Zinedine Zidane was touched by the reception he received for his first home game as France coach but felt his side deserved better than their 1-1 draw with Italy.
After securing wins of Turkey and Belgium in his first two games in charge, Zidane received a rapturous ovation from the Stade de France crowd for Friday’s UEFA Nations League clash with Roberto Mancini’s side.
Despite an unconvincing first-half showing, it looked as if France were on course for three wins from three 10 minutes into the second when Michael Olise’s stunning free-kick gave them the lead.
But Italy responded well and stunned the home crowd when they levelled as Alessandro Bastoni pounced on a mistake from Lucas Da Cunha and confidently finished beyond Mike Maignan.
Both sides had chances to win the game thereafter, though Italy may be more irritated at not doing so after France saw Dayot Upamecano sent off five minutes from the end of normal time for a second bookable offence.
Though his side remain unbeaten, Zidane conceded to disappointment and frustration being his overriding emotions after the game.
“I’m very disappointed; we deserved better, but that’s the way football is,” Zidane told TF1.
“We should have sealed the win, but I’m proud of my players. The performance was very good; my players were exemplary. I’m frustrated for my players because they gave it their all.
“We had possession in the first half, but it was fruitless—that’s what we tried to correct at halftime. To hurt the opponent, you have to exploit the open spaces. In terms of our performance, we executed our game plan; they played their game—defensive, ‘Italian-style.’ We weren’t really in much danger.
“When you’re playing well the whole game and doing the right things, a small hiccup can throw you off a bit, and that’s what happened to us.
“The most important thing is what I saw from all my players. I’m very satisfied. They can be proud of what they did tonight in terms of performance.”
Asked about his return to the Stade de France and the reception from the fans, Zidane added: “It touches me; we would have loved to give the victory to an entire nation. It didn’t happen tonight, so we’ll rest up to win our fourth match.”
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