Sandro Tonali tasted defeat as Italy lost 1-0 to Norway in the opening game of their World Cup qualifying campaign.
Sandro Tonali was not at his marauding best as Italy slumped to a 3-0 defeat to an Erling Haaland-inspired Norway last night.
Gli Azzurri got their World Cup journey off to a damp start with a dire performance in Oslo. The topsy-turvy nature of the qualifying campaign means Norway kept a 100 per cent record after three games while Italy played their first fixture of Group I.
Luciano Spalletti came under fire last year following a poor Euro 2024 but was backed to lead his nation into the World Cup - a competition they have astonishingly not qualified for since 2014. The pressure has now ramped up on Monday’s home clash with Moldova after a shocking start against Norway.
Italy taste Group I opening defeat
Newcastle United talisman Tonali played every minute as Alexander Sorloth, Antonio Nusa and Haaland did the damage. Football Italia gave the midfielder a 4.5 out of 10 and labelled his display as “confused” in Spalletti’s 3-5-1-1 system.
Special criticism was saved for the manager, with Spalletti given a three out of 10 for mustering up one stoppage-time shot in 90 minutes. After just one game, Italy’s best chance of qualification for next year’s showpiece event looks to be via the play-offs.
Sandro Tonali addresses Newcastle United future
The defeat came 24 hours after Tonali, while acknowledging how he missed Italy, opened up about his desire to stay at Newcastle. Italian media have been relentless in linking the 25-year-old with a possible Serie A return.
“I’m happy where I am now,” Tonali told Sky Sport Italia. “I’ve found people who care about me, and I care about them. I don’t want to break any of the bonds I’ve built. I’ve had a lot of thoughts every day, but right now, I’m happy where I am.
“Sometimes, when I am away from Italy for a long time or during long breaks, I do miss coming home a bit. But I always come back with the national team and I always give my best.
“It (the Carabao Cup win) was beautiful because it was hard. We weren’t the favourites, and we never really have been. We beat Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea. We weren’t the favourites in almost every match but it was special also because when an unexpected team wins, all eyes turn to them. It was amazing to do it with a team that hadn’t done it in 70 years, with incredible fans.”
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Sandro Tonali honest about Italy pressure
Tonali also recognised the pressure of wearing the famous blue shirt given the recent World Cup failures. He added: “When you play football, you want to participate in certain competitions, and in 10-15 years that might make the difference.
“We know that we cannot get it wrong, we must play our best football tomorrow and do it without feeling the pressure. We realise it weighs heavily on all Italians, but what we need now is to take that weight off our minds and play with freedom.
“There is no negativity in the locker room. It’s true, we had a lot of injuries lately, but we are still Italy and it makes no difference if we are up against France, Germany or Norway, we are Italy. We will not hide behind this alibi of injuries, we are not seeking a way out,” assured Tonali.
“Every game is different, we need to see if we really can play without that tension. We are strong and we are representing Italy, but the pressure outside doesn’t help us right now, and that is something we worked on this week.”
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