France secured the top spot in Nations League Group A2 with a commanding 3-1 victory over Italy on Sunday. In a high-stakes match at San Siro, Adrien Rabiot and Lucas Digne celebrated their 50th international caps by leading Les Bleus to victory.
Rabiot opened the scoring just two minutes into the game, powering a header into the net from a corner delivered by Digne. The early goal set the tone for France, who were playing without their captain, Kylian Mbappé.
Despite Italy’s attempts to fight back, France doubled their lead in the 33rd minute. Digne’s spectacular 27-meter free kick rattled the crossbar and deflected off Italian goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario for an own goal.
Italy responded swiftly, reducing the deficit two minutes later when Andrea Cambiaso volleyed home from Federico Dimarco’s cutback, making it 2-1 before halftime.
In the second half, France continued to press for another goal. In the 59th minute, Christopher Nkunku forced a save from Vicario with a low shot. The dynamic duo struck again when Digne’s pinpoint free kick found Rabiot, who headed in his second goal of the night, restoring France’s two-goal advantage.
With this win, France topped the group with 13 points, edging out Italy on goal difference. The victory also means Les Bleus will avoid facing European heavyweights Portugal, Germany, and Spain in the quarterfinals.
Elsewhere, Israel pulled off a surprise 1-0 win over Belgium in Budapest, thanks to an 86th-minute goal from debutant Yarden Shua. Despite the victory, Israel couldn’t avoid relegation from the Nations League’s top tier. Belgium, sharing the same points as Israel, avoided the drop due to a better head-to-head record.
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France secure top spot with win over Italy, Belgium avoid relegation
cgtn.com
