Zidane: Proud of What We Delivered Against Italy

French national team coach Zinedine Zidane expressed satisfaction “with the content, not with the result,” after a 1-1 draw against Italy in the UEFA Nations League on Friday at the Stade de France in Paris.

Zidane said at the press conference: “I am satisfied with the content, but not with the result. We deserved better, and we had a chance to score a second goal. I am proud of my players and what they delivered. We created a decent number of chances, and (Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi) Donnarumma was excellent, making two or three exceptional saves. That’s part of the game. So we must continue working; this was only our third match.”

This was Zidane’s first match on French soil since being appointed head coach of the national team, succeeding Didier Deschamps, after securing two away victories in the Nations League against Turkey 1-0 and Belgium 1-0.

The coach added: “We dominated possession in the first half, but we lacked attacking impetus from the midfielders in the final 30 meters. However, we did well in that regard in the second half. Our attacking performance was good in the first half and better in the second. We wanted to win for our fans who supported us. I was moved and delighted to return to the Stade de France.”

When asked about Ousmane Dembélé’s performance, which appeared somewhat disappointing, Zidane clarified that he found it satisfactory. He also said: “Ousmane remains Ousmane, and I am satisfied with him. He is everywhere on the pitch, and he often loses his position. I don’t have much to blame him for; he created a decent number of chances for himself.”