England kicked off their Euro 2024 campaign in the perfect fashion with an impressive 2-1 win away at defending champions Italy, avenging their 2020 final defeat.
After riding an early wave of Italian pressure, the Three Lions took a timely lead in the 13th minute, with Declan Rice reacting quickest to a rebound inside the box to fire home. Gareth Southgate’s men didn’t let up and continued to take the game to the hosts, finding their reward as Harry Kane became England’s record goalscorer from the penalty spot in the 44th minute — Jack Grealish even missing the chance to make it 3-0 shortly after.
Italy hit back through debutant Mateo Retegui just 11 minutes into the second half and applied intense pressure to the English backline, especially following Luke Shaw’s red card in the 80th minute. However, the visitors were able to hold out for the win in what might well be their toughest match in this qualifying campaign.
FT: Italy 1-2 England
⚽️ Rice
⚽️ Kane
⚽️ ReteguiThe Three Lions hold on to beat Italy for the first time under Gareth Southgate. ? pic.twitter.com/323sfKRiAv
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Here is how every player performed in an impressive away performance for England:
Italy
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma – 5 – Could do little about the goals, rarely tested in the second half.
RB: Giovanni Di Lorenzo – 4 – Gave away the penalty for England’s second and was quiet going forward.
CB: Rafael Toloi – 7 – Solid enough, winning plenty of tackles and headers. Used the ball well.
CB: Francesco Acerbi – 6 – Grew into the game and helped Italy establish dominance in the second half.
LB: Leonardo Spinazzola – 5 – Got into some great positions but his final ball was off.
CM: Nicolo Barella – 5 – After a very quiet first half, he played his part in Retegui’s goal and took a nasty stamp from Harry Maguire for his troubles. Came off shortly after.
CM: Jorginho – 6 – Neat and tidy with the ball but failed to compete with the England midfield for much of the game.
CM: Marco Verratti – 7 – Was involved in the build-up to Italy’s goal and did his best to battle England’s midfield, even if those around him didn’t keep up.
RW: Domenico Berardi – 5 – Barely got into the game and was brought off just after Italy got off the mark.
ST: Mateo Retegui – 7 – Scored on his debut after declaring his allegiance to Italy, but was well marshalled otherwise.
Mateo Retegui scores against England on his Italy debut. ? https://t.co/RhLjoATtXD
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LW: Lorenzo Pellegrini – 7 – Endured a quiet first half but made his presence felt with an excellent assist for Retegui after the break.
SUB: Bryan Cristante (62′, for Barella) – 5 – Didn’t affect the game how Mancini would’ve liked.
SUB: Matteo Politano (62′, for Berardi) – 6 – Had a few bright moments in his home stadium but couldn’t turn the tide.
SUB: Wilfried Gnonto (69′, for Pellegrini) – 6 – Looked dangerous with his pace but failed to cut through the English backline.
SUB: Sandro Tonali (69′, for Jorginho) – 5 – One blocked shot aside, didn’t get too involved.
SUB: Gianluca Scamacca (89′, for Veratti) – N/A – A final throw of the dice at the end.
England
GK: Jordan Pickford – 6 – Helpless for the Italian goal, was fine otherwise.
RB: Kyle Walker – 7 – Used his pace to keep Italy’s wide players quiet for the most part, while also driving forward at will in the first half.
CB: John Stones – 9 – Without Stones, England leave Naples empty handed. It’s as simple as that. Threw himself at everything Italy had to offer.
CB: Harry Maguire – 4 – Carelessly gave the ball away and injured Barella in the build-up to Italy’s goal.
LB: Luke Shaw – 5 – Had a good first half but got himself sent off late in the game for two quick yellow cards, one of which was for time-wasting.
CM: Kalvin Phillips – 6 – Looked rusty at times but did his job well enough.
CM: Declan Rice – 9 – Scored a poacher’s goal to put England 1-0 up and did a great job of shutting down the Italian midfield, picking up loose balls and making vital tackles.
RW: Bukayo Saka – 8 – Gave Spinazzola a tough night with some driving runs and silky skills. Could’ve had an assist or two on another night.
CAM: Jude Bellingham – 7 – Looked like making something happen every time he had the ball, whether gliding through the Italian defence or passing around them. The problem was he just didn’t get enough of the ball.
LW: Jack Grealish – 7 – Enjoyed some bright moments in the first half but missed a big chance to put England 3-0 up and faded after the break.
ST: Harry Kane – 8 – Became England’s record goalscorer with an ice-cold penalty that should banish the memory of his World Cup miss against France. Held the ball up well and popped up all over the pitch for the Three Lions.
Harry Kane has now scored more goals for England (54) than any other player in the national team's history, breaking Wayne Rooney's record. ??????? pic.twitter.com/e4JSWNoZoA
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SUB: Phil Foden (69′, for Grealish) – N/A – Brought off just 12 minutes after he came on as Southgate adjusted for Shaw’s red card.
SUB: Kieran Trippier (81′, for Foden) – 7 – Provided a steady presence in a chaotic part of the game for England.
SUB: Reece James (85′, for Saka) – N/A – Brought on late to see the game out.
SUB: Conor Gallagher (85′, for Bellingham) – N/A – As above.