Less than a day after scoring the goal that put Italy in front against France at San Siro, Davide Frattesi is on his way home. The Lazio midfielder has left the Azzurri camp with a muscular injury and will miss Sunday's Nations League decider against Belgium in Brussels.
From San Siro hero to Coverciano exit
Frattesi's 63rd-minute strike on Thursday night broke a 1-1 deadlock in the 3-1 win over France, a result that sent Italy top of Group A1 and gave them their first home victory over Les Bleus in 64 years. It was his 10th goal in 39 senior caps, and it capped the kind of all-action midfield performance that has defined his season.
By Friday, though, the story had turned. The Italian Football Federation confirmed that Frattesi has already left the national team's Coverciano base and returned to his club, as Football Italia reported. The diagnosis is an unspecified muscular issue, and there is no prospect of him recovering in time for Sunday's final group match.
Flashscore's account of the FIGC statement tells the same story: a goalscorer on Thursday, a withdrawal on Friday, and a return to Rome instead of a trip to Brussels.
A midfielder reborn in Rome
The timing is cruel precisely because Frattesi's form had been so good. Since his summer transfer to Lazio, he has rediscovered his scoring touch, netting four times in 11 Serie A appearances. His goal in the 1-1 draw at Napoli earlier this month underlined his importance to a Lazio side that went into the international break top of Serie A.
That club form carried straight into the France game. Roberto Mancini picked him to start in a midfield built on energy and late runs into the box, and Frattesi delivered the game's decisive moment before Pio Esposito's penalty settled it.
What his absence does to Mancini — and to Lazio
Italy travel to Brussels knowing exactly what they need: a draw guarantees a place in the Nations League quarter-finals, and a victory secures top spot in the group ahead of France. Both sides sit on 10 points from five matches, with Italy ahead on the head-to-head record, while Belgium, on nine, can still have their say on Sunday night.
Losing Frattesi removes Mancini's most direct goal threat from midfield. Italy have other options in the middle of the park, but nobody else in the squad times a run beyond the striker quite like him, and in a game where Italy may spend long spells without the ball, that outlet matters.
For Lazio, the concern runs longer than one weekend. Frattesi has been returned to the club's medical staff, who will now assess how serious the problem is. With Lazio leading Serie A and a congested run waiting after the break, Gennaro Gattuso's staff will want answers quickly — a minor strain is an inconvenience, but anything worse would take a central piece out of a title challenge nobody predicted in August.
Beyond the Final Whistle: this is the international break in miniature — a player produces the biggest moment of Italy's autumn on Thursday and is a medical bulletin by Friday. Frattesi's revival at Lazio made him undroppable for Mancini, and his absence turns a manageable trip to Brussels into a genuine test. Italy should still have enough to get their point, but if Lazio lose their midfield engine for the winter, Thursday's goal will feel like a very expensive one.
Can Italy finish the job in Brussels without him, or does Frattesi's injury open the door for Belgium? Tell us in the comments.
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