Mancini praises the comeback in France, a step forward for Italy

In the afternoon in Paris, the Azzurri came back to draw in the third matchday of the UEFA Nations League, in front of a crowd at the Stade de France. Despite the Bleus' possession under Zinedine Zidane, Italy created chances and held on for the full ninety minutes.

Mancini's words after the match

At the end of the match, the national team head coach Roberto Mancini spoke to Rai, describing the performance as “convincing”. “We knew it would be extremely tough, but we were good at conceding little. We did great things,” he said.

The coach emphasized the defence and attack as a unit, adding that the evening was “very positive” and that the result represents “a step forward in our journey”.

Comments on Sky Sport and player assessments

Later, Mancini appeared on Sky Sport, praising the lads’ reaction: “Donnarumma saved us when he had to save us, but the whole match was well played against an incredible team.” He also highlighted the progress since the match against Belgium.

Midfielder Pio Esposito has worked a lot, on par with Kean, while Fagioli is considered capable of covering both the playmaker role and that of a box‑to‑box midfielder, “a very technically gifted player,” he stated.

Both teams tried to win until the end, and Mancini reiterated: “This is football.” He concluded that “these lads can become a great national team,” but that it will take time to consolidate the project.