After scoring a goal in the third round of the UEFA Nations League group stage, helping Italy secure a 1-1 away draw against France, Bastoni was interviewed by Slow Motion.

On the match

Yes, we were very sure beforehand that playing an away game here—as I mentioned yesterday in the pre-match press conference—would be an extremely difficult challenge because France has a large number of excellent players with top-tier abilities and very high individual quality. We clearly knew we had to be mentally prepared to grit our teeth, endure the pressure, and defend tenaciously. In the first half, we defended exceptionally well. However, despite the immense defensive pressure and challenges we faced, I believe the clearest and most threatening scoring opportunities were actually created by us. We could have taken the lead.

After conceding the goal, the team showed remarkable spirit—we didn't give up, nor did we collapse. For a team with fragile psychological resilience, such a blow might leave them lost and defenseless; but we didn't. Instead, we maintained our tactical characteristics and competitive quality, continuing to calmly push forward and attack. In fact, the very fact that we are leaving this stadium tonight with regret at not having won says volumes about how convincing our performance was tonight.

Perhaps we didn't entirely believe what you said before, because you always told us, "Please give us more patience, we will definitely achieve results and show our true strength," and now it seems we must apologize to you, because you truly broke out tonight, and we finally saw your true strength and identity.

No, no, there's absolutely no need to apologize. Everyone still needs to maintain enough patience—as I said after the match against Turkey, this is destined to be a long and arduous path of reconstruction. In the future, we will certainly encounter some difficult days when we are not in good form or things are not going smoothly, but the most crucial thing is that we must always maintain confidence.

We want to become a highly recognizable team. Whether facing a strong top team like France or lower-ranked teams, there should be no ideological wavering or change in our approach. Therefore, I must reiterate that our entire team now has strong enthusiasm and drive; but I also want to emphasize that whether in favorable circumstances with praise or in adverse circumstances with difficulties, we need to remain rational and balanced. Even after a satisfying performance tonight, this mental balance is still what we need most.

Finally, what did you like most about your team tonight?

What satisfies me most is our team's collective ability to withstand defensive pressure. I mean, in many moments of the game, our forwards—whether central strikers, wingers, or wide forwards—often dropped back to assist with defense, sometimes within 5 meters of me. This all-for-one, collaborative defensive approach gives our backline and the entire team incredible strength.

Besides that, I also really liked the team's reaction after conceding a goal. As I just said, after the opponent scored, even though the entire stadium fell into an atmosphere of frenzy and celebration, we were not shaken at all, and we certainly did not give up. I am very happy because every member of the team deserves this recognition and affirmation. However, I still want to reiterate that this is a long journey, and we hope to steadfastly continue along this right path.

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