Adrien Rabiot praised Italy’s character and hailed Gianluigi Donnarumma as “extraordinary” after France were held to a 1-1 draw by the Azzurri at the Stade de France.
Italy created the clearer openings in the first half, but France took the lead when Michael Olise’s free-kick struck the underside of the crossbar before going in.
Alessandro Bastoni then levelled after winning the ball from Como midfielder Lucas Da Cunha, and the match remained fiercely contested until the final whistle, including after France defender Dayot Upamecano was sent off.
“Italy played very well, we dominated at times and deserved to win, if not for an extraordinary Gigio who made three or four incredible saves,” Milan midfielder Rabiot told Sky Sport Italia.
“In terms of spirit, Italy were impressive, and this was not to be taken for granted after the first game against Belgium.”
The result represented a significant response from Italy after they had been threatened with Nations League relegation following a 2-0 home defeat by Belgium. They recovered with a 4-1 victory in Turkiye before producing another strong display in Paris.
The draw was also the first goal conceded by France since Zinedine Zidane took charge, with the team having recorded consecutive 1-0 away wins beforehand.
Rabiot said France’s performance had fulfilled the manager’s demands in several areas, despite failing to take all three points.
“We had lots of chances and I think we deserved more, which is also what the coach said in the dressing room, but we are happy with the approach,” he said.
“We pressed high, recovered the ball regularly in their half, which is what the coach asked of us.
“After scoring our goal, we perhaps took our foot off the gas a little bit, and that is something we need to work on.”
France remain unbeaten under Zidane, although their recent scoring pattern continued. Each of their last 12 goals has come in the second half.
“There are many positive aspects, he asks other things, which is to be immediately aggressive to win back the ball, go into more one on one situations,” added Rabiot.
“We saw the heart of the team, everyone defended and attacked together, so in that sense we’re doing really well.
“I am impressed with how the strikers are working like crazy up there to help out. It’s a pity we didn’t win, but it was a good game.”
France lead Nations League Group A on seven points, one ahead of Belgium. Italy have four points.
“We have another important game with Belgium and that will be crucial for first place, then a couple of days off before I return to Milan,” Rabiot said.
“We’ve got a lot of games to play in the next few weeks and hopefully won’t have too many injuries.”
