Thu Oct 10 21:29:00 UTC 2024: ## France Edge Closer to Italy in Nations League with 4-1 Win Over Israel
**Budapest, Hungary -** France secured a comfortable 4-1 victory over Israel in their Nations League clash on Thursday, moving closer to Group A2 leaders Italy. Chelsea forward Christopher Nkunku, returning to the French national team after almost 10 months, celebrated his comeback with a goal in the first half.
The victory puts France on six points from three games, just one point behind Italy, who were held to a 2-2 draw by Belgium.
Despite the win, France coach Didier Deschamps acknowledged the team’s current transition period, commenting on the “not exactly pleasant” atmosphere surrounding the squad. This comes amidst criticism directed at star player Kylian Mbappe, who missed the double header with Israel and Belgium due to a pre-existing commitment with Real Madrid.
France took an early lead through Eduardo Camavinga’s curled shot, but Israel’s Omri Gandelman equalized in the 24th minute. Nkunku, however, restored France’s advantage four minutes later with a low shot that left the Israeli defense helpless.
Matteo Guendouzi and Bradley Barcola then added two more goals in the closing stages to seal the victory.
The game marked the first for France since Antoine Griezmann’s retirement from international football, with Michael Olise making his debut. Despite showing some promise, the young winger’s inexperience was evident.
France now turn their attention to their upcoming match against Belgium on Monday, hoping to continue their winning streak and close the gap on Italy in the group standings.
First Piper 