Zidane: Mbappé's absence is beyond our control, we deserve a better result

France manager Zinedine Zidane spoke at a press conference following the 1-1 draw against Italy in the third round of the UEFA Nations League at Stade de France.

Zinedine Zidane said: "I am happy with the level we showed, but I am not happy with the result because I believe we deserved better than that. We had a chance to score the second goal, but we did not do it. These things happen, but I am very proud of my players."

Regarding France's continued struggle to score in the first half, Zinedine Zidane said: "I don't think we wanted to be too perfect. What we lacked was playing in the spaces behind their defense in the final third of the pitch."

He added: "We did not succeed in exploiting the small spaces, but we did that very well at the beginning of the second half, when we put them under pressure and caused them problems. That is why I feel frustrated."

Zidane also spoke about his feelings after returning to the Stade de France, confirming that the atmosphere was special for him: "It was wonderful. We hoped to win for our fans. Of course, I was very affected, and I was very happy to return to the Stade de France."

The French national team coach refused to blame a specific player for the equalizing goal, following the mistake that allowed Italy to come back into the match: "Football means trying to make as few mistakes as possible. You are here to analyze all of that, but for me, the most important thing is to look at the match as a whole."

He added: "I am happy with what we have delivered, and I will not get into the issue of who made a mistake and who bears the responsibility. When a mistake happens, the mistake is everyone's responsibility."

Regarding France scoring only three goals in three matches, and whether that reflects a problem with their attacking efficiency, Zidane said: "We created a fair number of chances, but Donnarumma was very good."

When asked if he would feel frustrated after the end of the international break, he said: "I know we will improve, I will feel some frustration when the international break is over; I want to stay with these players, but that is the reality, we are not a club."

He concluded: "Do you miss Kylian Mbappé? We cannot say he is not here; he is injured and that is beyond our control."