Italy claimed a surprise 3-1 Nations League win over France, but Gianluigi Donnarumma found himself in the spotlight for the wrong reasons. Again.

Manchester City's Italian number one made several mistakes. One proved costly when, under relatively little pressure, Donnarumma passed straight to Michael Olise, who put France 1-0 ahead.

While Olise achieved a first for the French national team, Donnarumma made the 38th clear error of his career to lead to a goal conceded, according to opta. Seven of those errors have come in a Squadra Azzurra shirt. And there was another scare to come.

Donnarumma nearly took that tally to 39 in the 53rd minute. Trying to prevent a corner, he kept the ball in play, catching Italy's defence by surprise. They did not react, leaving his Manchester City team-mate Rayan Cherki with a gilt-edged chance. But the 27-year-old recovered, turning Cherki's shot from around 20 metres onto the post with a brilliant save.

At Milan's San Siro, the incident caused consternation. DAZN commentator Carsten Fuß could not believe it either. "What on earth is going on with Donnarumma? It's as if he's the twelfth man for the French," he exclaimed.

Ultimately, Donnarumma had his outfield team-mates to thank for ensuring his errors did not prove more costly. Pio Esposito scored twice (26th, 75th minutes) and Davide Frattesi struck in the 63rd minute as Italy overturned the deficit to win 3-1, despite also missing a penalty. Roberto Mancini's side moved above France in the table and lead them with one matchday remaining thanks to their superior head-to-head record against the Equipe Tricolore.

Gianluigi Donnarumma: A goalkeeping debate has long been raging in England

Named the world's best goalkeeper in 2021 and 2025, Donnarumma has struggled for form for weeks. In early November, he misjudged a cross to goalscorer Ridle Baku before the temporary equaliser at 1-1 in the Skyblues' narrow 3-2 Champions League win over RB Leipzig. He also looked poor twice against his former club PSG around a month ago, while a saveable ball slipped past him against Aston Villa in late October.

Cityzens fans have long debated the goalkeeping situation, as have voices across social media and in the English press. Manager Enzo Maresca has publicly acknowledged the errors each time, but does not believe there is a problem in goal. Donnarumma, after all, has enough experience to deal with the current situation.

"It is not worrying," Maresca said after the mistake against Leipzig. Pep Guardiola's successor also dismissed the suggestion that understudy Geronimo Rulli could replace him. The 34-year-old had known since his arrival in the summer what role he had been assigned. Instead, Maresca stressed that Manchester City's starting line-up is "always Gigio + ten players".