Italy held France to a 1-1 draw in the Nations League as Roberto Mancini praised his side's performance and Zinedine Zidane admitted France had failed to take its chances.
Mancini told Sky Sport that the result had been earned against a formidable France side, while also pointing to Gianluigi Donnarumma's contribution when Italy needed their goalkeeper.
"These results change opinions. Today was a difficult match, in the end Donnarumma saved us when he had to save us, but the whole match was played well against an incredible team," Mancini said.
The Italy coach was particularly encouraged by the development of his players and believes the national team can continue to improve.
"These guys, by working, can become an excellent national team. It will take a little time, but we are growing well," Mancini said.
He also pointed to the team's progress since the second half against Belgium, explaining that Italy had continued to develop its approach in both phases.
"Since the second half against Belgium we have grown, we have tried to do good things, when we had to defend we defended and we did well," he added.
Mancini was pleased that Italy had remained willing to attack as well as defend, describing the performance as a collective effort.
"We defended and attacked as a team, a very positive evening," he told Rai.
He also praised the mentality shown by his players.
"I wanted it to be a step forward in our journey and that's how it was," Mancini said.
The coach highlighted the fact that Italy continued trying to play despite the difficulty of the contest.
"What I liked most was that they tried to play, even though it wasn't easy. We also suffered, but we went out there to score and that's all very good," he said.
Mancini also addressed his attacking options, refusing to single out one preferred centre-forward.
"They are all good, they have to score goals. Pio Esposito worked a lot during the match, but so did Kean, they were all good," he said.
He was equally positive about Nicolò Fagioli's versatility, adding: "For me yes, he can do both, a technically very good player."
France coach Zidane was disappointed not to take all three points but acknowledged Italy had made the game difficult.
"Badly, we always want to win, but Italy also played their game. I don't know if it was deserved, but football is like that: if you have two opportunities, you have to take them. I'm happy with what we did, now we have to rest and think about the next match," Zidane told Rai.
Asked whether he had expected that performance from Italy, Zidane said: "They can sometimes have a bad game, but also a good one. They played well in Turkey and tonight they played their game. They defended well and on the counter-attack they can score a goal."
The draw therefore left Mancini encouraged by Italy's progress, while Zidane's frustration centred on France's failure to make the most of its opportunities.