Upamecano (left) is the latest France player to get injured after the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Marcus Thuram, and Pierre Kalulu. | Photo Credit: AP

Already depleted with injuries, France lost another important player in Dayot Upamecano, who has left his teammates after the 3-1 loss to Italy in soccer’s Nations League.

The French team said on Friday that the Bayern defender was allowed by coach Zinedine Zidane to return to Munich for a “personal reason.”

Pio Esposito scored two goals on Thursday as Italy beat France for a first victory over Les Bleus on home soil in 64 years. The Italian win also marked Zidane’s first loss since he took charge of France after the World Cup as a replacement for Didier Deschamps.

Italy moved top of Group A1, above France thanks to a better head-to-head record. Zidane’s team hosts Turkey on Sunday

Zidane has been dealing with an avalanche of injuries. Inter Milan forward Marcus Thuram and Juventus defender Pierre Kalulu were ruled out this week after William Saliba, Jules Koundé, Maxence Lacroix, Manu Koné, Ousmane Dembélé and Esteban Lepaul were already sidelined. Star striker Kylian Mbappé’ was rested against Italy but could make his return against Turkey.

Published on Nov 13, 2026