Italy Hold France to Draw in Zidane's Stade de France Homecoming

This was Zinédine Zidane's home debut, not his first match as France coach. He arrived at the Stade de France after winning his opening two away games, according to AFP.

The opponent gave the occasion extra weight. Twenty years after his sending off for a headbutt in the 2006 World Cup final against Italy, Zidane faced the same country from the France bench, as ESPN FC reported.

The stadium itself stirred memories. L'Équipe described an emotional return during Zidane's pre-match press conference on October 1, ahead of his first home appearance as national coach.

On October 1, Italy coach Roberto Mancini acknowledged that France were further ahead, but said his team wanted to compete and enjoy the match, according to La Repubblica. France were preparing without the injured Mbappe, Al Jazeera reported.

On October 2, Michael Olise put France ahead with a free kick. Alessandro Bastoni then equalised for Italy, according to ANSA. Franceinfo reported that France conceded after an error while playing the ball out.

The match finished 1-1, denying Zidane a third consecutive Nations League victory. The42 reported a crowd of 77,118 at the Stade de France for his homecoming.

Assessments of the balance of play differed. Il Post described Italy as matching France, while Le Monde said France were more dominant but could not overcome the visitors.

On October 3, Adrien Rabiot argued that France had dominated and deserved to win. According to Fanpage, he said Zidane had delivered the same assessment in the dressing room.

The draw was the first interruption to Zidane's winning start. France's next assignment is Belgium at the Stade de France on October 5, with the team looking to remain top of Nations League Group A1, according to ESPN FC.

The latest team announcement confirms Guillaume Restes and Leny Yoro will start. Jérémy Jacquet, who has a physical problem, will begin on the bench, L'Équipe reported. The supplied coverage contains build-up and selections for that match, but no result.

Zidane has signalled further changes while trying to protect players' fitness and keep France competitive, according to Franceinfo. France beat Belgium 1-0 in Brussels a week earlier, giving the home meeting a recent point of comparison.

Suspensions will shape both teams. Dayot Upamecano is unavailable for France, while Belgium must do without Kevin De Bruyne and Youri Tielemans, according to L'Équipe. The pending test is whether France's revised side can turn the Italy draw into another win.