RABIOT SCORES, FRANCE EDGE CLOSER TO THE WORLD CUP

There was a nice Rossonero touch to France's 3-0 win over Azerbaijan in Paris, a result that moves Deschamps side ever closer to World Cup 2026 qualification. After the opener from Kylian Mbappé in the first half, France doubled their lead through Adrien Rabiot: the Rossoneri's number 12 headed home a cross from Mbappé to score his seventh goal for the national team, the first of which while representing our club. Mike Maignan played a full 90 minutes, while Christopher Nkunku came on in the 79th minute. France currently sits on nine points in first place thanks to Iceland's defeat to Ukraine: with a positive run of results, they could qualify as early as Monday evening. 

Alexis Saelemaekers' Belgium side drew 0-0 to North Macedonia, a match which saw him substituted in the 59th minute. Koni De Winter remained on the bench for the game. Despite dominating the play and creating different chances, it ended a goalless draw. Group J is currently led by Macedonia on 12 points, one ahead of Belgium and two ahead of Wales, who both have a game in hand.  

It wasn't just about the World Cup qualifiers, because there were matches for two Rossoneri in their bids to reach the Under-21 European Championships with their respective nations. A full debut and first start for Davide Bartesaghi saw him play the full 90 minutes in Italy's 4-0 win over Sweden (Francesco Camarda scored). Meanwhile, Zachary Athekame featured in Switzerland's 0-0 draw to Iceland at home. In addition, a friendly took place in Austin between the United States and Ecuador. The match ended 1-1 and saw the involvement of two Rossoneri players: Pervis Estupiñan started but was replaced in the 44th minute due to an injury, while Christian Pulisic played the last 17 minutes of the game. 

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