''It was a very nice feeling,'' World Cup hero Marcello Lippi said after the first match of his second term as Italy coach, a 2-2 draw against Austria Wednesday night.
Despite not notching a win, Lippi said the match had shown ''good things''.
''Above all I liked the spirit of the team'' which came back from 2-0 down thanks to a goal from returning striker Alberto Gilardino and an own goal by the Austrian keeper, Lippi said.
''It wasn't easy to get back on level terms and yet we pulled it off with great determination from everyone.
''They tried to get the win right up to the last minute and it wasn't easy against such a physically strong team,'' said Lippi, who came in for Roberto Donadoni after Italy's disappointing Euro 2008.
Lippi picked out for special praise Udinese winger Antonio Di Natale and Juventus icon Alessandro Del Piero.
Di Natale ''was very precious'' while Del Piero ''moved very well,'' he said.
Asked if he was worried about defensive injuries as Italy heads into the qualifying campaign for the South Africa World Cup, he said he was confident of recovering World Cup talisman Fabio Cannavaro.
Lippi has said he will leave the basic framework of his World Cup squad intact and only gradually bring in new players going into the 2010 World Cup.
As well as two new squad members, Liverpool left-back Andrea Dossena and Sampdoria midfielder Angelo Palombo, other youngsters tipped to get a chance are New Jersey-born Villarreal striker Giuseppe Rossi, Fiorentina midfielder Riccardo Montolivo, Palermo midfielder Antonio Nocerino and Napoli right-back Christian Maggio.
Gilardino, who came in for the injured Luca Toni, said ''it was important to start off well and I did that''.
The striker, who has looked more confident after moving to Fiorentina from AC Milan, was the second-highest scorer during Lippi's first term.
With Toni looking out of sorts at Euro 2008, Gilardino will be hoping to stake a claim for a starting spot in Italy's first two World Cup qualifiers away to Cyprus on September 6 and at home to Georgia four days later.
Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini was one of the few bright spots at Euro 2008, where Italy went out to eventual winners Spain on penalties in the quarter-final.
But Chiellini picked up a bad knock in a friendly against AC Milan on Sunday and will be out for two months.
