The day Zidane came home
Zinedine Zidane , as head coach of the French national team, returns to the Stade de France – the stadium that propelled him to world number one 28 years ago.
In 1998, the talented midfielder, born in the port city of Marseille, won the World Cup with the French national team there after a 3-0 victory over Brazil .
Two brilliant moments from Zizou, in front of 80,000 spectators, helped "Les Bleus" settle the match in the first half (27', 45'+1). The other goal was scored by Emmanuel Petit in injury time of the second half.
This time, the Stade de France welcomed 77,118 spectators. Zidane's return stole all the attention. It can be said that the French football legend has returned home, to his hallowed ground.
Here, on January 20, 1998, he scored in a friendly match to inaugurate France's largest stadium, helping "Les Bleus" beat Spain 1-0.
The last time Zidane played for France at a stadium north of Paris was on May 27, 2006, in preparation for the World Cup in Germany. Notably, that also marked his 100th appearance for the French national team.
However, Zidane's return to Paris and his debut in his new role with "Les Bleus" only resulted in a 1-1 draw against Italy. By the third match, Zizou had been stopped.
Ironically, Italy was also Zidane's last opponent during his playing career. He retired from playing in the 2006 World Cup final, a match in which the Azzurri won on penalties after a 1-1 draw, and is remembered for his headbutt on Marco Materazzi.
The results were not as expected.
Watching Italy play, it's hard to believe they've gone 12 years without participating in the World Cup (2018, 2022, 2026). But Italy is still Italy.
Viewing the Azzurri as a team past its prime is reckless. Roberto Mancini's team is gradually regaining its competitiveness, sending a warning with Moise Kean's clear chance and showing no fear against France.
The home team at times completely lost their familiar form, becoming stagnant due to a lack of space. In the first half, with Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembele , and Desire Doue in attack, and Rayan Cherki and Rabiot in midfield, France failed to create any significant chances, except for a half-cross, half-shot from the Bayern Munich star that hit the crossbar.
Comfortable in a deep defensive role rather than actively organizing attacks, Italy sometimes evokes memories of the Azzurri who became Zidane's nightmare in the 2006 World Cup final. That was a tenacious team with clear ideas and Tonali dominating the midfield. On the other side, the French midfield, still lacking fluid coordination, failed to create opportunities for the attack.
Frattesi came just inches from opening the scoring for Italy. Then, Moise Kean beat Maignan from the second ball after a corner kick, silencing the Stade de France. However, the referee ruled it offside.
After the break, France lost control of the game. Their players shone brighter when given space, in matches played at a breakneck pace where the midfield was no longer tightly controlled. Donnarumma delayed Zidane's team's opening goal with an incredible save against Dembele. Just like against Türkiye and Belgium, Olise was back in action.
Olise seemed to be touched by a magic wand, organizing the ball, creating, accelerating, and making a difference. An unstoppable shot, bearing his familiar signature – after a free-kick combination with Cherki – sent the ball into the top corner, leaving Donnarumma motionless and the Stade de France erupting.
Even after suffering a painful defeat, Italy did not give up. With a tradition of punishing every mistake of their opponents, they continued to do so against France. Da Cunha and Rabiot's coordination was poor, and Bastoni, now playing as a forward instead of a center-back, surged forward, won the ball, and curled a left-footed shot past Maignan.
Things became even more difficult for France when, after a series of excellent saves by Donnarumma, Upamecano was sent off for being a split second too slow in a challenge with Kean. The introduction of Camavinga helped France play more steadily. But the Real Madrid midfielder could not overcome the outstanding Donnarumma, who repeatedly prevented the home team from scoring a second goal.
This draw cannot be explained without considering the contribution of the Manchester City goalkeeper – a team currently embroiled in controversy over financial misconduct in the Premier League. Italy stood firm with the resilience that made them famous, while Zidane's France continued to expose the limitations of their collective play.
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/phap-hoa-italia-1-1-ke-pha-binh-ngay-ve-cua-zinedine-zidane-2561394.html
