Deschamps: Beating Euro 2012 finalists a big thing for France

Deschamps: Beating Euro 2012 finalists a big thing for France

Nov 15, 2012 8:30:00 AM

The 44-year-old was pleased to see his team build on their performance against Spain last month, and was over the moon with the final result

Didier Deschamps has voiced his delight with France's 2-1 win over Italy in Wednesday evening's international friendly at the Ennio Tardini in Parma.

Stephan El Shaarawy gifted the Azzurri a 1-0 lead after 35 minutes of play, but goals from Mathieu Valbuena and Bafetimbi Gomis meant that the Bleus eventually came out victorious, much to the satisfaction of Deschamps.

"Last month we drew in Spain, and now we have beaten the European Championship finalists. That is not nothing," the ex-Olympique de Marseille coach stated at a press conference.

"We were very timid in the first 20 minutes, lacking rhythm and aggression. Italy were more mobile and moved better. It took the concession of the goal to start playing the way I wanted us to, to go and win the ball further up the pitch.

"The second half was end-to-end. There were lots of changes. Italy could have equalised but we also had two chances to increase our lead.

"I am really happy with the attitude shown by my players. It was very good for our last match of the year."

France's next match is the international friendly against Germany on February 6, 2013.

Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25
Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200
Sign up to Paddy Power for £250 in free bets
Sign up today with Coral and get a £50 FREE bet - no strings attached!
Sign up today with BetVictor and get a £25 FREE BET!