At Wembley Stadium on Tuesday, England defeated the current European Championships holders, Italy, by a score of 3-1 thanks to a valiant comeback that was spurred by a pair of goals scored by Harry Kane.
The team led by Gareth Southgate went behind early due to a goal scored by Gianluca Scamacca. They needed a point to ensure their spot in the tournament that will be held in Germany the following year.
But England came back and tied the game before halftime thanks to a penalty kick from Kane. This comeback was fueled by an outstanding performance from Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham.
Bellingham had earned the penalty kick with an aggressive run of his own, and the 20-year-old prodigy was also the trigger for Marcus Rashford’s game-winning goal after the break.
Kane scored once more for England in the dying minutes of the game, giving the captain his 61st goal while playing for the Three Lions. This goal emphasised how important Kane is to the cause of England.
In spite of the fact that they still have two group matches to play, England is yet to be defeated and has emerged victorious in all five of their previous qualification contests.
“Taking into account the seeding, this was the most difficult qualifying group. According to Southgate, “We’ve performed exceptionally well.”
“It is a joy to collaborate with the players because they are so hungry, so willing to learn, and so together.
You were able to observe that in the performance. It was unrelenting in nature. It was very encouraging to see that even as we were falling behind, none of us lost our composure.
In light of the fact that they were unable to qualify for the World Cup the previous year, Italy is currently engaged in a tight competition for the group’s second automatic qualification spot.
The third-placed team, coached by Luciano Spalletti, is now three points behind Ukraine.
Italy will host North Macedonia in their final two matches before taking on Ukraine away from home. They are already qualified for the play-offs.
“It’s not what we expected. At times, we behaved in a more relaxed manner. Spalletti acknowledged that there were times when our attitude fell short of expectations.
“This is what it’s all about when you get down to the level of European football. It poses some really important questions to you.”
During the Gareth Southgate era, England hasn’t had any trouble qualifying for big tournaments, as seen by the fact that they haven’t lost any of their last 63 matches in either the Euro or World Cup qualifying rounds.
His ability to bring an end to England’s wait for a first international men’s trophy since the 1966 World Cup is what will characterise Southgate’s time as England’s national team manager.
After losing to Italy in the penalty shootout in the final of the European Championship at Wembley two years ago, England has taken some measure of retribution by winning both of its matches against Italy in the group stage.
Southgate is certain that his squad is a more well-rounded unit than the one that competed in the Euro final and came up short.
And with superstars like Kane and Bellingham at his disposal, there are no valid excuses for them not bringing the trophy back from Germany.Bellingham is simply sublime.
After a collective collapse in the 15th minute, which gave Italy the opportunity to take the lead, England demonstrated that they have the mental fortitude to rise to the challenge, and they were successful in doing so.
Declan Rice failed to make a crucial tackle, which allowed Giovanni Di Lorenzo to beat an out-of-position Kieran Trippier and into the England penalty area first.
Scamacca scored his first goal for his country in his thirteenth appearance after Di Lorenzo sent in a low cross that Harry Maguire failed to clear at the near post. The ball rolled perfectly for Scamacca, who sent the ball into the roof of the net from close range.
Because Bellingham has been in such fine form for Real this season, it should not have come as a surprise that he played a significant role in bringing England level with Spain in the 32nd minute.
Bellingham made a break for it towards the goal, but Di Lorenzo made a tackle that sent the midfielder tumbling. Bellingham took advantage of Italy’s lapse in concentration.
Kane scored his 60th goal for England after he took the penalty kick and sent Gianluigi Donnarumma the wrong way to score. Di Lorenzo had argued that he had gotten a foot on the ball, but the penalty was awarded after a lengthy VAR review.
Again, England scored in the 57th minute as Bellingham tracked back to reclaim possession with a sliding tackle before charging forward from the halfway line. This time, England scored a goal.
Rashford exploited awful Italy defending as he progressed unhindered into the area before drilling a clinical strike past the vulnerable Donnarumma. Instead of going it alone, Bellingham selflessly passed a pass out to Rashford, who punished Italy for their poor defensive play.
Kane put an end to Italy’s chances in the 77th minute when the Bayern Munich striker stole the ball from Giorgio Scalvini’s foot and then finished the play with such composure that England immediately began packed their bags for Germany.