Giacomo Raspadori’s goal was enough to see Italy beat England 1-0, confirming the visitors’ relegation to group B of the Nations League on Friday night.
A dull first half saw both teams struggle to truly take a hold of the game, with an obvious lack of quality in possession hampering both sides.
England failed to pick up after the break despite a few bright moments from individuals when the game stretched. Roberto Mancini’s side looked refreshed after making substitutions and drew ahead after 68 minutes, piling the pressure on the visitors to respond and stealing the win on an otherwise dull evening of football.
Italy initially got the upper hand by pressing high and catching England on the ball early on, but the first quarter of the game was a nervy affair. Neither side was able to sustain possession or build any genuine threat, with possession turning over quickly but no clear cut chances emerging.
Phil Foden looked brightest for England when dropping deep for the ball and creating space for a midfielder to run in behind. While he wasn’t always found, his movement caused problems for the hosts and gave both Reece James and Jude Bellingham the space to move forward into.
Wide areas were where Italy could hurt England. Federico Dimarco always found the room for a deep cross to the back post, while Bukayo Saka looked uncomfortable at left wing-back throughout the majority of the first half, whenever the hosts attacked down his flank.
But while each side found an avenue to get forward on occasion, the game lacked any real quality and both goalkeepers remained largely untested, as the game trundled into half-time at 0-0.
The game stretched somewhat after the break and England had rare moments of joy when the likes of Bellingham, Foden and Raheem Sterling had the space to run past defenders on the counter attack. A combination of lacking quality and lacking numbers in attacking support rendered their efforts useless, though.
Dimarco found a way beyond England’s back line just before the hour mark and squared the ball to Nicolo Barella who, on the stretch, sliced the ball wide. The play was flagged for offside after, but it was a let-off for Gareth Southgate’s side.
England seemed to lose their tempo beyond the hour mark and substitutes added another layer of quality for Italy, who took the lead after 68 minutes. Giacomo Raspadori plucked a long ball out of the air and, in a matter of a few touches, found space to wrap a low shot beyond Nick Pope for 1-0.
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