UEFA Nation’s League: Italy relegate England as Hungary stun Germany to stay top
Giacomo Raspadori fired Italy to a 1-0 win over England on Friday which kept alive their hopes of making the Nations League final four.
Napoli striker Raspadori decided an otherwise uninspiring encounter with a superb second half strike at the San Siro to keep the European champions two points behind League A, Group 3 leaders Hungary.
Roberto Mancini’s side face Hungary in Budapest on Monday and will make the final four with a win, which would be a small boost for the Azzurri after missing out on their second straight World Cup.
England will be in Qatar in November but defeat in Milan sent Gareth Southgate’s side down to League B after another flat display in which they barely created anything.
They haven not won a game in this season’s Nations League and are four points behind Germany, who sit third after losing to Hungary and will play a dead rubber with England at Wembley while Italy try to make the final stages.
Mancini has been trying to rethink his team after the humilation of not qualifying for this winter’s World Cup, but his squad selection was hampered by a host of injuries to key players in the lead up to the match which forced to him to switch to a back three.
Ciro Immobile was the fifth player to pull out injured in the run up to Friday’s match and his replacement up front Gianluca Scamacca was unlucky not to give Italy a fifth-minute lead when his close-range header was tipped off the bar by Nick Pope.
Italy were on the front foot for the opening quarter of an hour but England slowly began to gain a football after being surprised the hosts’ fast start.
England knew that a defeat would send them down but despite dominating the ball their difficulties creating chances continued, with Harry Kane blasting over from distance their highlight from an uneventful first half.
There was little to recommend about the spectacle served up by both sides after the break apart from Raspadori’s 68th-minute winner, the game’s only true touch of class.
The 22-year-old brilliantly brought down Leonardo Bonucci’s long pass and easily skipped round Kyle Walker before whipping home a beautiful shot from the edge of the area.
The introduction of Jack Grealish for Bukayo Saka did little to improve England’s creativity but Gianluigi Donnarumma pulled off a pair of smart saves in quick succession to deny Harry Kane with 13 minutes remaining.
And it was Italy who should have doubled their lead in the closing stages when Manolo Gabbiadini fluffed a one-on-one with Pope before Federico Dimarco saw his shot clip out off the post.
England kept pressing for a leveller but solid Italy defending made sure that the hosts held out and gave themselves something to play against Hungary.
Hungary stunned hosts Germany 1-0 courtesy of Adam Szalai’s sensational heel flick on Friday to stay on course for a Nations League final four spot with one game left to play.
The 34-year-old Hungary captain, who will end his international career after their last League A-Group 3 game against Italy on Monday, raced to the near post and flicked the ball into the net with his heel from a corner in the 17th minute to leave goalkeeper Marc Andre ter Stegen frozen on the spot.
Hungary, who also beat England 4-0 away in June for the hosts worst home defeat for 94 years, are top of the group on 10 points with Italy second on eight after beating England 1-0.
The Germans, in third place on six points, suffered their first defeat under coach Hansi Flick in their penultimate game before the World Cup in November, and can no longer qualify for the Nations League final four. England are bottom on two.
Germany were on the back foot from the start and ter Stegen, starting in the absence of Manuel Neuer who has tested positive for COVID-19, had to rescue them in the 25th when he stopped Daniel Gazdag’s effort from close range.
Lacking any energy and posing no real threat, the hosts had to wait 27 minutes before firing a shot towards the Hungary goal, with Leroy Sane’s long-range effort flying high over Peter Gulacsi’s crossbar.
Sane did better in the 51st but Gulacsi denied the Germany forward. The home side were sharper after the break and had lots of possession but carved out far too few chances with lone striker Timo Werner taken off after 69 minutes.
