England started their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign with a historic 2-1 win over Italy at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, their first away win against the Azzurri in almost 62 years.
The match was also a historic one, as striker Harry Kane surpassed Wayne Rooney’s record to become England’s leading scorer of all time. The Tottenham striker has been in sensational form for both club and country in recent years.
The match began with a tribute to the late Gianluca Vialli, a former Italy international and manager who recently passed away.
Once the game got underway, England quickly took control, with Declan Rice putting them ahead after just 13 minutes.
Harry Kane’s shot was blocked, but Rice was alert and finished calmly with his left foot from inside the box.
ALSO READ:Â UEFA launches investigation into Barcelona over payments to former referee official
England continued to dominate the match, and they were rewarded with a second goal just before halftime. After a VAR check for a handball by Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Kane stepped up to take the penalty and calmly sent Gianluigi Donnarumma the wrong way to become England’s all-time leading scorer with 54 goals.
Italy came out with renewed energy in the second half and quickly got themselves back into the game. Mateo Retegui, making his debut for the Azzurri, controlled a clever reverse pass from Lorenzo Pellegrini before beating Jordan Pickford with a clinical finish to make it 2-1.
ALSO READ:Â Ronaldo marks record appearance with two goals in Portugal win
Italy continued to push forward, but England’s defense held firm. However, in the 80th minute, Luke Shaw was sent off for a second yellow card after a challenge on Retegui. Despite playing the final 10 minutes with 10 men, England held on to claim a famous victory.
The win was not only England’s first away win against Italy since 1961, but it also ended Italy’s 40-match unbeaten run in European Championship qualifying matches. It was a huge result for Gareth Southgate’s side, who will be hoping to build on this performance as they look to qualify for Euro 2024.
Overall, it was a fantastic start to England’s Euro 2024 qualifying campaign and one that will give the team plenty of confidence going forward.
While there is still a long way to go before the tournament itself, this win against Italy was a major statement of intent from the Three Lions.