PARIS — Zinedine Zidane ‘s first home game in charge of France ended with a 1-1 draw against Italy in the Nations League on Friday. French fans got an exciting game at Stade de France but not the result they expected, mainly because of Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma’s performance. Michael Olise put France ahead in the 55th minute with a curling shot from 20 meters which went in off the crossbar, following a short free kick taken by Rayan Cherki. Poor defending midway through the second half allowed central defender Alessandro Bastoni to run through and clip a low shot inside the right post. “I’m disappointed for the players because we deserved better. We had chances to kill the game off but we didn’t and football’s like that sometimes,” Zidane said. “But it was encouraging. Honestly, I’m proud of how we played.” Roar of approval When Zidane’s name was read out by the stadium announcer after the teams were announced, a roar filled Stade de France Fans then broke out into chants of “Zizou, Zizou” — the affectionate nickname Zidane is known by among French soccer fans — and one banner read “Bienvenue Chez Toi” (Welcome Home). “It was touching,” Zidane said of the ovation he received. “We would have loved to give the stadium and the whole nation a victory, but it wasn’t to be.” Zidane’s appointment as national team coach has been met with a wave of enthusiasm. A train station close to the stadium even had a message waiting for those arriving: “Welcome to Zinedine Zidane’s first game in charge,” a woman said over the public address system. The 54-year-old Zidane was appointed France coach after the World Cup, replacing Didier Deschamps. He won his first two games 1-0, away to Turkey and Belgium in the Nations League, with Olise scoring a solo winner against the Belgians. Zidane was facing Italy for the first time since his infamous headbutt in the final of the 2006 World Cup, which saw him sent off in extra time in the last game of his stellar career. The stadium itself holds special value to Zidane. He scored the first goal in a friendly against Spain when Stade de France was inaugurated in January 1998, and his two powerful headers later that year helped France win the World Cup for the first time with a 3-0 win over Brazil in the final. For returning Italy coach Roberto Mancini there are signs of improvement. His new tenure began with a 2-0 home loss to Belgium, followed by a 4-1 win at Turkey and now a solid performance against a World Cup semifinalist. France tops their League A group with seven points, followed by Belgium on six following a 3-0 win in Turkey. Les Bleus face Belgium at Stade de France on Monday. Getting involved During one first half attack, Zidane crouched over with his hands on his knees as if trying to get a closer look and then gesticulated with his hands to direct the move — even though his players had their backs to him. Zidane had said before the game that Italy remains a dangerous side, even despite poor recent results. Striker Moise Kean missed a close-range chance early on for Italy, shooting straight at goalkeeper Mike Maignan from meters out. Donnarumma made a double save from Ousmae Dembélé and Désiré Doué early in the second half, then produced a brilliant low save to deny Adrien Rabiot moments after Italy’s equalizer. After France defender Dayot Upamecano was sent off late in the game for picking up a second yellow card, Donnarumma superbly clawed away Eduardo Camavinga’s shot in stoppage time. Jerome Pugmire, The Associated Press
