- England come from behind to beat Italy
- Kane hits brace as Bellingham impresses
- First home win over Italy since 1977
England secured their spot in Euro 2024, set to be held in Germany next summer, after coming from a goal down to beat Italy at Wembley.
Kane at the double as England come from a goal down to qualify
The Three Lions, led by Gareth Southgate, needed only a point to guarantee their qualification. However, former West Ham United striker Gianluca Scamacca momentarily dampened the celebrations by giving Italy the lead with a close-range strike after just 15 minutes.
Once again, the 20-year-old Real Madrid sensation, Jude Bellingham, emerged as England’s linchpin. Bellingham orchestrated the turnaround, earning a penalty that led to captain Harry Kane’s levelling goal. Kane, with this strike, notched his 60th international goal, after Bellingham’s determined run that forced a foul by Giovanni di Lorenzo in the 32nd minute.
Bellingham’s driving run and calm, intelligent pass set up Marcus Rashford to beautifully slot one past Italian custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma, just shy of the hour mark. With this, Kane effectively extinguished any hopes of an Italian comeback, racing past the defence to net England’s third goal with 13 minutes remaining.
This triumph marked England’s first home victory against Italy since November 1977, sealing a memorable double over their rivals following their victory in Naples earlier in March.
As things stand, England stands tall at the summit of Group C with an impressive 16 points. Meanwhile, Italy finds themselves in third place, setting the stage for a pivotal showdown against Ukraine in their final qualifier, which will ultimately determine who secures the second spot in the group.
Ukraine conclude their qualifying campaign next month with a home game against Italy that will have to be played at a neutral venue because of the conflict with Russia.
Italy are three points off second but have a game in hand against North Macedonia before taking on Ukraine in the final game.
Group C table
Pos. P W D L GD PTS
1 England 6 5 1 0 16 16
2 Ukraine 7 4 1 2 3 13
3 Italy 6 3 1 2 4 10
4 North Macedonia 6 2 1 3 -7 7
5 Malta 7 0 0 7 -16 0
Group C fixtures
Nov 17
19:45 England v Malta
19:45 Italy v North Macedonia
Nov 20
19:45 North Macedonia v England
19:45 Ukraine v Italy
Betting Implications
England’s victory over Italy clearly showed the levels that Southgate’s side are capable of reaching. Italy are a talented, well drilled side who played well on the night, however, England emerged as convincing winners. At the time of writing, England are 4/1 second favourites to win the Euros with Betfred, behind France, 4/1, ahead of Germany and Spain, both 7/1. Italy, yet to secure qualification are currently 14/1.
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