InterNationals: Taremi takes to the pitch. France eliminated from the Nations League

With the league and club competitions now over - aside from the Club World Cup - the first fixtures of the June international window have been played. The Nations League title is up for grabs, while World Cup qualifiers are also scheduled. The first games involving Nerazzurri players took place on Thursday.

Mehdi Taremi was the first to take to the pitch with his national team, starting and playing the entire 90 minutes as Iran faced Qatar in 2026 World Cup qualifying. The match finished in a 1-0 victory for the Qataris thanks to Pedro Miguel's winner in the 41st minute. The Iranians were reduced to ten men following Mohammadi's red card on the 35-minute mark. Despite this defeat, Iran remain top of Group A with 20 points from nine matches.

In a match full of goals, a France side without Benjamin Pavard and Marcus Thuram - the Nerazzurri duo remained on the bench - fell to defeat, with Spain running out 5-4 winners in the semi-finals of the UEFA Nations League. The Spaniards took the lead in the 22nd minute through Nico Williams and doubled their advantage three minutes later through Mikel Merino. The second half saw a flurry of goals: Yamal scored in the 54th minute before Pedri bagged a minute later. Mbappé pulled one back from the penalty spot, but Yamal struck again to make it 5–1. In the final ten minutes, France attempted to stage a dramatic comeback, scoring three times through Cherki, a Vivian own goal and Kolo Muani, but it wasn’t enough. On Sunday, Spain will face Portugal at 21:00 CEST in the final, while France will play Germany at 15:00 CEST in the third-place play-off.

In South America, the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers also resumed. In Guayaquil, Brazil played out a 0-0 draw with Ecuador: Carlos Augusto wasn't used by Carlo Ancelotti. Similarly, Lautaro Martinez remained on the bench as Argentina secured a 1-0 away win against Chile thanks to a goal from Julian Alvarez. The Albiceleste, who have already qualified for the 2026 World Cup, lead the table with 34 points, while Brazil sit in fourth place with a 22-point tally.