Harry Kane speaks!
Jacob Steinberg's player ratings
No word with Gareth Southgate on Channel 4, who have to get on with the rest of their evening’s programming. Suffice to say he’ll be pretty happy, not least because tonight he’s become only the third manager to clock up 50 wins after Walter Winterbottom and Sir Alf Ramsey. David Hytner was in Naples, and his report has landed. Here it is. Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night!
The other game in Group C tonight ended North Macedonia 2-1 Malta. That means England share first spot in the group with the Macedonians. Italy sit at the bottom with Malta. Ukraine, yet to play, sit bang slap in the middle of the standings, for what that’s worth. They travel to Wembley for their opening game on Sunday afternoon.
England captain and all-time record goalscorer Harry Kane speaks to Channel 4. “It means everything … I was so excited to put the England shirt back on … it had to be a penalty of course! … when it hit the net there was so much emotion … it was a magical moment … I just do what I do, I practice and worked hard in training yesterday … it’s a great night, we haven’t won in Italy for so long … the World Cup was obviously a difficult way to end … we spoke about getting back to it … we’re one of the best teams in Europe … today shows we’re ready for the next challenge … I’m big friends [with Wayne Rooney] and I know what the record meant to him … he’s a special guy, a great England legend himself.”
Congratulations to @HKane on becoming @England’s all-time leading goalscorer. I knew it wouldn’t take long but that was quick 🤣. Great man, unbelievable goalscorer and an England legend. Congrats Harry 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/mX7M8S8al3
— Wayne Rooney (@WayneRooney) March 23, 2023
What a result for England! To give some illustration of its magnitude, not only is it their first win in Italy since 1961, it’s also Italy’s first European qualification defeat in 41 matches. Harry Kane’s winner from the penalty spot was his 54th international goal, and puts him one ahead of Wayne Rooney as England’s all-time leading scorer. The three points give England an almost ideal start to their Group C campaign, while dumping pressure on Roberto Mancini and Italy, still reeling from back-to-back World Cup qualification failures, even if victory at Euro 2020 was a damn fine way to soften those blows. It wasn’t perfect, of course: England lost Luke Shaw to a couple of quickfire yellows, and perhaps more worryingly lost a bit of momentum in that second half; they really should have put the game to bed with their dominant first-half display. But it’s the start of the cycle, no point hitting top form yet, and if you can’t enjoy yourself after ending a 62-year wait for a win in Italy, when can you? A fine evening’s work.
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FULL TIME: Italy 1-2 England
England win in Italy for the first time since 1961! A dream start to their European qualification campaign!
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90 min +5: Tonali probes down the right. Gnonto down the left. There’s no obvious way through. England hold their shape and Italy are forced to turn tail. England so close now!
90 min +4: Tonali swings in from the left. Di Lorenzo goes over in the environs of Trippier. A slight nudge, maybe, but one that’s ever so light, and Italy aren’t getting the penalty they want.
90 min +3: Now it’s Gallagher’s turn to deny Italy the chance to build an attack with some impressive buzzing around.
90 min +2: Acerbi slides in on Kane and picks up a booking for the resulting foul.
90 min +1: Gnonto dribbles down the left but his low cross is anticipated, blocked and cleared by Phillips.
90 min: Nothing comes of the retaken corner, though Italy are soon coming back at England again. Gnonto crosses from the left to little effect. England clear. There will be five minutes of added time.
89 min: Tonali curls the corner towards the near post. The ball pings out for another corner. Italy make some token pleas for a penalty, though their hearts aren’t in them.
88 min: Politano and Di Lorenzo combine well down the right, the latter winning a corner off Gallagher. Before it can be taken, Verratti is replaced by Scamacca.
87 min: Kane’s tireless industry pushes Italy back a little, and the clock ticks on. Top-drawer defending from the front.
85 min: Saka is replaced by James, while Gallagher comes on for Bellingham, who has hurt his knee. “That Adriano Celentano song has the best lyrics I’ve heard since International Harvester (2) from Music for Biscuits by the Mike Sammes Singers,” writes Simon McMahon, who knows all the buttons to press to get my attention, even with five minutes of a crucial Euro qualifier to go. “Maybe England can borrow or adapt one or the other for their next match?”
84 min: This is attack versus defence now. England can’t get out of their final third. Gnonto is causing them a lot of bother.
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83 min: Spinazzola crosses deep from the right. Pickford plucks from the sky and then performs his falling-down clock-management grift. Needs must, huh.
