England has been relegated from League A of the UEFA Nations League following a 1-0 loss to Italy at the San Siro in Milan on Friday. This puts the Three Lions at the bottom of Group 3 with just two points in five matches and no chance of survival despite having one match remaining.
Giacomo Raspadori scored a stunning strike in the 68th minute to hand the Azzurri the victory in what was a tight game with few scoring chances for either side. This is the first time that the sides have faced off since Italy defeated England in a penalty shootout to claim the Euro 2020 trophy at Wembley Stadium.
Despite putting on a resolute defensive display, England’s front three of Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden, and captain Harry Kane were unable to put sufficient pressure on Italy’s backline to force a breakthrough.
In what effectively doubled as a World Cup warm-up match, England midfielder Declan Rice claimed that his team controlled much of the game despite the scoreline. “I didn’t think it was all bad tonight,” Rice commented. “It’s coming. It was a much better performance than we saw in the summer. It’s not that we’re not creating the chances. I see it in training. There are goals for fun. Trust me, we are going to be good.”
