France’s early lead against Italy evaporated into a “horror night” during a brutal second half, marked by Doué losing part of a tooth and Upamecano conceding a critical penalty that solidified their downfall. It had all started so well with an early advantage after a blunder from Italian keeper Donnarumma, but everything went sideways for Zidane’s squad after the break.
Elbow to the Face, Early Lead Gone
The wheels truly started to come off when Italy’s Davide Frattesi scored, making it 2,1. But the nightmare for France wasn’t just about the scoreboard. Moments after the goal, Doué was accidentally caught in the face by Frattesi’s elbow. It was brutal, with the Frenchman bleeding from the mouth and visibly losing part of a tooth. Talk about adding insult to injury! The momentum had swung completely, and France just couldn’t find their footing after that shocker.
Penalty Drama and Italian Dominance
If the tooth incident wasn’t enough, things got even worse. Shortly after, Upamecano conceded a penalty with a foul in the 74th minute, giving Italy another golden opportunity. Pio Esposito, who had already snagged the equalizer to make it 1,1, stepped up to the spot and calmly converted, extending Italy’s lead. Italy could have even been further ahead earlier in the game, but unlike his brother, Sebastiano Esposito missed his penalty back in the 60th minute. Still, it was a dominant showing from Italy in the second half, capitalizing on France’s unraveling.
This was a brutal night for France, seeing an early lead completely unravel in such a dramatic fashion. Losing a player to a nasty injury and giving up a critical penalty, they’ll need to regroup fast after this brutal second half performance.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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