Italy defeated France 3-1 at San Siro on the fifth matchday of the UEFA Nations League, powered by a brace from Francesco Pio Esposito and a goal from Davide Frattesi, calciomio.fr reported.
The visitors opened the scoring in the 10th minute through Michael Olise, who capitalized on a missed clearance from Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Roberto Mancini’s squad leveled before halftime when Pio Esposito scored after receiving a pass from Nicolò Cambiaghi.
Esposito misses penalty as Italy moves to top of Group A1
Sebastiano Esposito missed a penalty kick early in the second half, but Frattesi restored momentum for the hosts by scoring with a left-footed strike following an assist from Federico Dimarco. Pio Esposito then converted a second penalty kick to seal the match before running to embrace his brother on the pitch.
With the victory, Italy draws level with France at 10 points at the top of Group A1, holding the advantage on goal difference. Belgium sits in third place with 9 points, while Turkey occupies the bottom spot with five losses in five matches.
Brussels showdown ahead
A draw against Belgium in Brussels on Sunday will secure qualification for Italy into the quarterfinals of the competition. A win would guarantee the Azzurri first place in the group, ensuring a seeded draw and home-field advantage for the return leg.
“Great performance, the boys were very good, I am very happy for them and for the supporters who were there tonight,” Mancini said, according to calciomio.fr.
“But this victory only counts up to a certain point, because we absolutely must go win in Belgium.”
The Italian manager also addressed the team’s penalty-taking duties following the match.
“Pio was the designated taker,” Mancini told calciomio.fr. “Next time, the Esposito brothers won’t make mistakes.”