Twenty years after his last appearance at the Stade de France and his infamous exit from the game itself, Zinedine Zidane returned to the stadium not as a player but as a builder — a coach attempting to shape a new French generation. On a Friday evening in October 2026, before 77,118 witnesses, his team produced moments of genuine brilliance only to be denied a third consecutive victory by Italy's Alessandro Bastoni, the match settling into a 1-1 draw that reminded everyone, including Zidane, that history offers context but no guarantees.
Zidane's France debut ends in draw as Olise's brilliance undone by Bastoni
Olise's free kick bent off the crossbar and in; Bastoni's response was almost too easy.
Mark
So Zidane comes home for the first time as France's coach, and it ends in a draw. How much does that matter?
Mimi
It matters because he'd won his first two games—Belgium away, Turkey away. Three in a row would have been a statement. Instead, Olise scores this stunning free kick, and Bastoni just cancels it out. It's not a loss, but it's not the narrative Zidane was building.
Luke
But let's be clear about what we're seeing. Olise is playing brilliantly—that's two goals in four days, both spectacular. Bastoni's goal is clinical but not particularly difficult. The real story might be that Italy's goalkeeper, Donnarumma, made several important saves. Without him, France could have won.
Mark
Mbappé wasn't there, right? That's a big absence.
Mimi
Yes, he's injured—knee injury from last week. He's their captain, their best player. Zidane is trying to build something without him, which is harder.
Luke
Though we should note that France still leads the group with seven points, and they have Belgium to play on Monday. This isn't a crisis. It's one draw.
Mark
What about the symbolism of Zidane playing Italy at home? Isn't that loaded?
Mimi
Completely. His last game as a player was the 2006 World Cup final against Italy—he got sent off for the headbutt on Materazzi. This was his first time back at the Stade de France since 2006. The stadium knew what that meant.
Luke
The reporting makes that connection clear, but it's worth asking: does the historical weight actually affect how the team plays? Or is it just context for the reader?
Mark
Fair point. The match itself—was it well-played?
Mimi
It had moments. Italy had chances early, Kean should have scored. France dominated the second half until Bastoni equalized. Donnarumma kept Italy alive with several saves.
Luke
And Upamecano got sent off late, which left France vulnerable. So the match had shape—Italy threatened, France took over, Italy held on, then France lost a player. That's a complete narrative.
Mark
So what's the takeaway?
Mimi
Zidane's building something, but it's not seamless yet. Olise is a genuine talent. France is still in a good position in the group.
Luke
And Italy, under Mancini, is showing they can compete even though they've missed three World Cups. This draw probably feels better to them than to France.
El Pulso
- Michael Olise's free kick — bending off the crossbar and into the net in the 55th minute — briefly made it seem as though France's homecoming would be a triumphant one.
- Italy refused to be a backdrop: Bastoni dispossessed Da Cunha with ruthless timing and finished with the composure of a man who had been waiting for exactly that moment.
- Donnarumma stood between France and victory, making a string of saves that denied Rabiot, Dembele, and Camavinga as the hosts pushed for a winner they could not find.
- Upamecano's late red card left France with ten men, turning the final minutes into a defensive exercise rather than an attacking one.
- France holds seven points atop Nations League Group A1, but the draw — and Mbappé's continued absence through injury — signals that Zidane's rebuild is still very much a work in progress.
Twenty years after his last appearance at the Stade de France and his infamous exit from the game itself, Zinedine Zidane returned to the stadium not as a player but as a builder — a coach attempting to shape a new French generation. On a Friday evening in October 2026, before 77,118 witnesses, his team produced moments of genuine brilliance only to be denied a third consecutive victory by Italy's Alessandro Bastoni, the match settling into a 1-1 draw that reminded everyone, including Zidane, that history offers context but no guarantees.
Michael Olise had already announced himself four days earlier, coming off the bench in Belgium to seal a 1-0 win with a solo goal. Now, in front of 77,118 at the Stade de France, the Bayern Munich winger did it again — a free kick that bent off the crossbar and into the net in the 55th minute, the kind of strike that makes a stadium hold its breath before it erupts.
The occasion carried its own weight of history. Zinedine Zidane's last appearance at this ground had been in May 2006, earning his 100th cap against Mexico. His last game as a player altogether had come against Italy — in Berlin, in a World Cup final, ended by a headbutt and a red card. Now, at 54, he was back in a different role, trying to build something new with France while keeping one eye on Euro 2028. The symmetry was not lost on anyone inside the stadium.
France had come into the match without Kylian Mbappé, who had returned to Real Madrid with a knee injury. Zidane made six changes from the Belgium game, giving starts to Liverpool defender Jeremy Jacquet and Como midfielder Lucas Da Cunha alongside Olise. Italy, under Roberto Mancini in his second spell as coach, were navigating their own period of reconstruction after failing to qualify for three consecutive World Cups.
