Donnarumma: Italy Showed 'Great Team Attitude' in France Draw

Gianluigi Donnarumma believes Italy displayed the characteristics of a strong team in their 1-1 draw with France, stating that "not everyone can come here and put in such a good performance."

Following inconsistent results in their opening Nations League matches, Italy's performance against France at the Stade de France provided a clear response. Alessandro Bastoni's forward surge and interception led to the equalizer, cancelling out Michael Olise's deflected free-kick. This goal marked the first time Zinedine Zidane's France had conceded since he took charge.

Donnarumma, familiar with Paris from his time at Paris Saint-Germain, acknowledged France's strength but was pleased with Italy's unity and defensive effort. "France are a phenomenal team, and even when we had to defend with a low block, we were united, so I really liked that," he told Sky Sport Italia. He expressed disappointment after the earlier loss to Belgium but saw the draw as a positive step. "This is the start of a long journey, and I knew we could have a defeat," he added. "I am very happy with what this team is doing and we came here with a great attitude. Bastoni’s goal saw him come forward and attack them in possession, that is the attitude of a great team."

The Manchester City goalkeeper made seven saves during the match, a high number in his international career. "I am in a good period of form, I feel calm and they were good saves tonight, but I’m happy because I helped the team and it was a wonderful performance from the whole side," he commented.

Reflecting on the development of younger players, Donnarumma emphasized the importance of allowing them space to learn from mistakes. "The young players must be allowed the opportunity to make mistakes, because that is how you can experience and maturity. We older figures will try to help them, on and off the field, let them realise how important it is to give 100 per cent in every training session."

Italy's next match is against Turkiye in Bologna, with Arda Guler suspended after his red card in Turkiye's loss to Belgium.