Olise works his magic against Italy—a bitter evening for Upamecano | OneFootball

The two Bayern stars, Michael Olise and Dayot Upamecano, had very different evenings during the French national team’s 1-1 draw against Italy. While Olise once again turned heads with a spectacular goal, Upamecano was sent off with a second yellow card shortly before the end of the match.

For Zinédine Zidane, it was the first time he had dropped points as France’s national team coach. After two 1-0 wins against Belgium and Turkey, France had to settle for a draw in their new coach’s home debut. With seven points, however, the French remain at the top of their Nations League group.

Olise, in particular, continued his strong form from recent weeks. The 24-year-old was one of the most prominent French attacking players and put his team ahead with a spectacular goal in the 55th minute.

Olise works his magic to put France ahead

Olise had already created one of the hosts’ most dangerous chances in the first half. A deflected cross from the Bayern Munich star hit the crossbar in the 23rd minute.

After the break, France turned up the pressure. Italy’s goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma first made a save against Ousmane Dembélé and, shortly afterward, against Olise as well. In the 55th minute, the 27-year-old was finally beaten.

On a free kick, Rayan Cherki briefly touched the ball with his foot. Olise took over and curled the ball beautifully over the Italian wall and into the net. It was yet another strong performance by the winger, who has also been one of the standout players for FC Bayern this season.

However, the lead didn’t last long. In the 68th minute, Alessandro Bastoni capitalized on a lapse in the French defense and scored the 1-1 equalizer.

Upamecano was sent off with a second yellow card

Photo: IMAGO

While Olise provided the highlight for France with his goal, the evening ended early for his Munich teammate Upamecano.

The center back received a yellow-red card in the 85th minute and was forced to leave the field. France had to play the final minutes a man down but managed to hold on to the 1-1 draw.

For Upamecano, it was a bitter end to a match in which France dropped points for the first time under Zidane. Olise, on the other hand, once again demonstrated his strong form.

The 24-year-old had already scored the decisive goal after coming off the bench in the 1-0 win over Belgium. Now the Bayern star has also found the net against Italy, increasingly establishing himself as a key player in Zidane’s squad.

From Bayern’s perspective, the outcome of this Nations League classic is thus a mixed bag: Olise made another big impact with his dream goal, while Upamecano had an evening to forget after being sent off.