Mancini: We took a new step, and Donnarumma saved us

Roberto Mancini, the head coach of the Italy national team, expressed his satisfaction with his team's performance during the 1-1 draw against France, stating that the Italian side showed a collective effort and delivered what he described as a "new step" in their journey.

Roberto Mancini stated in comments to "RAI Sport": "We knew it would be a very difficult match, especially at the beginning, but we did well and allowed them very few chances, even though they had more possession of the ball."

The Italian coach added: "We played as a team, we attacked and defended together, so it was definitely a very positive night for us. I wanted this match to be a new step forward in our journey. I liked that we tried to play football even though we faced an exceptional French team with many champions."

He explained: "At times we struggled, but we always tried to score goals whenever we had the chance, and that is very good."

Alessandro Bastoni scored for Italy, continuing his scoring form after finding the net for the second consecutive match. This was his first appearance since the playoff match against Bosnia-Herzegovina for the FIFA World Cup.

Despite the red card for Dayot Upamecano in the closing minutes and France being reduced to ten men, both teams continued to search for the winning goal until the final whistle. The coach said: "This is football; both coaches and both teams wanted to win until the end."

Italy's coach pointed out that the result does not necessarily reflect everything his team has shown in previous matches, explaining: "I saw some good things in the second half against Belgium as well, but results of course change the way people evaluate matches."

He added: "Gianluigi Donnarumma saved us on a few occasions, but we played when we needed to play, and we created chances throughout the match."

Mancini concluded his remarks by saying: "I know that through hard work, these players can build a great national team. It will take time; there will be moments when things go better and others when they do not, but it needs time."