France beat Italy 3-1 at San Siro. The Azzurri qualify for the quarterfinals of the Nations League but, precisely because of this defeat, as second in the group behind the transalpines.
At San Siro the French immediately took the lead after just 2 minutes, thanks to a header from Rabiot on a corner . In the 33rd minute, they doubled their lead again on a set piece: a free kick from Digne hit the crossbar but then hit the back of Vicario (who replaced Donnarumma, who was suffering from an intestinal virus) and ended up in the net. Immediately after , Spalletti's team closed the gap, in the 35th minute, with a left-footed volley from Cambiaso on a cross from Dimarco . But in the 15th minute of the second half, they fell again on a set piece, a carbon copy of the first, with a winning header from Rabiot on a corner that made it 3-1 . In the final minutes, Maignan made a miracle save on Kean, a goal that could have given the Azzurri the lead in the group.
The Azzurri close group 2 with 13 points, the same as France, which however has a better goal difference. Belgium and Israel are out. In the next few days the pairings for the quarter-finals will be drawn, which will be played between March 20 and 25, Italy will draw a team between Germany, Portugal and Spain . By closing first in the group (it would have been enough to lose by one goal) Italy would have had a certainly easier quarter.
(Unioneonline/L)