Sandro Tonali's Anomaly Eases Italy's Nervousness

BERGAMO, FRIDAY — Sandro Tonali shone at the right moment, as the Italian national team faced a nervous lineup of young players from Northern Ireland. Just like at his club, Tonali is an anomaly that has become a blessing for the team.

Together with Moise Kean, Tonali led Italy to a 2-0 victory over Northern Ireland in the semifinals of the 2026 World Cup qualifying playoffs. The result at the Gewiss Stadium, Bergamo, Friday (27/3/2026) brought “Gli Azzuri” only one victory away from returning to football’s biggest stage.

Initially, it seemed challenging for Italy to overcome the shadows of failure to qualify for the World Cup. The immense mental pressure appeared to haunt Gennaro Gattuso's squad as they hosted Northern Ireland.

Despite the cheers of the home crowd boosting the team's spirit, Italy was unable to convert their dominance on the field throughout the first half into an advantage on the scoreboard. The best opportunity came from Mateo Rategui, who took a shot directly at goalkeeper Pierce Charles.

"We didn't have many quality moments, but we made the most of them when we did," Tonali told RAI Sport.

After going through the first half without any goals, Italy did not immediately show any changes. Tonali acknowledged that they still felt nervous at the beginning of the second half.

As the match approached nearly an hour, the good moment for Tonali and Italy finally arrived. The rebound from Isaac Price's header may have seemed awkward, but not with Tonali's finish at the edge of the Northern Ireland penalty area.

With a half-volley kick, Tonali struck the ball to finally score against Ireland. The ball soared past Charles, even before the goalkeeper had a chance to react.

For Tonali, this season can be described as "strange." His club, Newcastle United, is struggling to compete in the mid-table of the English Premier League. When playing away, they rarely win, with a total of only four victories from 15 away matches.

Newcastle has also been eliminated from the UEFA Champions League. "The Magpies" were halted in the round of 16. However, Tonali has instead "deviated" from the club's difficult situation.

In the second leg of the Champions League playoff against Qarabag, for example, Tonali shone, scoring in a 3-2 victory. The 25-year-old midfielder's impressive performance earned him the UEFA Player of the Match award.

The UEFA Technical Monitoring Group stated that the player is capable of maintaining ball possession, controlling the game from the midfield, delivering important passes, providing great energy for the team, and scoring the crucial first goal.

Ahead of the match against Northern Ireland, doubts have arisen regarding Tonali's participation. The former AC Milan player sustained a foot injury while facing Barcelona last week and missed the derby defeat against Sunderland over the weekend.

Tonali has also frequently been absent from representing Italy in major tournaments. His name was not included in the Italy squad when they won the Euro 2020. He has also been suspended for the Euro 2024 after admitting to violating gambling laws.

However, Tonali is an anomaly who shines when the team is filled with nervousness and trauma. After scoring a goal, he created an assist for Kean's goal.

The goals and assists helped Italy overcome the shadows of failure to qualify for the World Cup, as seen in the 2018 and 2022 editions. Tonali's opening goal also boosted the team's confidence after being pressured by Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland, with the second youngest squad average age since World War II (only 22.5 years), frustrated Italy. These young players had some good moments in attack. Their problem is a lack of finishing in the final third of the field.

With a compact 5-4-1 formation when not in possession of the ball, Northern Ireland forced Italy to play in the wide areas and often employed double marking to anticipate crosses. When the ball entered the penalty area, their three central defenders performed dominantly in preventing danger, even though Italy's front line was not at its best.

Despite having young and less experienced players, the team coached by Michael O’Neill demonstrated maturity in their gameplay. They were able to slow down the game, win fouls, and calm the atmosphere.

"It was a tough fight, not easy at all. They even caught us off guard, trying vertical passes. We should have played better," Gattuso told RAI Sport.

"It's difficult, we knew it was going to be a tough match, so now we have to try and recharge our batteries," Gattuso said.

Italy will next visit Bosnia-Herzegovina, which defeated Wales in the semifinals of the European Path A playoffs. The Azzurri need one more win to return to the World Cup.