Mancini praises Italy’s team spirit after France draw in Nations League

Roberto Mancini praised Italy’s collective performance after his side drew 1-1 with France in the third round of the Nations League group stage.

The League A fixture was played at the Stade de France in Paris, where Italy held France to a draw despite the hosts having periods of possession.

“We knew it would be an extremely difficult match, particularly at the beginning, but we dealt with it well,” Italy manager Mancini told Italian television channel Rai 1.

“We gave France very few chances, even when they had the ball.”

Mancini said Italy’s willingness to work together in both attack and defence had been central to their performance.

“We played with the spirit of one team. We attacked and defended together, which is why I consider the match a positive one,” he added.

“I wanted this game to be another step forward in our journey.”

The Italy manager was also pleased with his side’s attempt to play positively against a France team featuring several stars and champions.

“I liked our effort to play real football despite facing an exceptional team packed with stars and champions,” Mancini said.

“We suffered at times under pressure, but we always tried to score, and that is excellent. We wanted to win until the final moment.”

The match marked Zinedine Zidane’s first game against Italy as France manager, 20 years after the 2006 World Cup final.

That final was Zidane’s last match as a player. He was sent off after striking Italy defender Marco Materazzi.

The French supporters prepared a special display for Zidane, with the fixture representing his first match in France as manager. France had previously played two matches under his leadership, both away from home: the first in Turkey and the second in Belgium.

The draw was the first between France and Italy in six meetings, combining competitive and friendly fixtures.

The previous draw between the sides had come on 8 September 2007, in qualifying for UEFA Euro 2008.

France remained top of the group with seven points, while Italy moved to four points in third place.

Belgium strengthened their position in the same group with a 3-0 victory over Turkey.

Belgium are second on six points, while Turkey are bottom without a point.