European Championship - Qualifying Group C
ItalyItaly1EnglandEngland2

Italy 1-2 England: Harry Kane scores record-breaking goal as Three Lions win

By Phil McNultyChief football writer at Diego Armando Maradona Stadium
Harry Kane scores from the penalty spot
Harry Kane scored a penalty in the first half against Italy to become England's record scorer

Harry Kane became England's all-time record goalscorer as they opened their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign with a first away victory against Italy since 1961.

Kane wrote his name into the history books in the 44th minute when he beat Gianluigi Donnarumma from the penalty spot for his 54th goal, overtaking previous record holder Wayne Rooney.

Declan Rice gave England an early lead when he scored from close range after Kane's shot was blocked before the captain put memories of his penalty miss against France in the World Cup quarter-final in Qatar aside with an emphatic spot-kick.

Italy, whistled off at half-time in their first international in Naples for a decade, improved as England became sloppy.

Debutant Mateo Retegui was the beneficiary of poor work from Harry Maguire, whose failed attempt to close down the danger on the edge of the box allowed the Italians to shift the ball to the 23-year-old to drill an unerring finish past Jordan Pickford after 56 minutes.

England's drop in performance was compounded by Luke Shaw's second yellow card with 10 minutes left but they hung on for a vital win.

England show two sides

England's first-half display was consummate in its control, Italy made to look decidedly average as Rice and Jude Bellingham controlled affairs and Kane made history.

The only blot was a dreadful miss by Jack Grealish that would have made it 3-0 and surely avoided the anxious second-half showing that followed.

Italy were still in the hunt, just, and after what would surely have been some choice half-time words from coach Roberto Mancini they came out fighting in the second half.

Their cause was helped by an England performance barely recognisable from the first half, the visitors conceding control as well as the goal that set up a tense finish.

Shaw's dismissal did little to help England's cause late on. The defender picked up the first of his two yellow cards in the 78th minute for time-wasting when preparing to take a throw-in and the second came just two minutes later for a mis-timed challenged on Retegui.

Italy, however, lacked the quality to make England pay the price and in the end their Euro 2024 campaign got off to the ideal start.

England now have the chance to build on these three points when they face Ukraine at Wembley on Sunday.

England win in subdued Naples

The theory was that Italy's football authorities chose the ramshackle but hugely atmospheric Stadio Diego Armando Maradona to make life uncomfortable for England.

In practice, there were empty seats inside this vast bowl and Italy's poor first half meant that it took until after the break for the home support to come to life.

It had been suggested Napoli's fans struggle to form an attachment with the Italy team and their silence throughout the first half and reaction at half-time suggested they could hardly wait to get back to throwing their passion and fire behind their own team as they run away with Serie A and chase the Champions League.

The subdued mood played into England's hands, Gareth Southgate's side only making life difficult for themselves with their own indifferent showing that almost allowed Italy back in.

