Sandro Tonali emerged as the hero in Italy’s recent Nations League clash against Belgium, scoring the decisive goal in a 1-0 victory. In a post-match interview with Rai Sport, Tonali expressed his joy about the win and his first international goal, stating, “It’s beautiful to score and find my first goal for the national team, but it’s even more beautiful to win like this: we suffered, played, and showed that we want to compete in every match; we don’t just endure them. There is great serenity in this group; each of us can’t wait for the next gathering. We enjoy being together, and that’s what makes it special.”
Reflecting on the challenges of facing a strong opponent like Belgium, he added, “Tonight we played against a very strong team; we looked for our spaces throughout the match. We started in one way, but the spaces changed completely; however, we always maintained a simple game. No one tried to do anything extraordinary. We executed well what we know how to do.”
Italy’s head coach, Luciano Spalletti, also praised his team’s performance despite some difficulties. He remarked, “The boys were good; the pitch became heavy in the second half, and we lost a bit of clarity. We made a few too many mistakes with the ball. In conditions like these, it becomes crucial to keep possession because adapting to the opponents’ pace becomes very difficult. When they came into our half, it became challenging, but they were like lions.”
