"We fought a monster" Tonali's honest confession after breaking 8 years of nightmare... Italy shoots hope for first World Cup in 12 years

*This content was translated by AI.

Sandro Tonali (26, Newcastle), who led Italy to victory, expressed his strong will to overcome past nightmares and make the World Cup stage.

Italy won 2-0 in the first match of the "2026 FIFA 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup" European Playoff (PO) Pass A against Northern Ireland at Stadio di Bergamo in Bergamo, Italy, on the 27th (Korea time).

Italy, which reached the final, will face Bosnia-Herzegovina, which beat Wales, for the last one ticket to the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup finals on the 1st of next month.

Italy, a soccer powerhouse with four World Cup titles (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006), suffered a long slump after winning the 2006 German championship. At the 2010 South African and 2014 Brazil tournaments, they had a bitter taste of being eliminated from the group stage, and at the 2018 Russia and 2022 Qatar tournaments, they did not even make the final stage at all.

In Group I of the European qualifying round, the team was also in crisis after falling behind Norway led by Elling Holland to the PO. However, he neatly overpowered Northern Ireland, his first opponent in PO, and turned on the green light to return to the World Cup finals for the first time in 12 years.

Italy led with Tonali's first goal in the 11th minute of the second half, and Mo이스se Keane scored an additional goal with Tonali's assist in the 35th minute of the second half, sealing the game.

Italy took advantage of its home advantage to lead the game on this day. Italy, which failed to score in the first half, led with Tonali's first goal in the 11th minute of the second half. Tonali calmly kicked the second ball that flowed after the cross to shake the net. In the 35th minute of the second half, Mois Keane scored Tonali's elaborate cross to seal the victory.

Tonali, who led the victory with one goal and one assist, expressed overwhelming feelings after the game. According to the UEFA official website, Tonali said, "We were watching 'The Host' as we prepared for this week's game. It was natural to recall the pain of Italy's elimination from the World Cup qualifiers in recent years," he said, confessing that he had to fight the trauma of the past.

He then confessed honestly, "I don't want to say I was scared, but it is true that there was a moment when past defeats crossed my mind."

But Italy overcame the pressure and won a valuable victory. "I was afraid at times, but in the second half, I was able to free myself from those feelings," Tonali said. "We have a goal, and no matter what, we had to win in some form."

"This is the most important goal of my career, along with the goal against Lazio that I scored in extra time when I was in AC Milan. I want to dedicate this goal to all of our teams who deserve to go to the World Cup," he added.

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*This content was translated by AI.