Kylian Mbappe and France suffered a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Italy at the Parc des Princes. leaving head coach Didier Deschamps searching for answers.
France's return to competitive action was a disappointing one, as they lost 3-1 at home to France in their UEFA Nations League opener, following on from their EURO 2024 semi-final defeat to Spain.
Despite a flying start, scoring inside 13 seconds - the fastest goal in Les Bleus' history - they collapsed as Italy gained momentum and never looked back.
In the post-match press conference, Didier Deschamps acknowledged that his team lacked the energy to match their bright start for 90 minutes.
"We had a very good start, with good pressure on the opponent, and after that, it was difficult. We didn't have the physical capacity to maintain that level," he explained.
. "We started to lose duels... I knew that we were far from at our best, but we were deficient in our efforts and counter efforts, and that's what made the difference."
Deschamps will hope his men find their form against Belgium in their next UEFA Nations League clash on Tuesday.
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