MILAN — Giacomo Raspadori scored the only goal with a stunning strike in the 68th minute as Italy defeated England 1-0, which relegated Gareth Southgate’s side to the second tier of the UEFA Nations League.
England are now without a win or even a goal from open play in their past five matches less than two months before their World Cup campaign begins.
In a game of few chances at the venerable San Siro, the hosts claimed victory when Leonardo Bonucci‘s long ball sailed past England’s defence, allowing Raspadori to take it down and fire an unstoppable effort into the far corner past the despairing dive of Eddie Pope.
The game was a repeat of last year’s Euro 2020 final, which saw Italy — who will miss out on the World Cup — claim the title over England at Wembley.
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Rapid Reaction
1. Questions grow for Southgate as England are relegated
The World Cup is all that matters right now, but England’s 1-0 defeat to Italy condemned them to relegation from UEFA Nations League A Group 3 with Monday’s finale against Germany at Wembley to come. It could have a negative effect on their seeding for Euro 2024 qualifying, but of more immediate concern is the team’s form over an extended period with just one game until the big kick-off in Qatar.
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Friday’s defeat in Milan marked a fifth game without a win and came through another uneven performance in which England struggled for any rhythm for long periods. Gareth Southgate continues to switch between 3-4-3 (which becomes 5-2-3 without the ball) and 4-2-3-1 as his preferred system, and it said something about the respect he has for the opposition that he chose the more cautious approach in the San Siro.
His critics will argue it was another example of the conservatism that some fear could hold England back from maximising their attacking talent in Qatar. Southgate appeared to be booed by the travelling fans as he went to acknowledge them at full-time. There is plenty of work ahead.
