First Defeat for France Under Zidane Against Italy as Rayan Cherki Expresses Frustration

First Setback for the French National Team in the Zinedine Zidane Era

The strong start of the French national football team under the guidance of new manager Zinedine Zidane was brought to a halt after suffering their first defeat since he took charge, falling 3-1 to Italy on Thursday evening in a clash held at the San Siro as part of the UEFA Nations League.

Les Bleus opened the scoring early in the 10th minute through Michael Olise, who capitalized on a major blunder by Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, before Pio Esposito swiftly leveled the score for the hosts. During the final half-hour of the match, the Italian side asserted their dominance, scoring a second goal courtesy of Davide Frattesi in the 63rd minute, before Pio Esposito struck again to net his personal second and his team's third in the 75th minute.

Rayan Cherki: We Feel Great Disappointment and the Opportunity Was There

Following the final whistle, midfielder Rayan Cherki expressed his regret over the result to "TF1", saying: "It was a very complicated and closed match. We started the game well, and the first fifteen minutes were very positive, as we applied high pressure and recovered important balls that resulted in the goal. But against such a compact defensive block, we had to move the ball much faster and continuously from right to left."

The Manchester City player added: "This is a match from which we will draw many lessons; everything cannot always be perfect. We gave our all, but we are extremely frustrated. We conceded a goal during our period of dominance, hit the post, and created several chances, and there were genuine spaces and opportunities to win. However, there is no reason to be alarmed about the overall performance. There is still a long way ahead of us, and we just need to improve the speed of our ball circulation against deep-lying lines."

Les Bleus Turn Their Sights Toward the Turkey Clash in Bordeaux

Cherki concluded his remarks with a determined message reaffirming the squad's desire to move forward, emphasizing that given the immense potential the team possesses, there is no room to let any upcoming match slip, regardless of its nature or significance.

The French national team is now preparing for their next and final group-stage fixture on Sunday evening at 20:45 at the Bordeaux stadium, where they will face Turkey to seal their qualification ticket to the quarter-finals of the continental tournament.