82 min: Tonali wedges the resulting free kick into a crowded box. Phillips heads clear. England, so comfortable after a dominant first-half performance, are hanging on now.
81 min: As a result of Shaw’s dismissal, Foden is sacrificed for Trippier.
RED CARD: Shaw (England)
80 min: Yep, it’s a second yellow. Shaw picks up his second yellow in short order, and England are down to ten.
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79 min: Shaw gets the wrong side of Politano this time and clips his ankle late. A free kick, and he could be in some bother here. Italy swarm the referee. You know what they want.
77 min: Gnonto crosses from the left. Politano lurks at the far post but is shepherded away from the ball by Shaw … who then goes into the book for timewasting over the resulting throw.
75 min: A poor Stones clearing header drops to Tonali, whose low drive from the edge of the area is blocked.
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74 min: Italy have lost their post-goal momentum. England slowing things down again.
72 min: Walker is booked for taking an age over a throw. We’d previously been informed that he’d gone into the book for a row with Spoinazzola, but as he’s not also been shown a red, turns out that was nonsense. Pulitzer, please!
71 min: Gnonto is immediately involved, spinning into space down the left and looking for Tonali in the middle with a low cutback. He can’t quite find his man, but that’s a statement of intent.
69 min: Foden comes on for Grealish, while Italy make another double change, switching out Pellegrini and Jorginho for Tonali and Gnonto.
67 min: Kane wins a ball he had no right to win in the centre circle, and sends Saka dribbling down the right. Saka teases two Italy defenders at once, shifting the ball this way and that, before eventually firing a low cross through the six-yard box. It’s brilliant play, but neither Grealish nor Bellingham expect the ball to come across, and they’re on the back foot, unable to poke home. What a shame for Saka.
65 min: That goal has got the home fans animated once more, as you’d expect. Italy have a new spring in their step and a glide in their stride too. What cost that Grealish miss just before the break?
63 min: Italy make a double change, replacing Berardi and Barella with Cristante and Politano.
62 min: Jorginho sees yellow for a late lunge on Kane.
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60 min: Some debut for Retegui, then. Born and brought up in Argentina, he qualifies for Italy through his Sicilian grandfather.
58 min: During the build-up to the goal, Maguire stood on the top of Barella’s foot, causing the Italian midfielder some genuine anguish. Into the book he goes. Barella needs a minute or two, but he’s good to continue.
GOAL! Italy 1-2 England (Retegui 56)
The Argentinian-born striker doesn’t let his head drop, and within seconds of the restart, he’s found clear in the England box! Pellegrini, to the left of the D, swivels and plays a forensic diagonal pass to release Retegui into the area, down the inside right. He takes a touch before firing a superb low drive across Pickford and into the bottom left!
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56 min: Retegui has a dig from the best part of 30 yards. High, wide and not particularly handsome. But …
55 min: England have done fairly well in subduing Italy and their supporters again, after that brief flurry at the start of the second half.
53 min: Rice high-kicks in the environs of Barella only to catch his own man Maguire upside the noggin. Di Lorenzo wants the England midfielder issued with a second yellow, but gets his first instead for making his point too forcefully. Maguire stays down for a bit but eventually the pain of impact dies down and he’s back up and running.
51 min: Pellegrini aims for the top-left corner from distance. A decent enough effort but one watched calmly past the post by Pickford.
50 min: England drop the pace by taking a little time over a throw in the midfield. Smart game management. Speaking of tempo, here’s Andrew Goudie: “Please don’t blame the poor singer too much! We all know that God Save the King is a terrible dirge, but the music was even more funereal and rubbish than ever. In my opinion, they should have performed GSTK as an upbeat dance number.”
48 min: Pellegrini sends the second corner towards the near post. Kane manages to bundle it out for another corner, at the expense of winding himself. When he finally gets back up, Pellegrini takes Italy’s third corner of the sequence, and that one comes to nothing, allowing England to clear their lines. A fast start to the half for Italy, though. They need one.
47 min: A couple of loose touches, by Rice then Maguire, gift Italy a couple of throws deep in England territory. They convert the second into a corner. Jorginho curls it long. Pickford is forced to tip out of a corner on the left.
England get the ball rolling to start the second half. Neither team has made any change.
Colum Fordham is at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, and here’s his capsule review of events so far. “There’s been a good atmosphere at the Diego Armando Maradona stadium with no problems so far between England fans and locals. Met some guys from Taunton who were happily sinking Nastro Azzuro on the underground. I’m in Curva B with the Napoli/Italy fans who are a bit disconsolate at the moment (understandably), trying to encourage their team. ‘Chi non salta inglese è! Those who aren’t jumping are English’ they chant, but I’m secretly jumping for joy. Kane has been superb.”
