‘My worst moment in football’ - Newcastle United midfielder opens up to media about World Cup heartbreak
Sandro Tonali suffered heartbreak last month as Italy lost to Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties in their World Cup play-off.
Sandro Tonali has described Italy’s recent World Cup heartbreak as one of his "worst moments” in football.
Bosnia and Herzegovina shocked Gli Azzurri on penalties three weeks ago, cancelling their plans for the US, Canada and Mexico this summer. Astonishingly, the four-time champions have not qualified for the World Cup since 2014.
Tonali was the only Italian to score from the spot, with Gennaro Gattuso - his idol - resigning as manager in the aftermath. Reflecting on the setback, the Newcastle United ace cited the shoot-out loss as a low point in his career.
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Sandro Tonali on Italy heartbreak
“It was one of my worst moments in football,” Tonali told Sky Sports. “We were so sad, especially because it was the third time in a row. It was so difficult. We lost against Bosnia, a difficult away game. We had a red card after 40 minutes.
“The next four or five days were really tough for me. I was different with my family and friends. I stayed in my house for five days. I came back to Newcastle, everything (was here) when I came back here. I found my team.
“My (Newcastle) teammates were really good with me because they understood after one second that my sensation was sad. For every kid in Italy, 16 or 17 years old, they’ve never seen one game in the World Cup. It’s the worst thing for us football players. We have to stick together, work and try (again) in four years.”
‘Finish the season well’ - Sandro Tonali
Tonali also urged his Newcastle teammates to finish the season well. The mood around Tyneside has plummeted since last month’s Champions League exit to Barcelona.
A bitter Tyne-Wear derby defeat to Sunderland burst the remaining positivity - and placed further pressure on Eddie Howe’s future. Any hopes of securing European football to salvage the season have been all but dashed following losses to Crystal Palace and Bournemouth.
On playing for pride, Tonali added: “We have to finish the season well. We have to win every game. But we have to think just game to game - this is football. We can’t think about the last game.”
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