THE 2024-25 SEASON MIGHT HAVE COME TO AN END, BUT FOR GNONTO AND AARONSON, THEY REMAINED IN ACTION AT LEAST UNTIL SUNDAY NIGHT. BOTH ARE CURRENTLY REPRESENTING THEIR NATIONS AT THE U21 EUROS AND THE GOLD CUP FINALS. THEY SUFFERED AN EXTRA-TIME DEFEAT TO GERMANY IN THE LAST EIGHT DESPITE TAKING THE LEAD, WHILE AARONSON FACED HAITI.
GERMANY MAY HAVE HAD A TWO-MAN ADVANTAGE FOR MORE THAN 30 MINUTES, BUT IT TOOK THEM UNTIL THE 117TH MINUTE TO FIND A WINNER AND WIN 3-2. MAURICIO POCHETTINO’S STUTTERING U.S. LIMPED PAST MINNOWS HAITI 2-1.
WILLY GNONTO SHOWN RED CARD AS ITALY CRASH OUT OF U21 EUROS
ITALY TOOK ON GERMANY IN THE FINAL QUARTER-FINAL AND TOOK THE LEAD THROUGH BURNLEY’S LUCA KOLEOSHO. BUT IT HAS BEEN A DISAPPOINTING TOURNAMENT FOR LEEDS ACE GNONTO, FAILING TO SCORE AND PICKING UP A SENDING OFF. HE WAS THE FIRST OF TWO ITALY RED CARDS, RECEIVING TWO YELLOWS FOR TWO LATE TACKLES. ITALY MIGHT HAVE PUSHED THE GAME INTO EXTRA-TIME WITH A 96TH-MINUTE FREE-KICK, BUT EVENTUALLY LOST WITH JUST THREE MINUTES TO PLAY.
WHAT HAS BEEN AN UP-AND-DOWN SEASON FOR GNONTO FINALLY COMES TO AN END, IN POOR FASHION. HE, AND LEEDS, WILL BE HOPING THAT GNONTO GETS SOME REST AND RETURNS TO HIS USUAL SELF IN ENGLAND’S TOP FLIGHT.
