Dayot Upamecano shines before late red card for France

Dayot Upamecano will miss France’s match against Belgium on Monday after being sent off late in the 1-1 draw with Italy. The French Football Federation has released the Bayern Munich defender, who will return to his club while serving his suspension.

The dismissal came in the 85th minute, but it did little to erase the authority he had shown before leaving the pitch. Starting alongside Jérémy Jacquet, Upamecano controlled France’s defensive line and repeatedly frustrated Italy’s forwards. His positioning, challenges and recoveries earned sustained applause from the Stade de France crowd, including as he departed after the red card.

Upamecano completed 84 of his 91 attempted passes, won two of three aerial duels, made three interceptions and blocked one Italian effort. He also produced a crucial individual intervention shortly before Alessandro Bastoni’s equaliser. The match changed after France lost control in a dangerous area and Upamecano was unable to complete his intervention, leaving the hosts to finish with ten men as Maxence Lacroix came on.

The performance reinforced his growing importance under Zinédine Zidane, despite the coach’s insistence that nobody has an automatic starting place. Upamecano had also impressed against Turkey after an individually strong 2026 World Cup, although he began the Belgium fixture on the bench. His display against Italy strengthened his case as one of France’s defensive leaders, even as the sending-off became the defining consequence of the evening.