Turkey as both sides look to improve their standings.

Reporting was based on match coverage from Al Jazeera (with AFP), BBC Sport and ESPN.