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More half-time entertainment. Courtesy of JA Hopkin (“Amazing video”) and Adriano Celentano.
Italian singer Adriano Celentano released a song in the 70s with nonsense lyrics meant to sound like American English, apparently to prove Italians would like any English song. It was a hit, and resulted in this: THE GREATEST VIDEO I HAVE EVER SEEN. pic.twitter.com/B3mQWmQgXq
— Harry (@HarrietMould) November 26, 2020
Half-time entertainment. Some highlights of the last time, to date, that England won in Italy, in 1961. Gerry Hitchens scored twice in a 3-2 win, his performance earning a transfer from Aston Villa to Internazionale. Chelsea striker Jimmy Greaves got the other, and it wasn’t long before he was signed by Milan. Precedents thus set, should England hold on, are Rice and Kane heading for Serie A?
HALF TIME: Italy 0-2 England
This score doesn’t flatter England at all. England are halfway to their first away win against Italy since 1961. The Italians are whistled off.
45 min +1: England should be 3-0 up. Saka slips a pass down the inside-right channel for Kane, just inside the Italy box. Kane rolls the ball across the face of goal, having drawn the keeper and all the defenders. Grealish must tap home! But faced with an open goal, six yards out, he slices his shot, the ball bobbling apologetically wide right of the target. Oh my. Grealish stands agog. He’s no idea how he missed that.
45 min: Given what happened to Kane in the last match England played – and there’s really no need to be going over it again – that’s one heck of a penalty. Ice in the veins!
GOAL! Italy 0-2 England (Kane 44 pen)
Harry Kane scores his 54th goal for England, slotting into the bottom right having sent Donnarumma the wrong way! He runs off screaming with delight! He’s England’s all-time record scorer! And he’s just put England in the box seat here.
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Penalty for England
43 min: The referee draws a TV screen in the air, and points at the spot. The correct decision, even if Italy surround the referee in impotent rage. No idea why Di Lorenzo was hanging his arm out like that. He can have no complaints.
42 min: Kane was about to either chest down or head goalwards from the corner of the six-yard box. But it hit Di Lorenzo on his outstretched arm. This looks like a penalty. The referee goes over to the monitor. It’ll be a surprise if this isn’t given.
41 min: Shaw crosses from the left, looking for Kane and forcing a corner. Saka swings long. The ball clanks out, ostensibly for a goal kick, but Kane screams for a handball and a penalty. VAR will check.
39 min: Verratti slips a pass down the middle for the debutant Retegui, who attempts to get a shot away only for Stones to get right in his grille and block. Pellegrini slices the rebound out for a goal kick. As dangerous as Italy have looked, which is not very.
38 min: The game shifts down a gear from Lull to Near Halt. England are more than happy to show patience.
36 min: The game settles down into something of a lull, which possibly qualifies as some sort of progress for Italy. They’ve been very poor so far.
34 min: Italy haven’t given their fans much to work with, but the volume grows in the stadium as the home supporters try to gee up their team. “Enjoying the ‘Impossibile is Nothing’ slogan on the dugout,” writes Liz White. “Is the Italish (Englian?) on purpose? Or did something get a little mangled, like the anthem?” Perhaps Adriano Celentano’s taken a late career swerve into copywriting.
32 min: Jorginho gets the ball stuck between his feet and is relieved of it by Bellingham, who tees up Phillips, 25 yards out in the middle. Phillips takes a touch before sending a daisycutting screamer inches wide of the bottom left. Donnarumma probably had it covered, though you wouldn’t bet the farm on it without a second view.
31 min: Saka dribbles infield from the right, a fantastic little burst that comes to a sorry end when he dinks a pass to an imaginary team-mate on the overlap. Italy intercept and clear.
29 min: Yep, here we go. Rice is booked for faffing around over a free kick in the centre circle. He’s not happy about it – “It’s my first one!” – which suggests he thinks he’s been mistaken for Maguire, England’s previous faffer. Whatever, England were pushing their luck and collectively asking for that.
27 min: Barella threatens to burst into the England box down the inside-right channel, only for Rice to put a stop to his gallop with a perfectly timed tackle. Italy and their fans holler for a free kick, but quite correctly they’re not getting one.
