November 18, (THEWILL) – France claimed a commanding 3-1 victory against Italy in the UEFA Nations League Group A2 match at San Siro, establishing their position at the top of the group. The result extends their impressive away record against the Italian team to six matches without defeat.
Adrien Rabiot marked his 50th international appearance with two crucial headers, the first coming in the second minute from Lucas Digne’s corner. The early goal represented France’s quickest away strike in competitive football since Patrick Battiston’s goal against Luxembourg in 1984.
The French team doubled their advantage through an unusual sequence when Digne’s free-kick struck both the goalpost and Italian goalkeeper, Guglielmo Vicario, before finding the net. Andrea Cambiaso responded swiftly for Italy, converting Federico Dimarco’s cross to reduce the deficit before half-time.
Rabiot restored France’s two-goal margin in the 65th minute, converting another precise delivery from Digne. Despite late attempts from Cambiaso and Moise Kean, with the latter denied by an excellent Mike Maignan save, Italy could not mount a comeback.
The result positions France among the seeded teams for the March 2024 quarter-finals, guaranteeing them a home second leg. Italy progresses to the knockout phase but will enter the draw as an unseeded team.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
