Alessandro Bastoni believes Italy “can do it against anyone” after holding France to a draw in the Nations League.
Italy were held to a 1-1 draw by Zinedine Zidane’s side at the Stade de France on Friday, Bastogne canceling out Michael Olise’s stunning opener.
After scoring against Turkey, Bastoni became the third centre-back to score in two consecutive games for Italy in the last 10 years, after Gianluca Mancini (October-November 2025) and Alessio Romagnoli (October-November 2019).
Gianluigi Donnarumma also played a big part in the draw, making seven saves, including an impressive double to keep out Desiree Doue and Ousmane Dembele in quick succession.
Donnarumma has made only twice as many saves in one game for the Azzurri: 10 against Bosnia-Herzegovina in March 2026 and eight against Spain in June 2024.
Bastoni told RAI Sport: “It was a difficult game, we knew it would be like this, it’s hardly news, but I’m very satisfied with the team’s performance.”
“We fought hard, we suffered, we even destroyed some of the goals that France had planned for tonight because they were ready for a big celebration. We knew it was not going to be a walk in the park and it was.
“Obviously it’s nice to score again, but as soon as we did it I thought we had to make sure we didn’t concede another goal or it was all points. It’s a good result which gives us confidence going forward.
“It’s a strong signal because if we can put in a performance like that against France in Paris, we can do it against anyone.”
A real captain performance tonight #FRAITA #Azzurri #VivoAzzurro pic.twitter.com/HBJl5983gV
— Italy (@Azzurri_En) October 2, 2026
Italy won expected goals (xG) from 1.46 to 1.21, with both Moise Kean and Davide Frattesi wasting good opportunities in the first half.
Nevertheless, coach Roberto Mancini agreed with Bastoni’s sentiments in a statement to RAI Sport: “We knew it would be very difficult, especially at the start, but we gave them too few chances in terms of chances, even if they had more possession.
“We played as a team, attacked and defended together and it was certainly a very positive evening for us.
“I wanted it to be another step forward in our journey. I liked the way we tried to play football despite being against an extraordinary France team full of champions.”