The first half offered chances without conviction — Moise Kean squandered Italy's best opportunity, and an Olise cross rattled the bar without going in. The second half was a different story. Gianluigi Donnarumma grew increasingly busy, saving from Doue, Dembele, and Olise before the winger finally beat him with that free kick, set up by Rayan Cherki.
Bastoni's equalizer arrived with a sting. He caught Da Cunha in possession just outside the France box and finished with ease — the simplicity of it a sharp contrast to the brilliance that had preceded it. Donnarumma then kept Italy level with saves from Rabiot and twice from Camavinga. Late on, Upamecano was sent off for a second yellow, leaving France to see out the final minutes with ten men.
The draw left France atop Nations League Group A1 with seven points, Belgium a point behind after beating Turkey 3-0. Italy sit on four. France and Belgium meet on Monday in the window's final fixture. For Zidane, the homecoming was complicated — a reminder that football still demands the cooperation of circumstance, and that even the most storied returns must negotiate with the present.
Michael Olise had just done it again—a free kick that bent off the crossbar and into the net, the kind of goal that makes you sit forward in your seat. It was the 55th minute at the Stade de France, a stadium packed with 77,118 people who had come to watch Zinedine Zidane's first home game as France's coach. Four days earlier, Olise had come off the bench in Belgium and scored a solo effort to seal a 1-0 win. Now, in front of his home crowd, the Bayern Munich winger was reminding everyone why he belonged in these moments.
But football is a game of balance, and Italy's Alessandro Bastoni understood that better than most. Midway through the second half, the Inter Milan defender caught Lucas Da Cunha in possession just outside the France box. The finish was straightforward—almost too easy after the brilliance that had preceded it. Bastoni's equalizer meant that Zidane, the 54-year-old legend who had never played again after his infamous headbutt on Marco Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup final, would not extend his perfect record. The match ended 1-1, a draw that felt like a small disappointment for France but a small victory for Italy.
The weight of history hung over this fixture from the start. Zidane's last game as a player had come against Italy in Berlin twenty years earlier, when he was sent off for that headbutt and Italy won on penalties. This was his first appearance at the Stade de France since May 2006, when he earned his 100th cap in a friendly against Mexico. The symmetry was not lost on anyone in the stadium. He was trying to build something new with France, with one eye already on Euro 2028, but the present kept intruding on his plans.
France came into the match without their captain, Kylian Mbappé, who had returned to Real Madrid after suffering a knee injury while scoring the winner in Turkey the previous week. Zidane made six changes from the Belgium game, bringing Olise back into the starting lineup alongside new faces like Liverpool defender Jeremy Jacquet and Como midfielder Lucas Da Cunha. Italy, meanwhile, were in the midst of their own rebuild under Roberto Mancini, who had returned for a second spell as coach of a nation that had failed to qualify for the last three World Cups.
The first half belonged to Italy in stretches. Moise Kean should have given them an early lead after a sweeping move, but his finish was poor and France goalkeeper Mike Maignan saved easily. Davide Frattesi also came close, and Kean had a goal disallowed for offside. For France, an Olise cross landed on the bar but went no further. It was the kind of half where neither team had fully seized control, where the match felt like it could tip either way.
Then came the second half, and France turned up the intensity. Gianluigi Donnarumma, Italy's goalkeeper and captain, became the busier man. He saved from Desire Doue, from Ousmane Dembele, and from Olise before the Bayern winger finally broke through. Rayan Cherki laid off the free kick, and Olise's strike was struck with such precision that it seemed to mock the goalkeeper's reach. For a moment, it looked like Zidane might get his third consecutive win.
Bastoni's response came quickly enough to sting. He dispossessed Da Cunha and had the space and composure to finish. Donnarumma, the former Paris Saint-Germain keeper, then produced a series of saves that kept Italy in the match—stopping Adrien Rabiot and twice denying Eduardo Camavinga. Late in the game, France's Dayot Upamecano was sent off for a second yellow card, leaving the hosts with ten men in the final minutes.
When the whistle came, France had seven points in UEFA Nations League Group A1, with Belgium just behind on six after a 3-0 win over Turkey. Italy had four points. France and Belgium would meet on Monday in their final match of the international window, while Italy would host Turkey next. For Zidane, the homecoming had been complicated—a reminder that even the greatest players cannot simply will their teams to victory, that football still requires the cooperation of circumstance and the opposition's refusal to surrender.
Citas Notables
Zidane is trying to build something new with France, with one eye already on Euro 2028— Match context
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