Adrien Rabiot and Lucas Digne celebrated their 50th international caps in style, combining perfectly to secure a 3-1 victory for France against Italy in Milan during the Nations League Group A2 decider. Rabiot scored twice, with both goals assisted by Digne, whose powerful free-kick was inadvertently deflected into the net by Guglielmo Vicario. Italy's lone goal came from Andrea Cambiaso. The win propelled France to the top of the table with 13 points, edging out Italy on goal difference after the Azzurri had previously won 3-1 at the Parc des Princes in September.
France coach Didier Deschamps praised the performance, noting, “We had a young squad, and I wanted to see a lot of players. Winning here against a confident Italian team is a great achievement.” Goalkeeper Mike Maignan added, “We wanted to win, we were out for revenge. It was about pride after losing at home against them.”
In another match, Israel upset Belgium 1-0 in Budapest, thanks to a late winner from debutant Yarden Shua. However, this victory was not enough to prevent Israel's relegation from the Nations League’s top tier. Shua, who came on as a substitute, capitalized on a defensive error by Matte Smets to secure Israel's first win in Group A2, leveling them on four points with third-placed Belgium.
In Group B3, Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick as Norway thrashed Kazakhstan 5-0. Alexander Sørloth and Antonio Nusa also found the net, helping Norway top the group and return to the A league. Meanwhile, Austria was held to a 1-1 draw by Slovenia in Vienna. Romano Schmid put the home side ahead in the first half, but Adam Gnedza Cerin equalized with nine minutes remaining. Austria will now face promotion play-offs in March.
North Macedonia, already confirmed as Group C4 winners, defeated Faroe Islands 1-0, while Armenia secured a 2-1 victory over Latvia in the same group.
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