Rabiot impressed with Italy spirit and ‘extraordinary’ Donnarumma

Rabiot impressed with Italy spirit and ‘extraordinary’ Donnarumma Adrien Rabiot hails ‘extraordinary’ Gianluigi Donnarumma after France’s 1-1 draw with Italy and was impressed with Roberto Mancini’s side. The Azzurri had the best chances of the first half at the Stade de France, but Michael Olise broke the deadlock when his free kick went in off the underside of the bar. Alessandro Bastoni robbed Como midfielder Lucas Da Cunha to score the equaliser, and both teams went at it to the bitter end, even after Dayot Upamecano’s red card. Rabiot impressed with Italy Gianluigi Donnarumma makes a save during Italy’s 1-1 Nations League draw in France (@azzurri) “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 Azzurri were facing the possibility of Nations League relegation after that 2-0 home defeat, but came roaring back with a 4-1 success in Turkiye, then this strong performance in Paris. It was the first goal conceded by Zinedine Zidane’s France since he took over, after back-to-back 1-0 away victories. PARIS, FRANCE – OCTOBER 02: Michael Kayode of Italy crosses the ball whilst under pressure from Adrien Rabiot of France during the UEFA Nations League 2026/27 group phase match between France and Italy at Stade de France on October 02, 2026 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pauline Figuet/Getty Images) “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. 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.” Zidane remains unbeaten on the France bench, but the odd trend continued where all of their last 12 goals were scored in the second half. PARIS, FRANCE – OCTOBER 02: Michael Kayode of Italy reacts with Adrien Rabiot during the UEFA Nations League 2026/27 group phase match between France and Italy at Stade de France on October 02, 2026 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pauline Figuet/Getty Images) “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. 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 remain top of Nations League Group A with seven points, but are only one point ahead of Belgium, with Italy on four. “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. We’ve got a lot of games to play in the next few weeks and hopefully won’t have too many injuries,” concluded Rabiot.