France head coach Zinedine Zidane has admitted that his team were “second best” following their 3-1 defeat to Italy in the UEFA Nations League on Thursday night.

Michael Olise initially put France ahead, but Italy responded through Pio Esposito, who restored parity for the hosts.

Davide Frattesi then completed Italy’s comeback by scoring the second goal before Esposito converted a penalty to give the Azzurri a two-goal advantage.

The defeat means Zidane’s side have failed to secure a victory against Italy in either of their two meetings, home and away.

Speaking after the match, Zidane admitted that France struggled to compete physically and individually against their opponents.

“We were second-best in duels and one-on-one situations. That’s part of the learning process,” the French manager said.

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He also pointed to his team’s defensive organisation as a major problem, explaining: “We lost our shape, especially defensively, after Italy scored.”