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26 min: Now Maguire takes an age over a restart, and the referee issues some more beneficial advice. England are on top here, with Italy agitated, but they’d do well not to test the referee’s patience any more. Any booking now would be so unnecessary.
25 min: Elsewhere on the touchline, Roberto Mancini paces around with a concerned look on his face. A furrowed brow. He momentarily considers chewing his fingernails, but thinks better of it. A worried man.
23 min: Pickford orchestrates some patient pinging around at the back. It doesn’t half annoy the home fans, who whistle long and hard. Then the substitute Trippier takes his sweet time to return the ball from the England dugout for an Italy throw. That earns him a stern talking-to from the referee. Italy collectively irritated right now.
21 min: Rice slips Kane into the Italy box down the right. Kane whistles a magnificent ball across the face of goal, but Bellingham, busting a gut to reach it from deep, can’t quite extend a telescopic leg far enough. Any touch and that was two.
19 min: Other than that one run by Spinazzola, Italy haven’t responded to falling behind at all. England look pretty comfortable. Bellingham and Saka combine down the middle and nearly open the hosts up. Saka claims an errant hand has stopped the attack, but the referee’s not interested.
17 min: Shaw crosses low from the left. Easy for Donnarumma. That goal’s taken a fair bit of air out of the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. The away fans giving it plenty as they belt out God Save The King. Possibly a better rendition than the one performed by the singer during the pre-match shenanigans, who according to Jacob Steinberg, our man in Naples, “was all over the place … she seemed to start it twice … she then got replaced very abruptly for the Italy anthem and was having what appeared to be a very long debrief during it … there were very Italian hand gestures.”
15 min: Italy attempt to respond immediately, Spinazzola whipping a cross-cum-shot in from a tight position on the left. Easy for Pickford, who catches calmly at his near post.
GOAL! Italy 0-1 England (Rice 13)
Saka swings the corner into the mixer. Italy fail to deal with it. The ball drops to Kane on the left-hand corner of the six-yard box. His low shot is blocked, but pings back to Rice, who slams home, into the bottom right from ten yards!
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12 min: Bellingham strides down the right this time before sending a fierce rising shot towards the top-right corner. It’s heading in, so Donnarumma is forced to tip over the bar. And from the resulting corner …
11 min: Saka curls the corner in long from the right. Donnarumma punches, albeit not in a particularly confident manner. The ball whistles out for another corner, but the whistle goes for a free kick, one of those 50-50 decisions that a keeper will always get.
10 min: Bellingham strides in from the left and draws a foul from Toloi. Everyone lines up on the edge of the Italian box this time. Shaw curls the free kick deep. Maguire rises to win a header and force England’s first corner. Saka to take.
8 min: Saka sashays down the inside-right channel and makes it to the edge of the Italian box. His shot isn’t all that, bobbling through to Donnarumma, but it was a fine run.
7 min: Grealish drifts infield from the left and goes over, claiming Di Lorenzo tugged him. He might have a point, too, but he doesn’t get the free kick. Maybe he went over a little too easily.
6 min: Nothing comes of it. England look a bit shaky, though. They’ve yet to find their feet.
5 min: Verratti and Barella nearly combine on the edge of the England box. Kane intercepts and clears. Italy come again, though, Pellegrini driving down the left and winning the first corner of the game.
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3 min: Barella is skittled by Bellingham out on the Italian right. The first big free kick of the evening and so everyone lines up on the edge of the English box in anticipation … and Italy anticipate better than England, who snooze as Pellegrini swings it in. Di Lorenzo strides clear of everyone to meet the dropping ball and the visitors are extremely fortunate to see him miskick. The ball dribbles through to Pickford.
2 min: A fairly scrappy start, though the hosts are seeing most of the ball during it.
Italy get the ball rolling. One hell of an atmosphere in Naples, like that’s breaking news.
The teams are out! Just in time for the national anthem of both Italy and England. First performed by singer-songwriter Adriano Celentano in the original satirical approximation of what English sounds like to the Italian pop kids …
… and later translated into cockney-infused gibberish by the bloke from Runaround. The actual on-field performance of God Save The King is not that much better in terms of clarity. All right!
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Gareth Southgate speaks to 4. “It’s one of the hardest games in world football … not only the quality of the players they’ve got but the historic nature of the football nation … we haven’t got a great record here, and tonight is an opportunity to put that right … Hendo was a big part of our midfield during the World Cup but hasn’t been able to train fully for the last week, so we’re keeping him back … Kalvin has played really well for us and is a super player … he’s at a big club where it’s hard to get into the team, which is not ideal for his rhythm, but he’s more than capable of doing a job … Grealish is in a good moment with his club and full of confidence … it’ll be important for us to retain possession and have runners in behind to stretch the defence … we’ve got to look at the qualification over eight games and if we can get a win it’d be a great start … obviously that’s the objective and we’ve got to play the football we were playing two, three months ago.”
