England secured a nail-biting 2-1 victory against Italy in their first 2024 European Championship qualifier after the World Cup in dramatic circumstances.
England were 2-0 up at half-time thanks to goals from Declan Rice and Tottenham hot-shot Harry Kane.
Three Lions captain Kane broke Wayne Rooney’s record of 53 international goals for the country, moving to 54 after converting from the penalty spot after Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s handball.
Mateo Retegui halved the deficit with a cool finish on his Azzurri debut and Luke Shaw was sent off for two yellow cards in 54 seconds to pile the pressure on the visitors late on, but Gareth Southgate’s men held out.
Below, Sportsmail‘s Rob Draper runs the rule over the two sets of players in Naples.
Harry Kane shone as England beat Italy 2-1 in their European qualifier on Thursday evening
The Three Lions ended up victorious thanks to goals from captain Kane (left) and Declan Rice
Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham was also excellent for the visitors in Naples
ENGLAND (4-3-3)
Jordan Pickford – 7/10
Dependable as he always is for England, not to blame for the goal and distribution also excellent.
Kyle Walker – 7.5/10
Strong throughout, he barely let Pellegrini have a kick until the 56th minute, when he played in Retegui for the goal.
John Stones – 7/10
A calm performance, only stretched when Maguire’s mistake threw the back four. England’s most dependable defender in the second half storm.
Harry Maguire – 5.5/10
Surplus to requirements for his club, always a starter for England but his misplaced pass and desperate attempt to rectify the mistake let Italy back into the game.
Luke Shaw – 4/10
Excellent in the first half both for his robust defending and his forward thrusts – but lost his head for the red card and could have cost England the game.
It was a night to forget for Manchester United left back Luke Shaw, who may now lose his spot
Shaw was sent off after losing his head and receiving two yellow cards within 54 seconds
Kalvin Phillips – 6.5/10
Can’t impress Pep Guardiola but a Gareth Southgate mainstay, he proved his worth in that excellent first half, though struggled with the rest after break.
Declan Rice – 7/10
Superb bringing the ball out of midfield, especially in that dominant first half, but a soft yellow card meant his physical style became a risk.
Jude Bellingham – 8.5/10
The best No 10 shirt at the Diego Maradona Stadium. Bossed the first half, all over Jorginho. Harder second half when Marco Verratti found his range.
Teenager Bellingham bossed it, emptied the tank and was exhausted by the end of the match
Bukayo Saka – 7/10
Just one of the most exciting attacking players in Europe at present, though lacked a little end product here: but his back post corners set England up for the 2-0 lead.
Harry Kane – 8/10
Record breaker and redemption man all rolled into one. Though it hardly makes up for the Euro 2020 final nor the World Cup, it was a historic night defined by a performance we’ve come to expect
Jack Grealish – 6.5/10
How did he not make it 3-0 on 45 minutes? Otherwise a typical impish Grealish performance, full of verve as England attacked, but replaced by Foden on 69 minutes.
Redemption man Kane gave a typically all-around performance, winning lots of niggly fouls
SUBSTITUTES
Phil Foden (for Grealish, 69), Kieran Trippier (for Foden, 81), Conor Gallagher (for Bellingham, 85), Reece James (for Saka, 85).
MANAGER
Gareth Southgate – 7/10
England dominant then on the back foot. Familiar? The difference is that this time they won.
Italy (4-3-3): Donnarumma 7; Di Lorenzo 5, Toloi 5, Acerbi 6, Spinazzola 5; Barella 5 (Cristante 62, 6), Jorginho 5 (Tonali 69, 6), Verratti 7 (Scamacca 88); Berardi 6 (Politano 62, 6), Retegui 7, Pellegrini 7 (Gnonto 69, 6).
Subs (not used): Meret, Falcone; Darmian, Scalvini, Romagnoli, Emerson, Pessina.
MANAGER
Roberto Mancini – 6/10
REFEREE
Srdjan Jovanovic (Serbia) – 5/10
A lot of cards in a feisty affair and, though he missed the penalty initially, VAR set him right. Shaw’s first booking seemed soft.
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