A stunning equalizer from Federico Dimarco and second-half strikes from David Frattesi and Giacomo Raspadori gave Italy their first win at the Parc des Princes as the Azzurri opened their Uefa Nations League campaign with a 3-1 win over France.
The visitors had not won in France for more than 70 years and quickly hit back when Bradley Barcola fired home after 13 seconds.
Dimarco fired in a brilliantly angled volley to level before the break, blasting a first-time shot past the returning Sandro Tonali.
Two slick moves allowed Luciano Spalletti’s side to score two more goals in the second half, Frattesi striking first to finish off one pass before Raspadori’s brilliance allowed him to curl in from Destiny Udogie.
Calcio. The wind. Italy. 💙#FRAITA #Azzurri #VivoAzzurro pic.twitter.com/equDOdCfDD
— Italy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@Azzurri_En) September 6, 2024
France vs Italy: Joy for Spalletti
Fresh from leading Napoli to their first Serie A title since 1990, Spalletti was expected to make an immediate impact in Italy when he was appointed in September 2023.
The European champions at the time, failed to reach the 2022 FIFA World Cup with a play-off defeat to North Macedonia – and their performance at Euro 2024 would have affected Spalletti’s pride.
Italy won one of their four finals matches en route to a comfortable thrashing by Switzerland in the round of 16, while their underwhelming start in Paris suggested a hangover rather than victory.
As it turns out, this has been one of their most memorable performances since Spalletti’s predecessor, Roberto Mancini, guided them to glory at Euro 2020.
🫶🫶🫶#FRAITA #Azzurri #VivoAzzurro pic.twitter.com/XHNEfBuv1u
— Italy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@Azzurri_En) September 6, 2024
Nations League: Italy shine
Frattesi provided the spark for the surprise attack to come, heading the ball against the post six minutes after Barcola’s strike.
Full-back Dimarco’s brilliant response was better than a well-rested Tonali finding him inside the box, although France would have had reason to believe they were the better side in the first half.
The winners of the 2020-21 Nations League had no answer to the speed and precision of Italy’s movement, distribution and finishing when the action resumed, Frattesi and Raspadori ended up matching the quality of the stops.
Italy face Israel in Hungary on Monday (7.45pm BST), while France host Belgium in Lyon. The Red Devils beat Israel 3-1 on Friday with two goals from Kevin De Bruyne.
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