Mario Balotelli headed the winner as England made a losing start at the World Cup,
going down 2-1 to Italy in Manaus.
The striker pounced on Antonio Candreva's back=post cross early in the
second half and directed the ball past Joe Hart to leave England with a tough task to
qualify from Group D.
Daniel Sturridge had earlier converted to cancel
out Claudio Marchisio's strike in an open,
entertaining encounter.
Sturridge, Raheem Sterling and Danny Welbeck showed signs of imagination and
flair, but Wayne Rooney disappointed for Roy Hodgson's side.
Eventually England's familiar
failings put paid to hopes of a comeback, and their failure to hold possession
allowed the Italians to control the game and see out a vital win.
England face Uruguay, shocked 3-1 by Costa Rica, on Thursday - the losing team will
almost certainly exit the World Cup.
KEY MOMENTS
PRE-MATCH: Sterling starts, but no
Buffon for Italy. Roy Hodgson opts for the dynamic
youth of Raheem Sterling who joins four of his Liverpool teammates in the starting xi. Daniel
Sturridge leads the attack with Sterling, Danny Welbeck and Wayne Rooney in
support. Jordan Henderson joins Steven Gerrard at the heart of the midfield. As
for Italy, they were dealt a blow on the eve of the match with the news that Gianluigi Buffon was ruled out with an ankle
injury. Salvatore Sirigu of Paris St Germain deputises.
Ex-Man City striker, Mario Balotelli leads the line.
4' - ENGLAND CHANCE! SO CLOSE! Sterling almost has a dream start as he lashes a
25-yard effort into the near post side netting. From one angle that looked in!
24 - ENGLAND CHANCE! Welbeck
rampages down the right and into the area before cutting the ball back towards
Sturridge, but a last-gasp Italian boot manages to put it out for a corner.
From the resulting kick, the delivery is missed by everyone except Rooney at
the far post, but he can't dig out the shot.
35' - GOAL! England 0-1 Italy. A short corner catches England napping. It's worked to
Marchisio via a sublime dummy from Pirlo and he makes no mistake with a
thunderous low shot into the far corner.
37' - GOAL! England 1-1 Italy . GOOOOOOAL! England are level!!!!!!! It's a wonderful counter
attack. Sterling feeds Rooney on the left and he wastes no time clipping a
lovely ball to the back post for Sturridge to slam it home.
39' - INJURY.. on the bench?!
England physio Gary Lewin was injured in the celebrations following the goal
and looks to have broken his leg! what a crazy couple of minutes.
45+2 - ITALY CHANCE! OFF THE LINE!
Balotelli breaks the offside trap and lobs Hart with a lovely effort that
Jagielka manages to head off the line.
45+3' - OFF THE POST! Italy end the half in total control and are a whisker away
from taking the lead again. Marchisio chips a pass to Candreva in acres of
space on the left of the area. The midfielder cuts in and smashes a low shot
against the near post.
49' - ENGLAND CHANCE! Sturridge was almost dancing again there as he cuts past Daniele De Rossi on the right and cracks a shot
at goal that the keeper has to push around the post.
50' - GOAL! England 1-2 Italy. Italy
regain the lead! England suffer more trouble down the right and when the cross
came in, Balotelli - who else - was there to nod home at the far post.
62' - ENGLAND CHANCE! ROONEY
shoots... wide! Baines manages to flick it through to the forward on the left
of the area and he cuts inside before dragging his shot back to the near post -
but inches wide of it. Hands in head time. That was a big chance!
TALKING POINT:
Can England still qualify? The Three Lions are now
up against it and will face Uruguay next up, knowing that a defeat could well
see them head home early. Costa Rica's shock win over the South American's has
taken everyone by surprise, but there were enough positives on show in the form
of England's youth to suggest they could still emerge from the pool.
KEY STATS.
Daniel Sturridge has scored three goals in his last four England appearances.
Since
their World Cup victory in 1966, only two English players wearing the
number nine shirt have scored WC goals: Shearer (1998), Sturridge (2014)
Italy
have now scored in each of their last 15 games at the World Cup, the
longest current run. The last time they failed to score was on 3 July
1998 against France.
(Stats courtesy of Opta)
MAN OF THE MATCH
Raheem Sterling (England):
The Liverpool winger vindicated Hodgson's decision to start him with a
performance full of pace and threat. A role in Sturridge's equaliser, an
early shot that flew inches wide and a flurry of rampaging runs suggest
he could play a big role in England's campaign.
PLAYER RATINGS -
England:
Hart 6, Johnson 6, Cahill 6, Jagielka 7, Baines 5, Gerrard 6, Henderson
6, Rooney 6, Sterling 8, Welbeck 6, Sturridge 7. Subs: Barkley 7,
Wilshere 6, Lallana 6.
Italy:
Sirigu 6, Chiellini 6, Darmian 7, Candreva 7, Marchisio 7, Balotelli 7,
Barzagli 6, De Rossi 6, Paletta 6, Pirlo 6, Verratti 5. Subs: Motta 6,
Immobile 6, Parolo 6.
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