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Quite what happens to Newcastle United star Sandro Tonali this summer remains to be seen – but he could well lead Italy into a World Cup.
The Azzurri beat Northern Ireland in a World Cup play-off on Thursday night, with Tonali scoring the crucial opener in Bergamo.
Amid so much talk about Tonali’s uncertain future at Newcastle, the midfielder bagged a brilliant volley to put his country just one game from World Cup qualification.
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Credit: Getty Images/Mark Cosgrove/News Images/NurPhoto
Though a traditional powerhouse of world football, Italy have not qualified for a World Cup since 2014 and the last knockout game they won in the competition was the 2006 final.
Here’s how the Italian media reacted to the Newcastle United star’s performance.
There were high ratings after the goal but not many outlets were bowled over by his performance.
The Cult of Calcio handed him a 9/10 and wrote: “Apart from an unsuccessful attempt to tap the ball home from point-blank range at the start of the game, the Newcastle United star had very little impact on proceedings until breaking the deadlock with a stunning half-volley.”
Sportsmediaset added a 7/10 rating and said: “A tiring first half, often blocked by the opposition midfielders and his own condition. Then came the great shot from the edge of the box that gave us the 1-0 lead. From that point, he regained his confidence and energy, with a great assist for Kean’s second.”
Quotidiano Sportivo rated him a 7/10 and wrote: “Underperformed for a half, lacking the necessary grit that should be his trademark. However, when the right ball came his way, he kicked it as he should and was decisive even at 2-0.”
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Credit: James Gill – Danehouse/Stu Forster via Getty Images
Tonali missed Newcastle’s dismal defeat to Sunderland before the international break and has increasingly been linked with a move to Manchester United at the end of the season.
The midfielder will now go up against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday night for a World Cup qualification spot.
Hopefully, he can bring his form back into a club setting for the final few games of the season as Newcastle look to qualify for Europe in at least some capacity.
Photo by Mattia Ozbot – UEFA/UEFA via Getty ImagesTonali stats vs Northern Ireland
Tonali has struggled at Newcastle this season and, goal aside, it wasn’t exactly a brilliant performance.
The Italians looked under pressure for most of the game before Tonali struck a fine volley to break Northern Irish hearts.
That’s understandable, given the crisis that Italian football has been in for years.
As per FotMob data, Tonali only won one of his seven attempted deals and found the mark with only 59% of his passes.
That is perhaps a reflection on his fitness more than anything else but good players step up in difficult circumstances and that’s exactly what he did.
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