England 3-1 Italy: What Were The Key Talking Points As The Three Lions Punch Their EURO 24 Ticket With A Heavyweight Statement At Wembley?

In what was a heavyweight showdown from Wembley on Tuesday night, England cruised their way to EURO 24 as they secured a 3-1 romp against historic rivals Italy.

While ex-West Ham striker Gianluca Scammaca might have handed the defending European champions a shock lead in north London, Gareth Southgate’s side certainly came roaring back in some style.

With the record-breaking Harry Kane dragging England level from the penalty spot just after the half-hour mark, Southgate’s side quickly ran rampant at Wembley when returning from the half-time break.

Watching the struggling Marcus Rashford notch his second qualifying strike of the year, it was then Kane who wrapped up England’s ticket to next year’s European Championships with his second of the night 13 minutes before the end.

While England might have eventually cruised their way to EURO 24, Italy will know that their bid to find a route out of Group C is going right down to the wire.

Watching Ukraine leapfrog them in the chase to land a crucial top-two finish, the reigning European champions will certainly be worried by a public collapse in the English capital.

On a night when England breezed their way to EURO 24 and essentially cemented their spot as Group C winners, we have taken a look at the main talking points from Wembley.

England cruise their way to EURO 24

Getting Tuesday’s showdown at Wembley underway knowing that a single point would have been enough to officially punch their ticket to next year’s European Championships, England were desperate to make a final qualifying statement at Wembley.

Although the Three Lions might have suffered World Cup frustration out in Qatar over the winter as they eventually had to settle for a quarter-final finish, Southgate’s side haven’t shown any signs of a hangover.

Really enjoying a major Group C romp this year, England have now collected 16 points from their six qualifying appearances and they certainly cruised their way to EURO 24 without breaking much of a sweat.

While Tuesday’s hosts might have come under some public scrutiny for their pragmatic approach under Southgate during this year’s qualifying adventure, they will take away a string of positives from an eye-catching performance at Wembley.

Mounting a real comeback on home soil and now winning each of their two Group C showdowns against Italy by an aggregate score of 5-2, Southgate’s side certainly laid down another heavyweight marker here.

Kane extends on his qualifying romp

Stealing most of the summer headlines after completing his history-making £100million move to Bayern Munich, Kane has only continued to shine since arriving in Germany.

Gaining a string of plaudits and continuing to break a string of domestic records since arriving in the Bundesliga, Kane has certainly underlined his status as one of world football’s most lethal marksmen.

Bagging what was a stellar brace on either side of the half-time break here and causing Italy’s defence a host of problems here, the former Tottenham talisman will undeniably have another leading role to play at EURO 24.

Bagging a stellar seven Group C strikes in as many appearances, only the superstar duo of Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku and five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo can boast a better attack return throughout this year’s qualifying adventure.

Likewise, now registering 12 goals in as many contests for club and country since completing his move to the German giants, Kane will be desperate to finally end England’s public trophy drought next year.

Italy’s Group C charge is going down to the wire

Opening their EURO 24 qualifying adventure with a 2-1 defeat at home against the Three Lions back on March 23rd, Italy would have always known that they almost certainly faced a straight shootout to clinch a silver medal finish in Group C.

Despite taking a shock 1-0 lead at Wembley as Scamacca tapped home in the 15th minute, the reigning European champions would have been disappointed by a major collapse in north London.

With Tuesday’s 3-1 loss now meaning that the Blues have been leapfrogged by Ukraine in the race to clinch automatic qualification out of Group C, Luciano Spalletti’s side will be more than aware that they don’t have time to feel sorry for themselves.

Knowing that they will face a huge amount of scrutiny if they suffer more qualification heartbreak this year, Italy now have just a pair of Group C fixtures left to drag themselves over the finish line.

Ahead of what looks like it will be a blockbuster showdown when they meet Ukraine on November 20th, Spalletti’s camp will be next seen in a month’s time when they welcome north Macedonia to Rome.

Match Report

England: Pickford, Walker, Stones, Maguire, Trippier, Phillips, Rice, Rashford, Bellingham, Foden, Kane

Subs: Grealish, Guehi, Henderson

Italy: Donarumma, Di Lorenzo, Scalvini, Acerbi, Udogie, Barella, Cristante, Frattesi, Beradi, Scamacca, El Shaarway

Subs: Raspadori, Orolini, Dimarco, Kean, Bastoni

Goals: England: Kane (32’ P, 73’), Rashford (57’) – Italy: Scamacca (15’)

Yellow Cards: England: Phillips – Italy: Scalvini, Di Lorenzo, Udogie

Red Cards: N/A

Referee: Clement Turpin