2023-10-17 21:36:25
England, led by Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, booked their ticket for Euro-2024 by taking their revenge on Tuesday against Italy (3-1), their executioner during the last continental final at Wembley, and now in danger in qualifying.
In London, the “Three Lions” overcame the Azzurri’s quick, against-the-odds opening score to offer their supporters a convincing and soothing victory, two years after a cruel defeat on penalties.
“We went down 1-0 and we stayed calm,” Kane told Channel 4, satisfied with qualifying so early. “We have seen in the past that it is not as easy as it looks.”
The English showed composure, desire and a good dose of talent in a packed stadium, under the leadership of their captain and the young lieutenant Bellingham, already sparkling and with the behavior of a boss at only 20 years old.
With them, England will have a good lead as favorite next summer in Germany, even if the competition promises to be tough with France, Spain and Belgium, other major nations having already validated their ticket.
The Italian European champions, absent from the last two World Cups, could conversely miss a major international meeting again. They are third with three points less than Ukraine, who they face at the end of qualifying on November 20.
Without its “Englishmen” Sandro Tonali (Newcaslte) and Nicolo Zaniolo (Aston Villa), mired in an illicit sports betting affair, Italy created a surprise after a quarter of an hour on its first real offensive, initiated by Destiny Udogie , left side of Tottenham, and concluded closely by Gianluca Scamacca (15th, 0-1).
Bellingham everywhere
The first international goal of the No.9 of Atalanta, holder in the absence of Ciro Immobile, made a rather sovereign English defense feverish in qualifying, with only three goals conceded. The rare Italian incursions, like that of Udogie before half-time (45th + 2), plunged Wembley into apnea.
But the jewel in the crown, Jude Bellingham, behaved like a real boss to remobilize the troops.
The Real Madrid phenomenon, so brilliant since his arrival this summer in Spain (ten goals in ten matches), harangued the crowd from the start, multiplied the initiatives and dribbles, and obtained the equalizing penalty by causing a foul by Giovanni Di Lorenzo.
Jude Bellingham scores for England against Italy at Wembley, October 17, 2023
AFP
The midfielder even allowed himself to provoke the Italian supporters, miming windmills with his arms, before leaving it to the home scorer, Harry Kane, to catch Gianluigi Donnarumma on the wrong foot (32nd, 1-1).
The next goal also came from Bellingham, author of a perfect defensive tackle on Nicolo Barella then a ball that was as powerful as it was neat in the middle before serving Marcus Rashford (57th, 2-1).
The “prince” Harry Kane then pushed his national record to 61 pawns in 87 selections (77th, 3-1) and made an appointment to his host country, Germany, where he now plays with Bayern Munich.
“We had the right intentions, we did good things, but we also made mistakes which, against a team like England, are costly,” noted Italian coach Luciano Spalletti on the television channel. Rai 1.
His English counterpart Gareth Southgate has managed to maintain his selection in the world elite since the World Cup semi-final reached in 2018, with a Euro final lost on penalties in 2021 and a quarter-final which escaped him narrowly against the Blues at the 2022 World Cup.
And he has a generational mix that could turn into a winning cocktail, finally, between the youth of Phil Foden, Declan Rice and Bellingham, on the one hand, and the captains like Kane, Kyle Walker, Harry Maguire and Jordan Henderson.
Enough, perhaps, to dust off next summer a list that has remained empty since 1966.
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