(Football news) The Three Lions needed just one more point to secure their flights to Germany with two games remaining. They were taken aback by an early Gianluca Scamacca goal, but goals from Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford, as well as a brilliant all-around performance from Jude Bellingham, all contributed to Gareth Southgate’s team’s qualification.
Southgate made no fewer than eleven changes after their lackluster friendly victory over Australia, and Luciano Spalletti’s rotation strategy did not spare Italy’s crop after their hammering of Malta.
Rashford’s 25-yard free kick fizzed over the crossbar in the 12th minute, giving the much-changed hosts, under the Wembley arch, a glimpse of goal.
As it did on Friday, though, the men in white were still having trouble creating chances. In the fifteenth minute, the former West Ham United player celebrated his homecoming to London in style, giving them a sucker punch like to Scamacca’s.
During a swift counterattack, the Azzurri shifted from left to right. Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s cross from the byline found Scamacca, who was strangely left unmarked in the center of the goal and shot home from close range into the roof of the net.
John Stones was nowhere to be seen as Scamacca scored his first-ever senior Italy goal, further deflating the already quiet atmosphere at Wembley. Harry Maguire went with Davide Frattesi at the front post.
On the other hand, at the halfway point, the two great players for the hosts collaborated to deadly effect as Di Lorenzo scythed down Bellingham as he sprinted through the midfield and into the penalty area after Kane had held the ball up for him.
After a drawn-out VAR review, Clement Turpin’s penalty call was eventually upheld. Gianluigi Donnarumma’s prior experience with penalties at Wembley was in vain against Kane, who composedly sent the Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper the wrong way for his 60th England goal.
Twelve minutes into the second half, a different 20-year-old would light up the stadium. Donnarumma and Jordan Pickford were both called into action towards the end of the first half to deny Rashford and Destiny Udogie, who was making his full Italy debut, respectively.
Following his successful recovery of the ball near his penalty area, Bellingham ignited an England counterattack by deftly handling an approaching Giorgio Scalvini on the halfway line. The Real Madrid attacker then laid off Rashford, who cut inside and expertly struck a low shot into the bottom corner.
England’s next ten minutes went largely without incident, but Jordan Henderson, who had been jeered off against Australia, was substituted in for Kalvin Phillips, who was extremely lucky not to receive a second yellow card for catching Scalvini with his studs.
Even though there were still a few audible jeers, the entire Wembley crowd was up in cheers as captain Kane secured his country’s spot in the Finals for the next year in the 77th minute.
The Bayern Munich player was found by Marc Guehi’s long pass over the top. He easily outmuscled and twirled Alessandro Bastoni, nudged the ball past Scalvini, and faced Donnarumma one-on-one without making a mistake.
With 16 points from their five Group C games, England will also automatically qualify for the Euros in first spot. This is because Ukraine’s weaker head-to-head record prevents the Blue and Yellow, who defeated Malta today, from unseating Southgate’s squad.
Next month, the Three Lions will conclude their excellent qualifying campaign with matches against Malta and North Macedonia. Spalletti’s team, who has slid to third place, will play the latter before potentially playing Ukraine in a winner-take-all match on the last matchday.
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