Massimo Ambrosini, a former teammate of Italian coach Gennaro Gattuso, shared his memories and reflected on the situation in the national team following the recent 2–0 victory over Northern Ireland in the World Cup qualifiers.
“I was pleasantly surprised by how much all of this affected me—first as an Italian, and then as a friend of Rino. Considering what happened in the past, we were all expecting to find ourselves in the play-offs again, but now we’ve taken a small first step and we’re happy,” Ambrosini told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
On Tuesday, the Italian national team will play in Zenica against Bosnia and Herzegovina national team, which eliminated Wales national team after a penalty shootout. The overall winner of this mini-tournament will advance to the World Cup in Canada, United States, and Mexico.
“Gattuso made me a promise, and I hope he keeps it. He told me that if we qualify for the World Cup, we’ll have a drink together. I’ll wait for him in the mountains, and then we’ll go for a walk,” Ambrosini said about Gattuso.
Ambrosini also analyzed the match against Northern Ireland, highlighting the pressure the players were under.
“We struggled in the first half because we brought exactly what we feared onto the pitch—some fear and tension. That was inevitable given our past. After Sandro Tonali scored early in the second half, there was a sense of relief and the team played much better. If it had remained 0–0, the anxiety would have only increased. In such situations, you risk collapsing, but the Azzurri didn’t do that. Apart from a few unexpected moments at the start, Northern Ireland never seriously threatened us. On Tuesday, we face a team that combines experience and talent. I think they will handle the pressure more easily, although the risks are the same because it’s another all-or-nothing match,” he said.
It is worth noting that Ambrosini played alongside Gattuso at AC Milan and in the Italian national team.
