Gianluigi Donnarumma reveals the curious incident just before conceding 14 seconds into the game with France and believes Luciano Spalletti has brought back ‘the smile’ for Italy.
This Nations League fixture was played at Parc des Princes, which is the stadium that Donnarumma calls home as goalkeeper for Paris Saint-Germain, but he perhaps felt a bit too comfortable.
It was revealed that after his duties as captain and hugging someone behind the touchline, he hadn’t even put his gloves on properly by the time Bradley Barcola scored the goal.
He protested with the referee, shouting: ‘Wait for me!’
“I wasn’t ready yet, I hadn’t put my gloves on, so asked him to wait and check that I was ready, which is what the referees generally do,” confessed Donnarumma to RAI Sport.
“At the same time, it was our ball, so we weren’t smart enough to wait a few moments.”
Federico Dimarco equalised with a sensational volley set up by Sandro Tonali, then after the break Davide Frattesi and Giacomo Raspadori completed the turnaround for an historic 3-1 victory.
“We did well to react and it was a great performance. Conceding a goal like that was tough, but the lads kept their heads in the game, stayed calm and concentrated, did what we tried in training, and that was fundamental to win this match.”
Unlike the side that limped out of EURO 2024, Italy had practically equal possession with France and took the game to their opponents. Has the switch to 3-5-2 made such a big difference?
“We sorted ourselves out. I think more or less everyone here is accustomed to playing with this system. The coach did well to understand what went wrong at the Euros and how we could avoid making those mistakes again,” continued Donnarumma.
“It was a marvellous defensive performance and I felt very protected. I saw the strikers come back and help out, so seeing that made me smile. I saw an Italy that was united, that was eager to get back on track and eager to win.”
Even then, did he expect a result like this on French soil?
“I did expect this, because I saw the right attitude throughout the week, I saw a different atmosphere that was united, with a smile and the desire to work hard. The old smiles returned and that was incredible to experience.
“I knew it would be difficult, especially conceding so early, but with the strength of the whole group, we turned it around and took the result home.”
When Di Lorenzo intercepted a dangerous ball for Antoine Griezmann, Donnarumma celebrated as if he’d just saved a goal.
“We do have this symbiosis, we work well together and want to celebrate every interception and tackle.”
