· March 21 2025, 12:30
Italy were beaten 2-1 by Germany on their own turf last night in the World Cup qualifiers with Newcastle United's Sandro Tonali getting on the scoresheet for his nation for just the second time.
Sandro Tonali scored his second international goal just nine minutes into the match against Germany last night and went on to be the best player on the pitch in a blue shirt, but it wasn't enough to seal the win over Germany.
The Newcastle midfielder's form since returning from his 10-month suspension has been, for the most part, excellent. We can't deny that he's had a couple of poor games, but overall, considering he'd been out of the game so long, he's been phenomenal.
That has been very apparent when linking up with the Italy side with Italian fans absolutely ecstatic to see him back. It certainly helps that he's now scoring ono a semi-regular basis too.
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The Newcastle man scored a typical Sandro Tonali goal
It was a typical Sandro goal that got the Italians into the lead on nine minutes, sweeping home a clearance from the edge of the area.
Unfortunately, it wasn't enough for the Italians with Germany scoring twice in the second half thanks to goals from Tim Kleindienst and Leon Goretzka.
However, Sandro Tonali was recognised as the best player out there for Italy by Football Italia.
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Sandro Tonali received high marks for his contribution to Italy's cause
Edging out Nicolo Barella who Football Italia gave a rating of 7/10, Tonali was handed 7.5/10 noting that he has had a 'magical week'.
"Scored his second international goal after a quick counter-attack. Could have netted the second one from outside the box before the break, but his shot from the edge of the box was blocked. Inspired. A magical week."
Give Me Sport were also generous with their rating of Tonali giving him, and a few other Italian players a 7/10, choosing to focus on his goal to emphasise his contribution.
"Showed great composure to put Italy in front when tucking the ball into the net through a sea of bodies."