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2022/23 UEFA Nations League
League A - Group 3
Matchday 3
England v Italy
Molineux Stadium
Wolverhampton, England
Saturday,11 June 2022
Kick-off is at 18h45
A repeat of the Euro 2020 final sees England take on Italy in the
UEFA Nations League at Molineux on Saturday, June 11.
The Azzurri lifted the trophy for a second time in their history when they beat the Three Lions 3-2 on penalties following a 1-1 draw after extra time at Wembley 11 months ago.
Roberto Mancini's side lead Group 3 with four points, having kicked off the competition with a 1-1 draw against Germany last weekend before claiming a 2-1 victory over Hungary on Tuesday.
First-half goals from Nicolo Barella (30') and Lorenzo Pellegrini (45') put the Italians in command against Magyars, although Gianluca Mancini's own-goal on 61 minutes made for a tense finish.
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Mancini was happy with the performance of his players in the first half, but felt they should have put the game to bed before the Hungarians found a reply to make them sweat.
"We played a good game, especially in the first half," he said. "Their goal, however, created us some fear and pressure in a game we should have won by a bigger margin. Both teams were a bit tired at the end."
England prop up the group with a single point, which they earned in a 1-1 draw against the Germans in Munich on Tuesday.
Gareth Southgate's team suffered a 1-0 defeat to Hungary on matchday 1 to halt nine-match unbeaten run stretching back to their last meeting with the Azzurri on 11 July 2021.
The Three Lions needed an 88th-minute penalty from Harry Kane to avoid a second successive loss after Jonas Hofmann had given Die Mannschaft a 50th-minute lead at the Allianz Arena.
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Southgate praised his players for the monumental shift they put in against Germany to battle back for a share of the spoils, revealing they were knackered in the dressing room afterwards.
"So many of them, when picking the team, you look at it and they've been to a World Cup semi-final and Euros final," he said.
"So it's not only the quality and experience of playing in an environment like that, but the spirit they've got and the fact they're going to die for each other on the pitch.
"They could barely walk in the dressing room. It's a phenomenal effort they've given, particularly after some of them having to play longer than we'd hoped on Saturday, at this stage of the season."
Head-to-Head record:
Matches - 28
England - 8
Italy - 12
Draws - 8
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