Zidane's first home game in charge of France ends in 1-1 draw with Italy

PARIS (AP) — Zinedine Zidane 's first home game in charge of France ended with a 1-1 draw against Italy in the Nations League on Friday.

French fans got an exciting game at Stade de France but not the result they expected, mainly because of Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma's performance.

Michael Olise put France ahead in the 55th minute with a curling shot from 20 meters which went in off the crossbar, following a short free kick taken by Rayan Cherki.

Poor defending midway through the second half allowed central defender Alessandro Bastoni to run through and clip a low shot inside the right post.

“I’m disappointed for the players because we deserved better. We had chances to kill the game off but we didn’t and football’s like that sometimes,” Zidane said. “But it was encouraging. Honestly, I’m proud of how we played.”

When Zidane's name was read out by the stadium announcer after the teams were announced, a roar filled Stade de France

Fans then broke out into chants of “Zizou, Zizou” — the affectionate nickname Zidane is known by among French soccer fans — and one banner read “Bienvenue Chez Toi” (Welcome Home).

"It was touching," Zidane said of the ovation he received. “We would have loved to give the stadium and the whole nation a victory, but it wasn’t to be.”

Zidane's appointment as national team coach has been met with a wave of enthusiasm. A train station close to the stadium even had a message waiting for those arriving: “Welcome to Zinedine Zidane’s first game in charge,” a woman said over the public address system.

The 54-year-old Zidane was appointed France coach after the World Cup, replacing Didier Deschamps. He won his first two games 1-0, away to Turkey and Belgium in the Nations League, with Olise scoring a solo winner against the Belgians.

Zidane was facing Italy for the first time since his infamous headbutt in the final of the 2006 World Cup, which saw him sent off in extra time in the last game of his stellar career.

The stadium itself holds special value to Zidane.

He scored the first goal in a friendly against Spain when Stade de France was inaugurated in January 1998, and his two powerful headers later that year helped France win the World Cup for the first time with a 3-0 win over Brazil in the final.

For returning Italy coach Roberto Mancini there are signs of improvement. His new tenure began with a 2-0 home loss to Belgium, followed by a 4-1 win at Turkey and now a solid performance against a World Cup semifinalist.

France tops their League A group with seven points, followed by Belgium on six following a 3-0 win in Turkey.

Les Bleus face Belgium at Stade de France on Monday.

During one first half attack, Zidane crouched over with his hands on his knees as if trying to get a closer look and then gesticulated with his hands to direct the move — even though his players had their backs to him.

Zidane had said before the game that Italy remains a dangerous side, even despite poor recent results. Striker Moise Kean missed a close-range chance early on for Italy, shooting straight at goalkeeper Mike Maignan from meters out.

Donnarumma made a double save from Ousmae Dembélé and Désiré Doué early in the second half, then produced a brilliant low save to deny Adrien Rabiot moments after Italy’s equalizer.

After France defender Dayot Upamecano was sent off late in the game for picking up a second yellow card, Donnarumma superbly clawed away Eduardo Camavinga's shot in stoppage time.

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

Italy's goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma makes a save of a shoot by France's Ousmane Dembele, right, during the UEFA Nations League Group A soccer match between France and Italy in Saint-Denis near Paris, Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Teresa Suarez)

France's Michael Olise celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the UEFA Nations League Group A soccer match between France and Italy in Saint-Denis near Paris, Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Teresa Suarez)

France's head coach Zinedine Zidane, right, looks on during the UEFA Nations League Group A soccer match between France and Italy in Saint-Denis near Paris, Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Teresa Suarez)

France's Rayan Cherki, right, and Italy's Nicolo Fagioli challenge for the ball during the UEFA Nations League Group A soccer match between France and Italy in Saint-Denis near Paris, Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Teresa Suarez)

France's head coach Zinedine Zidane prepares for the start of the UEFA Nations League Group A soccer match between France and Italy in Saint-Denis near Paris, Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Teresa Suarez)

France's team players pose for a picture before the UEFA Nations League Group A soccer match between France and Italy in Saint-Denis near Paris, Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Teresa Suarez)

France's head coach Zinedine Zidane prepares for the start of the UEFA Nations League Group A soccer match between France and Italy in Saint-Denis near Paris, Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Teresa Suarez)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Group of Seven wealthy democracies said Friday that they plan to release 100 million barrels of oil and fuel products in the coming weeks, starting with “substantial” amounts of diesel after the fuel recently hit record high prices in the United States.

