Another Leeds United youngster has seen their Under-21 European Championship campaign end.
Leeds United forward Willy Gnonto’s UEFA Under-21 European Championship campaign ended in tears on Sunday as he was sent off during Italy’s 3-2 quarter-final defeat to Germany.
Gnonto was once again picked to lead the line for Italy, a role he has struggled to fill throughout four European Championship appearances which registered zero goals and one assist. The Leeds winger failed to stamp his mark on the occasion at the DAC Stadion in Slovakia and a dramatic second-half saw everything from red cards to late levellers.
Italy actually took the lead just before the hour mark, courtesy of Burnley winger Luca Koleosho, but Germany equalised 10 minutes later before things started to fall apart for Gnonto and his teammates. The 21-year-old was sent off for a second bookable offence on 80 minutes - the latter described by Sky Sports Italy as a ‘useless’ challenge - before Germany’s Nelson Weiper looked to have won it late on.
Italy were down to nine men after Mattia Zanotti saw red on 90 minutes but they still had time to score a dramatic equaliser, with Giuseppe Ambrosino curling in a wonderful 96th-minute free-kick to send the game to extra-time. Unfortunately for Gnonto, his side's numerical disadvantage showed in the following half-hour as Germany eventually went 3-2 up before playing out the final minutes to book a spot in the semi-finals.
What did Italian media make of Willy Gnonto’s performance?
And Gnonto did not get off lightly for his role in the defeat, with Italian outlet Mondo Primavera handing him a 5/10 rating. They wrote: “He struggles to leave his mark in the opponent’s half. The expulsion for naivety in the 81st minute weighs heavily on the economy of the match.”
And Sport Virgilio labelled Gnonto’s second bookable challenge ‘naive’, albeit they add a yellow card for his first offence was perhaps a little harsh. All in all, the red card and defeat rounds off a disappointing European Championship campaign for Gnonto, who struggled to stand out.
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“This is the moment to praise these guys,,” Italy head coach Carmine Nunziata said following the defeat. “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 now have a few weeks to rest and recover before reporting for pre-season testing at Thorp Arch, with Leeds’ first pre-season friendly now less than one month away. Daniel Farke’s side face Manchester United at the Strawberry Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, on July 19 before hosting Villarreal at Elland Road a fortnight later.
Leeds’ final pre-season friendly is in Dublin on Saturday August 9, with Serie A side AC Milan the opponents. There is also expected to be another summer training camp in Germany, as was the case last year, before Gnonto and his Leeds teammates kick off their 2025/26 Premier League campaign at home to Everton.
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