Match Summary

Italy Team

England Team

England travelled to Turin full of confidence after their recent unbeaten run of games, but this match would be a different kettle of fish, compared to the group matches of the European Championship they are in the middle of.  Italy, who beat us in the World Cup in Brazil, are always formidable opposition on their own turf and England were missing several regulars from the previous matches, so a stiff task was ahead.

The first ten minutes were typical of this fixture, cagey, with both sides feeling each other out, trying to keep possession, and neither side showing much thrust up front.  In fact we had to wait for ten minutes before there was a shot on goal.  That came after good build up by Italy gave Marco Parolo the chance to shoot.  He let fly from 30 yards and Joe Hart had to be alert to tip the dipping and swerving shot over.  Hart was there again with a good punch out from the resultant corner.  At the other end, from an attacking point of view, England's problem was to find a way through the usual massed ranks of the well-organised Italian defence. On 14 minutes Nathaniel Clyne was penalised for a foul but Eder hit the free-kick woefully wide.

At the back Phil Jagielka and Chris Smalling looked fairly comfortable until on 16 minutes a break down the left by Matteo Darmian ended when his dangerous cross was brilliantly cut out by Jagielka.  Too often England's attacking ideas ended with a pass that found a blue Italian shirt and as a result Harry Kane and Theo Walcott were starved of any sort of service.  But after 20 minutes good play by England gave them their first chance of the match.  Wayne Rooney and Kieran Gibbs combined on the left and the latter's deep cross found Kane at the far post.  His downward header back across goal was desperately cleared by a defender as Walcott tried to slide the ball past Gianluigi Buffon.  Rooney hit the clearance first time, and his shot struck the back of an Italian defender and cannoned back off the crossbar before being cleared.  These near misses heralded a good spell of England pressure and for a while Italy could not get out of their own half.  On 26 minutes Walcott went close after a fine tackle, run and pass from Rooney but three minutes later, somewhat against the run of play Italy broke away to score. 

A break down the left freed Georgio Chiellini and his cross was deftly headed in by Graziano Pellè.  That was doubly ironic for England because the Southampton player can't hit a barn door in the Premier League at the moment!  And it didn't look as though he was heading at goal, only trying to help it on.  No matter, Italy had the goal they wanted.  England tried to hit back immediately but either the final pass wasn't there or the finish was weak.  Smalling was injured just before the break and Phil Jones moved back from his ineffectual midfield position to join Jagielka at the heart of the defence and allow Michael Carrick to come on.  That substitution was to prove crucial.  It had been a pretty even first-half with both sides probing for an opening and Italy just shading it.  Kane had received very little by way of a decent pass and he was flattened by Chiellini after just 18 seconds.  Welcome to the real world of International football!

Kyle Walker replaced Clyne at the start of the second-half but the first positive attack after the restart came from Italy.  Eder broke through and forced a fine block from Hart.  Jagielka tried to clear the loose ball only to give it straight to the onrushing Pelle who subsequently found that 'barn door' well wide of the goal.  It was a let off for England but they were much more positive themselves this half and pushed forward with more purpose.  Kane created a half chance for himself but his fierce shot was deflected just wide of the Italian goal with Buffon stranded.

One of my pet hates of football at the moment is the number of times you see players blatantly manhandled at corners and free-kicks.  All teams do it but if referees started to clamp down on, what is a penalty offence, and award more penalties, then the players would soon cut it out.  Twice in this match Chiellini blatantly wrapped both arms around Kane as he tried to go for corners and both times, Chiellini, who is a past-master at fouling 'fairly', got away with it.  It has to stop!

England kept plugging away and on 55 minutes Rooney set up Gibbs with another chance.  Unfortunately the Arsenal man went for the near post instead of the far and shot wide.  Ross Barkley immediately replaced Walcott and with Carrick now pulling the strings in midfield, England were on top.  They were much more composed in possession and with Carrick's clever thinking they were asking many questions of the Italian defenders, and Italy's only answer to this was to commit a number of fouls.  Fabian Delph and Jordan Henderson were working their socks off in midfield and England were on the front foot much more often this half.  Italy then made three substitutions in an effort to wrestle back the initiative and Jagielka, who had a fine match, made another brilliant interception to cut out one dangerous move.

England then had a spell of lovely one-touch football, although Jones was booked for a mistimed challenge.  Andros Townsend was then sent on for the hardworking Delph with 20 minutes to go and on 71 minutes a wonderful pass by Gibbs gave Rooney a clear strike on goal.  He hit the ball hard but it was a fairly straight forward save for Buffon.  Italy tried to break up the game with a series of substitutions and it was obvious that their manager did not like the way the match was going.  In the 73rd minute a Kane cross so nearly found Rooney, and then Roy Hodgson sent on another Spurs player, Ryan Mason, for his first taste of a full international.

Italy forced a couple of corners but England kept pushing forward at every opportunity and they were finally rewarded with a wonderful goal by Townsend.  The goal was 'made in Tottenham' as Carrick forward pass was helped on by Mason to Townsend.  He took one touch before sending a superb right-foot shot into the far corner with Buffon nowhere near it.  A great goal, and so deserved for England.  In fact Rooney so nearly turned the game on its head seconds later, but this time Buffon blocked the skipper's shot.  The chance was set up by another raking pass from Gibbs, who also had an excellent game, before he was substituted three minutes from the end with Ryan Bertrand coming on.  The match had one last chance when Kane let fly from 20 yards only for Buffon to dive to his left to save.

In the end it was a thoroughly deserved draw for England, with several notable performances from Jagielka, Gibbs, Hart, Townsend and above all Carrick, who out-Italianised the Italians at their own game.  Andrea Pirlo, eat your heart out!
 

Source Notes