Leeds United forward Wilfried Gnonto was sent off as Italy suffered a heartbreaking exit from the European Under-21 Championship at the hands of Germany last night.
Gnonto, who notched nine goals and registered six assists in 43 league appearances last term to help the Whites secure the Championship title, was given his marching orders for a second bookable offence in the 80th minute with the score at 1-1. The 21-year-old, who had looked lively and struck the post with a curling effort, was followed down the tunnel by Mattia Zanotti 10 minutes later. Zanotti was also dismissed for two bookings, leaving Italy with just nine players heading into stoppage time. Despite a heroic performance with nine men, the Italians lost 3-2 after extra time.
Victory means Germany will now face France on Wednesday, with England up against the Netherlands in the other semi-final. Italy coach Carmine Nunziata said: "This is the moment to praise these guys. They played a great game. We were two players down and only conceded four minutes from the end. The whole stadium was with us — that means we did something important.
"It hurts to lose like this. These guys deserved to go through. They were exceptional, united, and gave everything."
Gnonto will return to Thorp Arch next month to begin pre-season training as United prepare for their Premier League return.
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