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Wilfried Gnonto left the pitch in tears as Italy suffered a heartbreaking exit from the European Under-21 Championship, losing 3-2 after extra time to Germany despite a heroic display with nine men.
The Leeds United forward was sent off for a second bookable offence in the 80th minute with the score at 1-1. Mattia Zanotti followed him down the tunnel 10 minutes later, also dismissed for two yellows, leaving Italy with just nine players heading into stoppage time.
Somehow, they still found a way to equalise. In the sixth minute of added time — with virtually the last kick of the game — Giuseppe Ambrosino curled home a superb free-kick to force extra time.
Italy then defended doggedly for another 27 minutes, but their resistance was finally broken just short of what would have been a penalty shootout, as Merlin Rohl drilled home from the edge of the box to send Germany into the semi-finals.
Burnley’s Luca Koleosho had earlier put Italy in front on 58 minutes with a smart finish. Germany hit back 10 minutes later when Nick Woltemade, the tournament’s top scorer, nodded in his fifth goal of the campaign.
Gnonto had looked lively and struck the post with a curling effort before picking up two yellow cards in the space of 17 minutes.
Italy U21 star Wilfried Gnonto left the field in tears after being sent off on Sunday evening
No 10 Gnonto was consoled by his team-mates during Italy’s quarter-final defeat by Germany
Nelson Weiper then gave Germany the lead with a well-taken header in the 87th minute, and Zanotti’s red card moments later looked to have sealed Italy’s fate.
But Ambrosino had other ideas. His 96th-minute free-kick sparked wild celebrations and sent the tie into extra time, where Italy’s depleted side battled bravely but eventually ran out of steam.
Germany will now face France on Wednesday, with England up against the Netherlands in the other semi-final.
Italy coach Carmine Nunziata hailed his players’ spirit and performance after Sunday’s defeat.
‘This is the moment to praise these guys,’ he said. ‘They played a great game. We were two players down and only conceded four minutes from the end. The whole stadium was with us — that means we did something important.’
‘It hurts to lose like this. These guys deserved to go through. They were exceptional, united, and gave everything.’
Captain Lorenzo Pirola added: ‘We showed our quality and played a really big game. We were just unlucky. I’m proud of everyone.’
Meanwhile, Germany coach Antonio Di Salvo admitted his side had been rattled by Italy’s late equaliser.
Italy fought back from 2-1 down with nine men and almost took the game to a penalty shootout
But Germany scored late in extra time to prevail 3-2 and book their place in the semi-finals
‘My knees wobbled a bit,’ he said. ‘Italy defended really well. The goal we conceded at 2-1 must not happen, but we stayed calm. We’re happy to be in the semi-finals and now it’s time to recover for France.’
Gnonto’s red card marked a frustrating end to an otherwise strong season.
Before going on international duty this summer, the 21-year-old helped Leeds win promotion back to the Premier League, scoring nine goals and registering six assists in 43 Championship games.
He will now return to the English top flight, having previously made 24 Premier League appearances in 2022–23, scoring twice and assisting four times.
