Italyโs Nations League tie against France was expected to be a bit of an uphill challenge but they managed to secure a 1-1 draw. Les Bleus were down to ten men but managed to hold onto an important point, but Roberto Mancini appeared happy with the Azzurriโs showing.
It was Michael Oliseโs thunderbold that opened the scoring for France in the second half. Not long ago, an error on the ball led to Alessandro Bastoni of all players scoring from close range. Dayot Upamecano was sent off late but Italy couldnโt take advantage.
Manciniโs side defended well in shape and created chances of their own. He was pleased with the showing.
He said โ via TMW: โWe knew it would be tough, but We did a good job of conceding little. We did some great things.โ
Describing positive take-aways, he said: โWe defended and attacked as a team, a very positive night.โ
The Azzurri mister was specifically happy with Italy gave a good account of themselves even when attacking.
โThat they tried to play, even though it wasnโt easy. We also struggled, but We went there to score, and thatโs all very good.โ
The international break has now seen Italy pick up one win, one draw and one loss. While that would ideally be seen as a mixed bag, things were rather negative after the loss to Belgium but the way Italy have recovered is a big positive indeed.
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Kaustubh Pandey โ GIFN
