Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali admits Italy's players struggled with the pitch in North Macedonia
Italy drew with North Macedonia 1-1 in last night's Euro qualifier.
Tonali later said: "The pitch is not an alibi but it matters a lot in football. We didn't play the best game on a technical level, but we created many opportunities to break the deadlock straight away.
"We conceded in the last 15 minutes in a match that was under control for 70 minutes.
"It's difficult in a few days, we've only known each other for a short time and in football you need time to put your game on the field. We're speeding up the pace because we know it's a matter of hours, every training session we stay with the coach as much as possible to express our football."