Sandro Tonali’s describes life at Newcastle United in three words - Bruno Guimaraes responds
Sandro Tonali was at his mesmerising best as Newcastle United smashed Union Saint-Gilloise 4-0 in the Champions League.
Sandro Tonali hailed European nights as “special” as he orchestrated Newcastle United’s first Champions League away win since 2003.
The Italian controlled the midfield battle against Union Saint-Gilloise and thought he netted the goal that broke the deadlock in a 4-0 rout. While the ball deflected off Nick Woltemade - not that the travelling away fans cared - it was Tonali’s brilliance which got the Magpies off to a flyer.
He has looked comfortable at the base of midfield since Eddie Howe tweaked his role last December. The transformation was highlighted as a key reason behind Newcastle qualifying for the Champions League and winning the Carabao Cup.
Sandro Tonali posts on Instagram
Not long after supporters belted chants of “Sandro, ole ole ole” from the corner of Lotto Park, Tonali posted on social media to toast the “special” night. Newcastle will be hoping to see more commanding displays in the engine room throughout the remaining six games of the group phase.
Bruno Guimaraes was one of the first Toon players to respond - calling Tonali a “brother” with several love heart emojis. Woltemade - perhaps feeling guilty after snatching the opening goal - was also blown away by the midfielder’s performance.
Malick Thiaw and Sven Botman expressed their love following another strong defensive showing. The duo have formed a formidable partnership at centre-back so far this season.
Eddie Howe on Newcastle United win
Howe was happy with how his players responded after suffering heartbreak to Arsenal at the weekend. He told reporters: “Travelling out here, it’s what we would have wanted, especially after the Arsenal ending. It was a big response from the players. I thought it was a really good display today, always gonna be a tough game.
“But I think as soon as we got that first goal, it settled us down and we played really well. Hopefully it prepares us for the Premier League because we’ve been looking for a performance like that where it looks like we could score at any moment. It wasn’t a perfect performance, there’s things we could improve, it’s a big step in the right direction.”
‘They should believe’ - Eddie Howe
“They should believe,” Howe added when asked about Champions League success. “There is no reason why we can’t win games at this level, home and away. We have got the players and the squad to do that. Maybe you have to do it to believe it yourself but I’m already there. I know that we can.
“It’s an important stage in the Champions League because we have to start well. In these competitions, the demands are so high, so if we are slow starters we could leave ourselves too much to do. So I certainly leave here in a much healthier, positive frame of mind. I’m looking forward to the next game.”