ROME: After losing 1-0 on the road to Italy, England was demoted to League B of the UEFA Nations League, and Germany was shocked by Hungary with a 1-0 loss at home.
Before Friday's match, England was last in Group 3 of League A with two points, while Italy was third with five. The first leg of the Euro 2020 final between the two finalists ended in a scoreless draw.
Without the injured Marco Verratti and Sandro Tonali, Italy took the field at San Siro with Giacomo Raspadori and Gianluca Scamacca partnering up front while Jorginho controlled the midfield. According to reports, Phil Foden and Raheem Sterling flanked Harry Kane in the front of England's three-forward line.
Both teams struggled to produce many chances in the first half, and Scamacca's header off the woodwork in the fourth minute provided the most promising opportunity.
After the half, the action picked up, and the Azzurri seized the lead in the 67th minute when Raspadori received a long pass from Leonardo Bonucci and took a few touches before releasing a curler into the goal.
Gianluigi Donnarumma required two saves to stop Harry Kane from scoring as the Three Lions stepped up their offensive in an effort to avoid relegation. On the other end, Manolo Gabbiadini's solo run was stopped by Nick Pope, while Federico Dimarco's cross-shot struck the upright.
In another game in the same group, Hungary stunned Germany despite having almost 70% of the ball. When Thomas Mueller had the ball in the goal, but Jonas Hofmann was offside in the buildup, Adam Szalai's deft backheel flick ended the game in the first half.
Losing won't eliminate us. But it opens your eyes. We did not play well in the first half. Although the second half was better, we still struggled to generate many exciting opportunities, according to Germany head coach Hansi Flick. Italy shot up to second place in Group 3 and will play Hungary for first place and a semifinal spot on Monday, while winless England will host Germany in third place.
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