Sandro Tonali was in action for Italy as they faced Germany in the quarter-finals of the Nations League.
Just a few days after Sandro Tonali starred at Wembley for Newcastle United’s Carabao Cup success, he found himself on international duty.
There are 14 Newcastle stars on international duty this week, meaning many had to cut their celebrations short at Wembley to join up with their national teammates.
However, Newcastle are holding a cup celebration on March 29th so players and fans will have a chance to celebrate their first trophy in 70 years.
In the meantime, Sandro Tonali carried his confidence from the weekend to Italy and scored just nine minutes into their Nations League clash against Germany.
Photo by Image Photo Agency/Getty Images
Photo by Image Photo Agency/Getty Images
AC Milan fans are missing Tonali after watching him score against Germany at the San Siro.
The Newcastle midfielder broke the deadlock early, but Italy ended up losing 2-1 to Germany in their quarter-final clash.
Despite their defeat, Italian media showered Tonali with praise for his performance with the Azzurri.
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Italian outlet SportMediaSet gave Tonali a 7/10 rating – the highest of any Italy player on the night.
They added: “[Tonali] towers in midfield showing physical condition, technique and overflowing personality.
“In the first half he unlocks the game with a precise right-footed shot, then tests Baumann’s reflexes with a right-footed shot from the edge.
“In the second half he serves a back-heel assist to Kean worthy of applause.”
The numbers behind Sandro Tonali’s display vs Germany
Tonali has impressed in a deep role at Newcastle this season, but he was pushed slightly further forward for Italy on the left of a midfield three.
He opened the scoring with a well-placed shot on his right foot, and his match stats show just how much of an impact he made in the heart of midfield.
Minutes played 90
Touches 51
Passes completed 93% (27/29)
Key passes 2
Dribbles completed 66% (2/3)
Duels won 64% (7/11)
Tackles completed 4
Sandro Tonali match stats for Italy vs Germany.
Tonali was almost flawless in possession, completing 93% of his passes and creating one big chance.
READ MORE: Incredibly, Sandro Tonali has just done something no other Newcastle United player has since 2015
Newcastle fans will be familiar with Tonali’s relentless defensive work, and he won seven duels and completed four tackles against Germany – more than both his fellow midfielders.
Tonali will likely be back in action on Sunday, March 23rd for Italy’s second leg of their quarter-final against Germany.