England 3 - 1 Italy
England scorers: Harry Kane (32’ pen., 77’), Marcus Rashford (57’)
Italy scorers: Gianluca Scamacca (15’)
Venue: Wembley Stadium, London, England
Referee: Clément Turpin (France)
| Starting XI | Notes | Subs | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Pickford | Aaron Ramsdale | ||
| John Stones | 63’ | Sam Johnstone | |
| Harry Maguire | Lewis Dunk | ||
| Kyle Walker | Levi Colwill | ||
| Kieran Trippier | Marc Guéhi | 63’ | |
| Kalvin Phillips | 9’ 69’ | Trent Alexander-Arnold | |
| Declan Rice | Jarrod Bowen | ||
| Marcus Rashford | 57’ | Jordan Henderson | 69’ |
| Jude Bellingham | 85’ | Conor Gallagher | |
| Phil Foden | James Maddison | ||
| Harry Kane | 32’ 77’ | Jack Grealish | 85’ |
| Ollie Watkins |
Manager: Gareth Southgate (England)
| Starting XI | Notes | Subs | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gianluigi Donnarumma | Alex Meret | ||
| Giorgio Scalvini | 65’ | Guglielmo Vicario | |
| Francesco Acerbi | 63’ | Alessandro Bastoni | 63’ |
| Giovanni Di Lorenzo | 28’ | Gianluca Mancini | |
| Destiny Udogie | 10’ 63’ | Federico Gatti | |
| Bryan Cristante | Matteo Darmian | ||
| Davide Frattesi | Federico Dimarco | 63’ | |
| Nicolò Barella | Manuel Locatelli | ||
| Domenico Berardi | 78’ | Giacomo Bonaventura | |
| Stephan El Shaarawy | Giacomo Raspadori | 78’ | |
| Gianluca Scamacca | 15’ 63’ | Moise Kean | 63’ |
| Riccardo Orsolini |
Manager: Luciano Spalletti (Italy)
1’: We’re off!
9’: Kalvin Phillips carded for a rough late challenge on Frattesi
10’: Destiny Udogie goes into the book after Foden steals an underhit pass from Frattesi, forcing Udogie into the tactical foul
13’: Rashford’s free kick gets over the wall! And just misses the top corner.
15’: GOAL ITALY!! Di Lorenzo fires a cross, it takes a tiny deflection but reaches Gianluca Scamacca who roofs it from close range!
23’: Scamacca goes for his second! Fires wide.
26’: Bellingham’s header towards the far side is weak and easily saved by Donnarumma.
28’: PENALTY FOR ENGLAND!! Bellingham scythed down by Giovanni Di Lorenzo! A long VAR check to confirm it and give Di Lorenzo a card.
32’: GOAL ENGLAND!! Harry Kane takes the penalty right down the middle!
36’: Almost another goal for Italy from a cross from the right! But Stones makes a crucial desperate block.
40’: Pause for medical attention as Bellingham and Scalvini crack their heads together.
44’: SAVE! Rashford gets around Di Lorenzo and fires but it’s right at Donnarumma.
45+2’: SAVE!! Pickford gets down in time and denies Udogie from close range! Gives up a big rebound right up in the middle but the defense shuts it down.
45+3’: Acerbi misses the target from a difficult angle.
HT England 1-1 Italy Exciting match so far!
46’: We’re back!
48’: Foden goes down in the box, it won’t be given as a penalty. Looked like a dive to me in real time but upon replay I think Italy got away with one there.
51’: Phillips puts a shot over the bar from distance.
56’: Berardi fires way over.
57’: GOAL ENGLAND!! Bellingham launches the counter, then feeds it to Marcus Rashford on the left, Rashford cuts down the edge of the box and fires between the defenders!
61’: Scamacca on target! Stopped and claimed comfortably by Pickford.
63’: England substitution: Marc Guéhi on for John Stones
63’: Italy triple sub: Alessandro Bastoni, Federico Dimarco and Moise Kean on for Francesco Acerbi, Destiny Udogie and Gianluca Scamacca
65’: Giorgio Scalvini carded for dissent after a bad no-call on Phillips.
68’: SAVE! Foden smashes a shot from distance but Donnarumma down in time!
69’: England substitution: Jordan Henderson on for Kalvin Phillips
77’: GOAL ENGLAND!! A beautiful solo goal from Harry Kane, dribbling through the three-man defense and finishing over the keeper’s outstretched arm!
78’: Italy substitution: Giacomo Raspadori on for Domenico Berardi
85’: England substitution: Jack Grealish on for Jude Bellingham
90+1’: Kean stabs a shot on target but Pickford is behind it all the way.
FT England 3-1 Italy England qualifies for Euro 2024!
Without the individual talents of the obvious sorts, I still do not trust Southgate to organise a squad well enough to win a competition. Him including Henderson and Phillips are glaring warning signs that he doesn’t know what he is doing and is too stubborn to make the right selections when he needs to, let alone tactically set up a team to win round after round, and then again in a final.
I will never get over how people who’s greatest exposure to football are Sunday league games have the confidence in declaring that managers who have spent their entire lives around football, studying football and interacting with the players have “no idea what they’re doing”