Italian media are totally blown away by Sandro Tonali’s performance for his country against Belgium

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Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali continued his outstanding form for Italy on Thursday night.

While the 24-year-old is suddenly out of the Newcastle United starting XI, he is having no such issues on the international stage.

Since the end of his suspension, Sandro Tonali has started every Italy game possible, and played pretty much every minute. That continued on Thursday night, as the Azzurri beat Belgium 1-0 in the Nations League.

Not only did Tonali start and play the full 90 minutes, he also scored the only goal of the game. It was a tap-in in the 11th minute, with the midfielder perfectly timing his run into the six-yard box to get on the end of Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s pass across goal.

It was Tonali’s first ever goal for his country, and his first strike since finding the net for Newcastle United on his Toon debut back in August 2023.

Italian media praise Sandro Tonali yet again

During the last international break, the Italian media were seriously impressed with Tonali. He was hailed for his running power, with one outlet even describing him as a ‘madman’ for the way he was able to cover so much ground.

The praise continued on Thursday night, after Tonali scored the winner against Belgium in Brussels.

Sky Italia gave Tonali a score of 7/10 in their player ratings, which was the joint highest.

On Tonali, they wrote: “The usual amount of muscle available to the team. But on this occasion he gets involved more than usual and finds a goal before offering himself for the second. Good in the double phase, he combines quality with great quantity.”

Stadionews also gave Tonali a score of seven, which again was the highest mark.

They wrote: “A goal that erases a very difficult period of his career (and his life). He just needs to tap it in after a great move by the Azzurri, but his goal is a liberation that allows him to play an orderly game with his usual generosity.”

Finally, Sportmediaset also gave Tonali the top mark of a 7/10, writing: “After 15 months he returned to scoring, perhaps putting a difficult period completely behind him. A perpetual motion in the middle of the field, he knows how to be ready between the lines, losing few balls even under pressure.”

What is next for Sandro Tonali

After a man of the match display against Belgium and a first ever international goal, next on Tonali’s agenda is a clash with France.

Italy take on Les Bleus in the Nations League in Milan on Sunday night, with Tonali set to return to the San Siro for just the second time since leaving AC Milan in 2023.

Tonali became one of Newcastle’s most expensive signings ever when he arrived for £55million, and was part of the Toon team that drew 0-0 with the Rossoneri at the San Siro in last season’s Champions League.

After the game against France, Tonali will hope to be involved in Newcastle’s Premier League clash with West Ham United at St James’ Park on November 25th.

Newcastle United midfielder is improving in the final third

It is great to see Tonali score his first ever goal for Italy. It is something that he needs to do more in his career, as his strike against Belgium was just his 15th goal of his career.

But Tonali does now have two goal contributions in two games, having come off the bench to get an assist in Newcastle’s 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest.

After a lung-busting run, Tonali provided the pass for Harvey Barnes to score his fourth goal of the season at the City Ground.

This is hopefully the start of a fruitful run in the final third for Sandro Tonali.