France vs Italy: UEFA Nations League – BBC Sport

Italy had to do without injured Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori and celebrated a surprise 3-1 victory in France in their opening match of the Nations League.

The Gunners player was injured in a bizarre collision when Ousmane Dembele was tackled by another player, hitting him on the back of his leg with his studs upon impact.

He tried to play for a few more minutes but had to be substituted.

Bradley Barcola put France ahead after just 12 seconds when he intercepted an Italian pass, stormed into the penalty area and shot the ball into the goal.

Five minutes later, Italy almost equalised, but Davide Frattesi's header hit the crossbar.

Federico Dimarco equalized with a sensational volley after a pass from Sandro Tonali.

For Newcastle midfielder Tonali, it was his first international match since September 2023 after he recently returned from a 10-month ban for breaching gambling rules.

Inter Milan's Frattesi gave Italy the lead early in the second half with a precise finish from a ball played by Mateo Retegui.

Giacomo Raspadori beat William Saliba with a great control after a pass from Destiny Udogie and then scored the third goal for Italy.

London-born Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise made his senior French debut as a starter, having played for Les Bleus at the Olympic Games this summer.