Olise Free-Kick Cancelled Out as Bastoni Earns Italy a Point in Paris

France and Italy opened their UEFA Nations League A Group 1 campaign with a 1-1 draw at the Stade de France, a result that reflected the visitors' efficiency in the face of a sustained French territorial siege.

Didier Deschamps set his side up in a 4-3-3 that hogged the ball from the first whistle, while Luciano Spalletti's Italy mirrored the shape but sat deeper, content to absorb pressure and strike on the break. The first half was a tactical stalemate on the scoreboard, yet Italy created the more dangerous moments. They generated 0.90 xG to France's 0.28 before the interval, carving out both of the half's big chances. France, for all their 64% possession and 24 touches in the Italian box, managed only a single shot on target.

Gianluigi Donnarumma underlined Italy's resilience with a brilliant double save three minutes after the restart, denying Ousmane Dembélé from close range and then smothering the rebound. The warning shot jolted France into a sharper rhythm, and the breakthrough arrived in the 55th minute.

Rayan Cherki rolled a short free-kick into the path of Michael Olise, who whipped a left-footed effort past Donnarumma from an acute angle. The strike carried a modest 0.07 xG, a moment of individual quality that lit up a match short on clear openings. Olise's goal was his first of the Nations League campaign and capped a performance in which he led France's individual numbers with 0.12 xG.

Italy's response was swift and clinical. In the 68th minute, Alessandro Bastoni ghosted into the box during a rare spell of sustained possession and swept a left-footed finish into the net from regular play. The chance was worth 0.23 xG, and Bastoni's 0.37 total xG on the night made him Italy's most threatening player. The equaliser silenced the home crowd and shifted the momentum.

France finished with 65% possession, 669 accurate passes at 92% completion, and a staggering 50 touches in the Italian penalty area. They out-shot Italy 18 to 14 and put eight efforts on target to the visitors' two. Yet the underlying numbers told a different story. Italy's full-time xG of 1.55 dwarfed France's 1.17, driven by a 0.67 xG from set-pieces alone. France, by contrast, managed just 0.11 xG from dead-ball situations.

The disparity was sharpest in open play, where France's 1.05 xG shaded Italy's 0.88, but the hosts' wastefulness in front of goal proved costly. Dembélé accumulated 0.57 xG without scoring, missing the target with several presentable chances. Olise, with a fraction of that expected output, made his one clear sight of goal count.

Italy's discipline frayed as they protected their point, collecting four yellow cards to France's zero, but they held firm. The final xG tally of 1.17 to 1.55 underscored how Italy manufactured the higher-quality opportunities despite being pinned back for long stretches.

The closing stages crackled with incident. Moise Kean rattled the crossbar with a header in the 81st minute, inches from snatching a winner for Italy. Then, with five minutes remaining, France's Dayot Upamecano was shown a straight red card, reducing the hosts to ten men. Italy pressed for a late breakthrough but could not find a way through, and the contest ended level.

Both sides leave with a point that feels more valuable for Italy, who absorbed 426 opposition-half passes and 50 box touches yet escaped with a draw. For France, the numbers painted a picture of control without a cutting edge, a theme Deschamps will need to address before the next fixture.

FotMob, The Guardian, Goal.