Harry Kane become England’s outright record goalscorer as the Three Lions secured a first away win over Italy in almost 62 years with a 2-1 Euro 2024 qualifying victory.
In a repeat of the Euro 2020 final won by the Azzurri, Gareth Southgate’s side got some revenge in their Group C opener at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Thursday.
Declan Rice opened the scoring and Kane deservedly doubled England’s lead with his 54th goal for his country from the penalty spot, surpassing the record he shared with Wayne Rooney.
Argentina-born Mateo Retegui reduced the deficit with a debut strike but Italy suffered their first home defeat against England since June 1961 and Napoli’s 40-match European Championship qualifying unbeaten run ended despite Luke Shaw’s 80th-minute red card.
There was a touching pre-match tribute to the late Gianluca Vialli before England quickly stamped their authority on the game, the alert Rice firing a left-footed shot from outside the box on 13 minutes after Kane’s shot was blocked.
England were dominant and Kane made history by doubling their lead late in the first half, calmly sending Donnarumma the wrong way from the spot following a VAR review on Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s ball.
Jack Grealish sliced wide when he should have added a third goal moments later at the end of another Three Lions blitz.
Italy looked a different side after the break and Retegui controlled a clever back pass from Lorenzo Pellegrini before beating Jordan Pickford with a clinical right-footed finish 11 minutes into the second half.
Roberto Mancini’s side continued to put England under pressure and Shaw was given his marching orders to beat Retegui just minutes after he was flagged for time-wasting.
However, Italy could not salvage a point as England dug in to see out a hard-fought victory in a fine start to their qualifying campaign.
Italy player ratings (4-3-3)
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma – 5/10 – Failed to inspire any sort of confidence at the back.
RB: Giovanni Di Lorenzo – 4/10 – Crucially lost Kane for both of England’s first-half goals and was torched by Bellingham and Grealish.
CB: Rafael Toloi – 5/10 – Looked uncomfortable whenever England’s forwards ran at him.
CB: Francesco Acerbi – 5/10 – Slow and lacked composure. Couldn’t cope with Kane.
LB: Leonardo Spinazzola – 6/10 – A huge threat for the first five minutes but faded in the first half. Became a bigger threat after the break.
DM: Jorginho – 5/10 – Offered very little at the base of midfield in the first half but calmed himself down after the break.
CM: Marco Verratti – 6/10 – A poor first half but enjoyed plenty of control in the second as Italy tried to fight their way back into the game.
CM: Nicolo Barella – 4/10 – Couldn’t get anywhere near Bellingham.
RW: Domenico Berardi – 4/10 – Barely got into the game. An anonymous performance.
ST: Mateo Retegui – 6/10 – Took a long while to get into the game but made his debut a memorable one with a nice finish.
LW: Lorenzo Pellegrini – 6/10 – Not himself out on the left but still managed to make a telling impact with an assist.
Substitutes
Matteo Politano (62′ for Berardi) – 7/10 – His energy down the right was crucial in changing the tempo of the game. Deserved an assist.
Bryan Cristante (62′ for Barella) – 6/10 – Brought some physicality to the midfield and seemed up for a fight whenever tensions started to rise.
Wilfried Gnonto (69′ for Pellegrini) – 7/10 – Should’ve had more minutes. A major threat down the left.
Sandro Tonali (69′ for Jorginho) – 7/10 – His pressing disrupted England’s midfield and helped turn the tide.
Gianluca Scamacca (88′ for Verratti) – N/A
Manager
Roberto Mancini – 6/10 – Some sensational substitutions from Mancini but you have to ask why they did not come earlier. Got the starting lineup wrong but at least atoned for that with the right changes.
England player ratings (4-3-3)
GK: Jordan Pickford – 6/10 – A reasonably quiet night for the Everton stopper aside from picking the ball out of the net.
RB: Kyle Walker – 5/10 – Had a few shaky moments in defence and really struggled when Gnonto started running at him.
CB: John Stones – 6/10 – Impressed in defence but was caught out of position for Retegui’s strike.
CB: Harry Maguire – 6/10 – A solid showing on his return to a starting lineup. Could be heard barking orders and encouraging his teammates as they had to dig in late on.
LB: Luke Shaw – 3/10 – Two yellow cards in 54 seconds was a foolish end to what was otherwise a decent showing from the Man Utd defender.
DM: Declan Rice – 8/10 – Dominated the midfield battle both physically and technically in the first half but had to do some ugly work as the tables turned.
CM: Kalvin Phillips – 6/10 – Not as prominent as those around him but his selfless dirty work allowed Rice and Bellingham to shine in more advanced roles.
CM: Jude Bellingham – 7/10 – Buzzed around the pitch with real elegance in the first half but took a step back after the break.
RW: Bukayo Saka – 7/10 – Dangerous out wide. Involved in plenty of England’s brightest moments and linked up well with Kane.
ST: Harry Kane – 8/10 – A record-breaking evening for Kane, who worked tirelessly all over the pitch. Excellent hold-up play and defensive work, and he deserved his goal.
LW: Jack Grealish – 6/10 – Involved in a lot but lacked a little composure in front of goal. Definitely should have been on the score sheet.
Substitutes
Phil Foden (69′ for Grealish) – 5/10 – A quiet showing before being sacrificed after the red card.
Kieran Trippier (81′ for Foden) – N/A
Reece James (85′ for Saka) – N/A
Conor Gallagher (85′ for Bellingham) – N/A
Manager
Gareth Southgate – 6/10 – The opposite of Mancini. Got his lineup and starting system perfect but had no answer when things got a little crazy, although he was hampered by the red card.
Player of the match – Declan Rice (England)
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