France lets slip lead against Italy as Belgium cruises past Turkey in Nations League
France drew 1-1 at home with Italy in the UEFA Nations League's A1 group, while Belgium beat Turkey 3-0. Results also came in from several League B matches.
France and Italy played out a 1-1 draw on Friday in Paris in a UEFA Nations League A1 group match. The first half ended goalless, but the second half brought rapid developments.
Ten minutes into the second half, Italy's Nicolo Fagioli received a yellow card. From the resulting free kick, Michael Olise put France ahead with a precise strike under the crossbar. The lead held for under 13 minutes before Alessandro Bastoni capitalized on a French defensive error, taking the ball and firing it in from the edge of the penalty area to level the score.
France's situation worsened in the 85th minute when defender Dayot Upamecano picked up a second yellow card and was sent off. France played out the remainder of the match a man down, but Italy was unable to convert its numerical advantage, and the match ended level.
Belgium convincingly beats Turkey
In the same group, Belgium beat Turkey 3-0 at home. As early as the tenth minute, Kevin De Bruyne converted a counterattack with a precise strike from the penalty area after Belgium won back possession. De Bruyne added a second goal in the second half, and Romelu Lukaku sealed the result in the 76th minute.
After three rounds in group A1, France leads with seven points, Belgium has six, Italy has four, and Turkey has yet to score a point.
League B results
In group B4, Poland thrashed Romania 6-0, with Robert Lewandowski scoring three of the goals. Bosnia and Herzegovina drew 1-1 at home with Sweden. After three matches, Sweden has seven points, Bosnia and Herzegovina has five, Poland has four, and Romania has none.
In group B2, Hungary beat Georgia 1-0 at home, while Northern Ireland won 3-0 away against Ukraine. Northern Ireland has seven points, Ukraine and Hungary each have four, and Georgia has one.
