Italy beat France 3-1 to set up Group A1 finale

Italy beat France 3-1 in the UEFA Nations League on November 12, with Pio Esposito scoring twice and Davide Frattesi adding a goal. The result moved Italy level with France on 10 points in Group A1 and set up a final-round contest for the group’s two quarterfinal places, with Belgium also in contention.

France took the lead in the 10th minute when Michael Olise scored. Pio Esposito equalised before halftime, and Italy went ahead through Frattesi in the 63rd minute. Esposito converted a penalty in the 75th minute to complete the scoring and his brace.

Italy had missed an earlier penalty, with Sebastiano Esposito sending his attempt wide. The match account also described Italy as having a second spot-kick, which Pio Esposito converted. Italy’s win was Zinedine Zidane’s first defeat as France manager, according to the match reports.

Italy and France finished the match level on points. Italy moved into first place on head-to-head, while Belgium remained in the qualification race after a 2-1 win away to Türkiye, according to one report. The top two teams in Group A1 advance to the quarterfinals.

The decisive group fixtures are Belgium against Italy in Brussels and France against...