The jeopardy had long since ended in terms of whether England would qualify for the European Championship in Germany next summer. It was merely a question of when and where. The answer was here and there was a symbolism about who they beat to do it – the champions, Italy, who they intend to dethrone.
Gareth Southgate had wanted a performance as much as a result; England only needed a draw – something to bolster the collective belief. The manager got it. There was a swagger about England from the outset and an inevitability about the outcome, even after the early concession to Gianluca Scamacca and a few loose first-half moments in defence.
There was no surprise about the player who made the difference. Jude Bellingham’s drive really was something to behold and he bent the contest to the force of his will, as much as his talent.
Two moments stood out, both of them when the new phenomenon of English football surged towards a ball that, initially, he did not look favourite to reach. The Real Madrid midfielder found an extra gear, he found a way – firstly to win the penalty from which Harry Kane equalised. The second came when he turned a 50-50 in his favour and released Marcus Rashford, who made light of his recent difficulties at Manchester United to slice inside two would-be challengers. At that point, Rashford just needed to summon the power on the finish, which he did. Gianluigi Donnarumma was hopelessly exposed.
It was all over when Kane punished slack Italy defending to extend his England goals record to 61 and set up a blast of Sweet Caroline after the final whistle. It was Bellingham, though, who had the last word when he gave an on-pitch interview that was played over the Wembley PA system.
“Did you enjoy it?” Bellingham asked the crowd, every inch the showman. The 20-year-old would hear the strains of Hey Jude as he departed the field. He even started conducting it. Here was a player who is loving every moment, firing possibilities. He is the biggest reason why England will travel to Germany in expectation.
England had won the one-on-ones in the opening exchanges, although not when Kalvin Phillips jumped in for a ball he ought to have got only to miss it and clatter Davide Frattesi for a yellow card. Southgate’s team looked ready to bully Italy who, of course, had beaten them on their previous visit to this venue in the Euro 2020 final. Which made the Italy goal on their first attack such a shock.
Luciano Spalletti’s players looked nervous at the outset but then they did not, working a move over from the left and up the right, Giovanni Di Lorenzo crossing low and Frattesi swinging and missing under pressure from Harry Maguire. Scamacca was all alone in front of goal for an easy finish and an England inquest.
Southgate’s team felt the body blow. The mood of the home crowd fell flat and threatened to spill into impatience. England needed something quickly and they got it when Bellingham surged towards a breaking ball, straining every sinew to get there ahead of Di Lorenzo, feeling the contact from him and going down. Kane’s side-foot was his 21st successful penalty for England.
Rashford would work Donnarumma on 44 minutes but the worry from an England point of view in the first half was how vulnerable they looked at the back. John Stones, starting only his second game of the season (the first was the Community Shield), was too often a beat too slow and Southgate could not have complained if Destiny Udogie had scored in first-half stoppage time after a lovely move. He stepped inside Stones and watched Jordan Pickford get down and across to save. Udogie should have done better.
Southgate had started Bellingham in the No 10 role and he seemed to run on adrenaline; confidence, too. He was always looking to make his spin moves, to be direct, to hurt Italy. The game was meandering when Bellingham again stepped up, sliding to win the ball off Nicolò Barella on the edge of his own area, watching Phil Foden get on it and setting off himself.
Foden’s Velcro touch and outside-of-the boot pass got England moving and then Bellingham did what he does – another surge, making the ball his ahead of Frattesi. He dinked it on, ran, found Rashford and ran some more, giving the Italy defence something to worry about. Rashford took his cue.
Italy were deflated, especially when Phillips avoided a second yellow card for a late stamp on Barella. Southgate had started him ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jordan Henderson; a clear sign of the batting order, as the manager likes to put it. As was Maguire ahead of Marc Guéhi in central defence.
Phillips was lucky and Southgate would substitute him shortly afterwards, sending on Henderson to a mixture of cheers and boos, which was an improvement to what Al-Ettifaq’s finest got when he came off against Australia last Friday. Southgate can measure plenty of other reasons for optimism.