Player of the match

GnontoWilfried Gnonto

with an average of 7.87

Italy

  1. Squad number7Player nameGnonto
    Average rating

    7.87

  2. Squad number1Player nameG Donnarumma
    Average rating

    4.51

  3. Squad number9Player nameScamacca
    Average rating

    4.39

  4. Squad number19Player nameRetegui
    Average rating

    4.37

  5. Squad number6Player nameVerratti
    Average rating

    4.20

  6. Squad number20Player nameTonali
    Average rating

    4.20

  7. Squad number4Player nameSpinazzola
    Average rating

    4.13

  8. Squad number17Player namePolitano
    Average rating

    4.13

  9. Squad number10Player namePellegrini
    Average rating

    4.12

  10. Squad number3Player nameTolói
    Average rating

    4.07

  11. Squad number8Player nameJorginho
    Average rating

    4.06

  12. Squad number2Player nameDi Lorenzo
    Average rating

    4.05

  13. Squad number11Player nameBerardi
    Average rating

    3.98

  14. Squad number16Player nameCristante
    Average rating

    3.97

  15. Squad number18Player nameBarella
    Average rating

    3.96

  16. Squad number15Player nameAcerbi
    Average rating

    3.91

England

  1. Squad number4Player nameRice
    Average rating

    7.35

  2. Squad number9Player nameKane
    Average rating

    7.34

  3. Squad number10Player nameBellingham
    Average rating

    7.09

  4. Squad number7Player nameSaka
    Average rating

    6.81

  5. Squad number5Player nameStones
    Average rating

    6.67

  6. Squad number2Player nameWalker
    Average rating

    6.37

  7. Squad number1Player namePickford
    Average rating

    6.26

  8. Squad number19Player nameGallagher
    Average rating

    6.03

  9. Squad number8Player namePhillips
    Average rating

    5.97

  10. Squad number12Player nameTrippier
    Average rating

    5.82

  11. Squad number17Player nameJames
    Average rating

    5.65

  12. Squad number11Player nameGrealish
    Average rating

    5.63

  13. Squad number20Player nameFoden
    Average rating

    5.38

  14. Squad number3Player nameShaw
    Average rating

    5.34

  15. Squad number6Player nameMaguire
    Average rating

    4.96

Line-ups

Italy

Formation 4-3-3

  • 1G Donnarumma
  • 2Di LorenzoBooked at 53mins
  • 3Tolói
  • 15AcerbiBooked at 90mins
  • 4Spinazzola
  • 18BarellaSubstituted forCristanteat 62'minutes
  • 8JorginhoBooked at 61minsSubstituted forTonaliat 69'minutes
  • 6VerrattiSubstituted forScamaccaat 88'minutes
  • 11BerardiSubstituted forPolitanoat 62'minutes
  • 19Retegui
  • 10PellegriniSubstituted forGnontoat 69'minutes

Substitutes

  • 5Darmian
  • 7Gnonto
  • 9Scamacca
  • 12Pessina
  • 13Emerson
  • 14Scalvini
  • 16Cristante
  • 17Politano
  • 20Tonali
  • 21Falcone
  • 22Meret
  • 23Romagnoli

England

Formation 4-3-3

  • 1Pickford
  • 2WalkerBooked at 71mins
  • 5Stones
  • 6MaguireBooked at 57mins
  • 3ShawBooked at 80mins
  • 8Phillips
  • 4RiceBooked at 29mins
  • 10BellinghamSubstituted forGallagherat 85'minutes
  • 7SakaSubstituted forJamesat 85'minutes
  • 9Kane
  • 11GrealishSubstituted forFodenat 69'minutesSubstituted forTrippierat 81'minutes

Substitutes

  • 12Trippier
  • 13Ramsdale
  • 14Henderson
  • 15Dier
  • 16Chilwell
  • 17James
  • 18Guéhi
  • 19Gallagher
  • 20Foden
  • 21Maddison
  • 22Forster
  • 23Toney
Referee:
Srdjan Jovanovic
Attendance:
44,536

Match Stats

Home TeamItalyAway TeamEngland
Possession
Home58%
Away42%
Shots
Home10
Away7
Shots on Target
Home1
Away4
Corners
Home7
Away3
Fouls
Home13
Away6

Live Text

  1. Post update

    Match ends, Italy 1, England 2.

  2. Full Time

    Second Half ends, Italy 1, England 2.

  3. Post update

    Attempt missed. Mateo Retegui (Italy) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Leonardo Spinazzola with a cross.

  4. Booking

    Francesco Acerbi (Italy) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

  5. Post update

    Foul by Francesco Acerbi (Italy).

  6. Post update

    Harry Kane (England) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  7. Post update

    Corner, Italy. Conceded by Kalvin Phillips.

  8. Substitution

    Substitution, Italy. Gianluca Scamacca replaces Marco Verratti.

  9. Post update

    Corner, Italy. Conceded by Conor Gallagher.

  10. Post update

    Foul by Marco Verratti (Italy).

  11. Post update

    Conor Gallagher (England) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  12. Substitution

    Substitution, England. Conor Gallagher replaces Jude Bellingham.

  13. Substitution

    Substitution, England. Reece James replaces Bukayo Saka.

  14. Substitution

    Substitution, England. Kieran Trippier replaces Phil Foden.

  15. Dismissal

    Second yellow card to Luke Shaw (England) for a bad foul.

  16. Post update

    Mateo Retegui (Italy) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

  17. Post update

    Foul by Luke Shaw (England).

  18. Booking

    Luke Shaw (England) is shown the yellow card.

  19. Post update

    Foul by Wilfried Gnonto (Italy).

  20. Post update

    Bukayo Saka (England) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

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Scores, Results & Fixtures

Thursday 23rd March 2023

As It Stood

A

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2Georgia00000000
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5Spain00000000

B

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1France00000000
2Gibraltar00000000
3Greece00000000
4Netherlands00000000
5Republic of Ireland00000000

C

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1England11002113
2North Macedonia11002113
3Ukraine00000000
4Malta100112-10
5Italy100112-10

D

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1Armenia00000000
2Croatia00000000
3Latvia00000000
4Turkey00000000
5Wales00000000

E

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2Czech Rep00000000
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4Moldova00000000
5Poland00000000

F

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2Azerbaijan00000000
3Belgium00000000
4Estonia00000000
5Sweden00000000

G

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1Bulgaria00000000
2Hungary00000000
3Lithuania00000000
4Montenegro00000000
5Serbia00000000

H

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1Denmark11003123
2Northern Ireland11002023
3Slovenia11002113
4Kazakhstan100112-10
5Finland100113-20
6San Marino100102-20

I

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1Andorra00000000
2Belarus00000000
3Israel00000000
4Kosovo00000000
5Romania00000000
6Switzerland00000000

J

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1Portugal11004043
2Bos-Herze11003033
3Slovakia10100001
4Luxembourg10100001
5Iceland100103-30
6Liechtenstein100104-40
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