Alessandro Bastoni left the Stade de France talking less about a point earned than about what Italy had shown in a 1-1 draw with France on 2026-10-02. He said the team fought hard, suffered, and even ruined some of France’s objectives because the hosts were ready for a big celebration.

Bastoni also said Italy did not concede again immediately after scoring, which is really the key detail in the night. The draw was not built on one lucky break. It was built on a team that stayed compact when the game could have gone the other way.

Bastoni's message after the draw

“It was a tough game, we knew it would be, but I am so happy with the team performance. We fought hard, we suffered, we even ruined some of France’s objectives for tonight, as they were prepared for a big celebration. It’s certainly pleasing to score again, but the moment it was done, I thought we had to make sure we didn’t concede another,” Bastoni told goal.com.

That is the right read of the night. France had won their previous two UEFA Nations League matches before this one, and Italy had gone into Paris off one win and one loss. Against that backdrop, a draw away to a strong side is one thing. Doing it by staying organised after scoring is the more important point.

Bastoni's growing attacking output

The scoring line also keeps getting more interesting. Bastoni has now scored two goals in two UEFA Nations League appearances for Italy this season, with the other strike coming in the 4-1 win over Turkiye.

He said he did not expect to score two goals, but that he never lost faith in himself. He also pointed to his wider career, saying he would not let one or two situations ruin the career of over 300 games. That is a defender speaking like someone who knows a rough patch does not have to define the next one.

Sebastiano Esposito offered the same basic message from a different angle. Speaking to goal.com, he said Italy played a good defensive match, called the result against a very, very good team really good, and added that the group still needs time. The point holds up because this is still a new cycle, and Bastoni sounded like a player comfortable with that process.

Bastoni also said there is a need for patience and that Italy want to become a recognizable team, against France or against the last in the ranking nothing must change. On 3 October, that is still the clearest takeaway from Paris.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →