The match was far from a thrilling spectacle for those in the stands in Milan and saw both teams cancel each other out with their five-person defence.
England lost 0-1 against Italy
A poor night in Milan condemned England to relegation as their woeful UEFA Nations League campaign continued on Friday night with a 1-0 defeat to Italy. Gareth Southgate’s team suffered a third defeat in six games, adding to the 1-0 away defeat to Hungary and the 4-0 thrashing at Wembley from the same opposition. This time, it came at the hands of Italy at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza as Giacomo Raspadori condemned the visitors to defeat. The match was far from a thrilling spectacle for those in the stands in Milan and saw both teams cancel each other out with their five-person defence. The breakthrough came as 22-year-old Napoli striker Giacomo Raspadori scored his fifth goal for his country, catching out Manchester City’s Kyle Walker with his movement and then sending a pinpoint finish beyond Nick Pope.
Southgate’s team will now drop to Nations League B for their next iteration of the competition
England struggled to generate serious chances, with Gianluigi Donnarumma up to the challenge when Harry Kane tested him, particularly with two attempts on goal late on. It was Italy who went closest to scoring again, though, as Manolo Gabbiadini broke through one-on-one with Pope, but he opted to pass wide to Inter’s Federico Dimarco, who hit the post. England will now drop to Nations League B for their next iteration of the competition, putting them at the same level as their neighbours, the Republic of Ireland and Scotland, though the latter could still be promoted. The Three Lions will still face Germany on Monday at Wembley in a dead rubber tie in what will be their last game before opening their World Cup in Qatar against Iran on November 21.
Italy, meanwhile, will face Hungary in a defacto playoff for a spot in the final four in their final international fixture of the calendar year after missing out on World Cup qualification.