Adrien Rabiot backed after France concede to Italy

Adrien Rabiot has been backed after criticism focused on his role in France's equaliser against Italy. Lucas Da Cunha accepted responsibility for the mistake, saying he failed to assess the danger before receiving the ball and did not see Alessandro Bastoni moving quickly to press him. His explanation shifted attention away from Rabiot, whose choice of pass had been questioned.

France had taken the lead through a Michael Olise free kick, but Italy drew level when Bastoni capitalised on a loss of possession involving Da Cunha. The goal was the first France had conceded since Zinedine Zidane took charge. Rabiot had played the ball towards a teammate positioned centrally and with his back to the play, while Da Cunha's control allowed Bastoni to intervene before France could recover.

Da Cunha said the sequence developed too quickly for a second recovery action and acknowledged that he should have gathered information before coming to Rabiot's aid. The Como player was making only his second appearance for France, a lack of international experience that formed part of the context around the error. Zidane did not publicly place the responsibility on Da Cunha after the match. Instead, the coach highlighted the player's style of play, leaving the midfielder to answer the criticism himself while Rabiot avoided being made the focus of the concession.