Italy captain Sergio Parisse could not hide his disappointment after missing a drop-goal attempt in the dying stages as his side lost 23-21 to France in their Six Nations opener.
The match was close throughout and Italy had a late chance to snatch the victory in Paris but Parisse badly skewed his effort with time up.
New Zealand-born replacement Kelly Haimona kicked a penalty six minutes from the end to give Italy a 21-20 lead but the hosts secured victory thanks to Jules Plisson's penalty four minutes from time.
Parisse scored a try in the 25th minute for the Italians but they could not hold out to secure just their third away win in the competition.
"Of course I'm disappointed because I tried the drop-goal and hoped to succeed," said Parisse.
"I was in the pocket at that moment, I was well placed to try. I took the initiative, I took responsibility.
"If it goes over, it's a good decision but if it doesn't then we should've done something else."