Italy's national team midfielder, Sandro Tonali, spoke about his team's 2-0 victory against Northern Ireland in the European playoff semi-final qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, emphasizing that the match was not easy and that the team felt some tension during the game.

Tonali said in his statements after the match: "It felt like a replay of our game against Estonia in Bergamo (in the World Cup qualifiers). We didn't create many chances, but we faced a physically strong team that was dangerous with long balls, which is something we've struggled with recently."

He added, "We didn't have many moments of quality during the match, but we managed to make good use of the few opportunities we had."

Tonali addressed the immense pressure on the Italian national team, especially after missing the last two World Cup editions in 2018 and 2022, saying: "There was some tension at the start of the second half, but after scoring the lead goal, we began to feel relieved from the pressure thanks to the team's mentality."

The midfield star concluded his statements by emphasizing the importance of defensive focus against teams that rely on set pieces and direct play, explaining: "We focused on not giving them their strengths, and we were very cautious in dealing with set pieces. When we play this way, it's difficult to concede goals against this type of team."