Roberto Mancini hailed Italy’s 1-1 draw with France in the UEFA Nations League as a “step forward”.
After seeing Italy beat Turkey 4-1 for their first win in their second game in charge last time out, Mancini faced another impressive performance against far more formidable opposition at the raucous Stade de France.
It looked as if Italy were going to pay for missing their chances – notably when Moise Keane somehow missed in the ninth minute – Michael Oliz’s superb free-kick put France ahead 10 minutes into the second half.
But the Azzurri responded confidently and Alessandro Bastoni pounced on Lucas Da Cunha’s mistake to score his second goal in as many games.
Italy were grateful for a number of excellent saves from goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, but they also had chances to win the game and may be a little disappointed they did not after France centre-back Dayot Upamecano was sent off in the 85th minute.
But Mancini was very pleased with what he saw in Saint-Denis.
“We knew it was going to be very difficult, especially at the start, but even if they had more possession, we gave them very few chances,” Mancini told Rai Sport.
“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 French team full of champions.
“Sometimes we suffered, but we always tried to score when we had the chance, which is very good.”
Bastoni: Italy can do it against anyone
Bastoni, meanwhile, believes that Italy’s display should give them the confidence that they can compete with anyone despite failing to qualify for the World Cup for the third time in a row earlier this year.
“It was a tough game, we knew it would be like that, it’s hardly news, but I’m very happy with the team’s performance,” Bastoni told Rai.
“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 wasn’t 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, otherwise it was all points. It’s a good result that boosts our confidence going forward.
“I didn’t expect to score two goals, but I never lost confidence in myself. I’m not going to let one or two situations ruin a career of over 300 games. I thank my family for being there for me and I hope that keeping my head up is taken as a positive.
“We believed in our chances to win from the start and really had our best chance to break the deadlock in the first half. It’s a strong signal because if we can do that against France in Paris, we can do it against anyone.
“Now there’s another game in this competition and we’re not taking anything for granted, it’s another important test.”
Italy host Turkey in Bologna on Monday in the final game of this extended international break.