Channel 4 have just shown a disturbing film in which poor Harry Kane is forced to sit down and watch unexpurgated footage of his World Cup penalty miss against France. “I have a routine, a process … to execute [the first penalty] was really nice … I’ve seen [the second penalty] on social media and stuff, I haven’t sat back and watched the game or anything like that … it’s tough, you know … watching back it still hurts … and probably will for most of my life … but hopefully I can have some special moments in an England shirt in the future that will override that.” Come on, Channel 4! Where was the red triangle? Special Discretion Required! Special Discretion Required!
The Azzurri emerge from their two-decade Puma nightmare tonight. Look at this instant classic! Definitely nearer the Diadora end of the scale than the Kappa. The embroidery on the pennant isn’t half bad either. Italy without question stealing a sartorial march on England, though we’ve known that for at least a couple of millennia.
📸 Le maglie degli #Azzurri nello spogliatoio del 'Maradona' 🏟️🇮🇹#EURO2024 #ItaliaInghilterra #ITAING #Nazionale #VivoAzzurro pic.twitter.com/TZmnzkuog2
— Nazionale Italiana ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@Azzurri) March 23, 2023
Jude Bellingham speaks to Channel 4. “It’s been a quick turnaround … there’s been a bit of reflection on the World Cup and the positives we can take from it … the lads are definitely confident coming into the game and we’re looking forward to playing in such an amazing fixture … every midfield battle helps to sway the tide of the game so it’s important we get on the front foot and are aggressive.”
“Buona sera,” begins our man Philip Cornwall, who is in Naples at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona with his England supporter’s hat on rather than his regulation Guardian press titfer. “Half the Italian armed police seem to be here but it all seems peaceful, and I travelled by local train rather than on the England coaches. Names on tickets are being checked against passports four times and you get patted down by the police or stewards three times, including twice within 10 yards. Remains to be seen what it is like afterwards, of course, but locals have assured me that it will be fine as it’s not Napoli. PS: I have never been anywhere that people have been celebrating winning a league title this early in the season.”
England make two changes to the side named for the World Cup quarter-final with France in Al Khawr last December. Kalvin Phillips and Jack Grealish come in for Jordan Henderson and Phil Foden, who drop to the bench.
The teams
Italy: Donnarumma, Di Lorenzo, Toloi, Acerbi, Spinazzola, Barella, Jorginho, Verratti, Berardi, Retegui, Pellegrini.
Subs: Falcone, Meret, Darmian, Gnonto, Scamacca, Pessina, Emerson, Scalvini, Cristante, Politano, Tonali, Romagnoli.
England: Pickford, Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw, Rice, Phillips, Bellingham, Saka, Grealish, Kane.
Subs: Trippier, Ramsdale, Henderson, Dier, Chilwell, James, Guehi, Gallagher, Foden, Maddison, Forster, Toney.
Referee: Srdjan Jovanović (Serbia).
Mancini's men for our first #EURO2024 qualifier 📋#ITAENG #Azzurri #VivoAzzurro pic.twitter.com/BAgD6mJIp6
— Italy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@Azzurri_En) March 23, 2023
All set to face Italy! 👊 pic.twitter.com/L6lPsqeRvi
— England (@England) March 23, 2023
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Preamble
The qualifiers of Euro 2024 pick up where the final of Euro 2020 left off. Yep, the cycle loops all the way around to Italy versus England again, the closest Uefa’s international fixture list has ever come to replicating the narrative structure of Finnegans Wake. The European champions welcome the team they beat in that aforementioned Wembley showpiece to Naples for the first match of what promises to be a hotly contested Group C qualification campaign.
All the signs point to an emotional one. England are looking to avenge their defeat in the Euro 2020 final. Harry Kane is looking for his 54th international goal, one that would make him England’s all-time leading scorer ahead of Wayne Rooney. And the hosts will be remembering the beloved Italian icon Gianluca Vialli, who passed away in January. Throw in the usual levels of Neapolitan passion – currently cranked up to 11 given Napoli are champions-elect – and this should be an evening to remember. One way or another. Kick off is at 7.45pm GMT, 8.45pm in Naples. It’s on!