President Donald Trump said the diesel release would happen “immediately,” echoing a G7 promise to start “immediately” with a “frontloaded substantial release” of diesel within the next 20 days and the rest over four months.

Trump and his Republican Party face pressure to address surging prices ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, and Trump announced the action Friday on social media. The president's approval ratings on the economy hit a new low, according to an AP-NORC poll, as the Iran war and his trade battles have increased U.S. prices for oil and other goods.

Gas prices in the U.S. and abroad have soared during the eight-month-long war, a cost Trump has repeatedly said is worth it for making sure Iran does not obtain nuclear weapons. The national average for a gallon of diesel in the U.S. was $6.37 on Friday, according to AAA, after hitting a record $6.52 on Sept. 22. Diesel prices have hit records in Europe, too.

The release of diesel in Europe might mean less exports of diesel from the U.S., which could lower prices by 25-50 cents per gallon after a few weeks, said Michael Lynch, distinguished fellow at Energy Policy Research Foundation, a non-partisan research institution focused on energy and economics.

France holds the rotating presidency of the G7 group and made the announcement in a statement released after videoconference talks that Macron presided over. The G7 countries are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K. and the U.S., plus EU representation.

The release follows on from a March announcement that International Energy Agency member countries would release 426 million barrels of oil and products to stabilize the oil market. European Union countries committed about 92 million barrels, a promise weighted toward refined products made from crude such as diesel.

“This common decision and this unity should bring down prices,” Macron said. “The volumes we’re releasing should also add liquidity to the market and bring down prices.”

In addition to the rise in the price of the crude oil from which diesel is made, other factors include the decision by Russia to ban exports due to Ukrainian drone strikes on its refineries. Europe does not import Russian diesel, but other buyers of Russian diesel such as Turkey and Latin American countries must now compete with Europe for available barrels.

Meanwhile refined product shipments from the Persian Gulf producers have fallen due to war damage and blocked export routes.

The statement pushed U.S. oil prices down 2% but “the impact was lessened by lack of clarity on an important question,” said Pavel Molchanov, investment strategy analyst at Raymond James. Is the 100 million barrels in addition to the amount already agreed in March, or “is this the final portion of the existing pledge?” he said.

Some Republicans in the U.S. had called for Trump to ban U.S. exports of diesel to try to bring domestic prices down. But the G7 statement said the group agreed not to limit energy exports to each other. Oil market analysts warn a U.S. export ban could lower prices in the short term but eventually backfire by reducing supplies of gasoline since diesel output can't be lowered without also cutting overall refinery production.

Asked about a potential U.S. export ban on Friday, Trump said “we were never going to do it.”

“We’re not going to be doing the export ban,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We’re going to be doing what we’re supposed to do.” He added that Europe is making “a major world contribution, and so are we.”

The emergency release could also be a short-term fix with the potential to do long-term harm, said Jim Krane, energy research fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute.

“Draining stocks will reduce retail fuel prices for a while, at the cost of leaving Europe with less emergency cover,” Krane said. “At some point in the future Europe and the rest of the G7 will have to refill their strategic reserves. Normally they try to do this when prices are low. Nobody knows when that will happen. It’s a risk.”

With two wars raging that involve attacks on refineries and exports, “it’s not the best time to be frittering away your emergency stocks -- especially when there is no visibility on future prices or peace agreements,” Krane said.

Trump had a conversation overnight with Macron about the need to address rising fuel prices and the availability of petroleum products, according to the French Embassy in the U.S. Macron on Friday then chaired the videoconference of G7 leaders to discuss the issue.

Besides his call with Macron, Trump on Friday called in to the meeting with the G7 leaders to negotiate the release of the European diesel stockpiles, according to a White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Trump on Thursday embarked on what he said would be a 32-day marathon of rallies to try to bolster his party's chances for keeping control of the U.S. House and Senate in the November elections. The president has grown increasingly frustrated with what he sees as a disconnect between his achievements and the public’s view of his work. This week he gave himself an A-plus for his work on the economy but said “we’re doing an extremely poor job of promotion.”

Leicester reported from Paris. AP writer Michelle L. Price contributed to this report. AP Business Writer David McHugh contributed from Frankfurt, Germany and Cathy Bussewitz contributed from New York.

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One, Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

France President Emmanuel Macron attends a news conference with Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

President Donald Trump arrives on Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)