90 min:There will be five added minutes! Plenty of time for one of these sides to find a winner. And both look up for searching for it. Sterling races down the left and very nearly frees Rashford with a flick inside.
89 min:Chiesa goes chasing a long ball down the middle. For a second it looks as though hes got the better of Walker, but theEnglanddefenders power and pace wins the day. And the flag goes up for offside anyway.
53 min:… nothing in particular occurs.
85 min: VAR decision.Chiesa dribbles at speed down the left, and into the England box. He goes over screaming. Has Tarkowski stepped on his right boot? If so, this could potentially be problematic forEngland. The ref has a gander at the screen …
41 min:And now Young goes flying in on Zappacosta near theEnglandright-hand corner flag. Its a wild challenge, and though its a free kick, hes very lucky not to join Oxlade-Chamberlain in the book.
47 min:Englandspend the first minute of the half stroking the ball about the back in the aesthetically pleasant style. Then suddenly Lingard bursts down the left. Pellegrini knocks him to the ground, fairly, to put a stop to his gallop.
64 min:Italy are struggling to get out of their half right now. De Sciglio is betrayed by his frustration as he hangs out a leg and upends Lallana down the right. A free kick, and a chance forEnglandto load the box. But first Immobile is replaced by Belotti.
79 min:Italy put together their best move of the match. Insigne lays off to Jorginho, then races off down the inside-left channel. Jorginho chips over theEnglandback line. Insigne meets the dropping ball and nearly sends a dipping, screeching volley across Butland and into the bottom right. What a goal that would have been!
83 min:Young is booked for a glorious act of cynicism. He slips as he slides into a tackle by the left touchline, hurting his knee as he clanks off the pitch. Then to stopItalytaking a quick throw, he rolls back onto the pitch, demanding treatment. Which he gets, along with a yellow card and a lecture from the referee. Looks like hell be OK, which is the main thing.
77 min:Italyare seeing more of the ball now – theyre not getting pushed back as they once were in this second half – but theyre not doing a great deal with it.
90 min +3:Did I say assured?! He nearly dribbles himself into trouble, with Sterling closing him down. But he scoops the ball away from danger at the last second.
Theres a long pause as Walker finds himself in the middle of a big argument. Then finally Insigne steps up, and whips hard into the bottom left. Butland guessed right, yet had no chance to save a superbly struck penalty kick.Englandfinally concede, after going five matches without letting one in!
90 min +2:The set piece is worked to Cook on the left. His cross is plucked from the sky by the assured Donnarumma.
82 min:Sterling bustles down the left yet again. He slips Cook away on the overlap. Cooks cross so nearly drops for Rashford, who is leaping and pulling his neck back in the centre. But Rugani eyebrows it away from danger.
80 min:Gagliardini comes on for Pellegrini. Bonucci sends a long ball down the middle for Belotti, who very nearly takes it down spectacularly on the edge of the box. Not quite, butItalyare proving a threat all of a sudden.
72 min:Pellegrini turns on a sixpence, baffling Walker into a shirt tug that concedes a free kick just to the left of the England D – and earns theEnglanddefender a booking.
57 min:Sterling buzzes again down the left, causing Italy no end of heartache. He really is a marvellous player. The bestEnglandhave got? Theres a case for it. He slips a pass inside for Oxlade-Chamberlain, who checks back to the left before sending a shot straight down Donnarummas throat.
52 min:Englandcontinue to play it patient. Trippier slides a pass down the right for Vardy, who earns a corner. From which …
44 min:Sterling clips a cute pass down the inside-left channel for Young, who cant quite bring the ball under control and break into the box. After a bad start,Englandlook impressive in attack, causing Italy all sorts of problems, coming at them from many angles.
Who is on the plane and whose World Cup dreams are at risk?
67 min:Englandplay a series of one-twos down the inside-left channel, Lallana, Lingard and Sterling the entertainers. Sterling enters the box, leans back and, in looking for the top right corner, makes a rugby conversion. A poor finish to a very crisp move.
39 min:Italy are once again caught short at the back as Sterling drives with purpose at the visiting defence. He feeds Young outside on the left. Young opens his body and tries a sidefoot across Donnarumma and into the bottom right. The ball clips off Zappacosta and is taken around the right-hand post. The corners no good.
50 min:Walker strokes a glorious crossfield pass towards Young, who sets off down the left and nearly releases Lingard into the area. Not quite.
And were off again!Englandget the party re-started. There have been no half-time changes.
65 min:Rose hooks the free kick into the Italian box. Belotti heads it clear. Dier comes sliding through Chiesa, a heavy challenge thats not appreciated. But neither does it result in a free kick. Chiesa shrugs in an expressive manner, half-amused rather than irritated.
59 min:Sterlings incessant pressing forces Donnarumma into hacking out of play under pressure. That allowsEnglandto make a double change. Lallana comes on for the impressive Oxlade-Chamberlain …
Italy given late VAR penalty after Jamie Vardy scores for quick-witted England
68 min:Pellegrini dribbles with purpose and determination down the middle. The ball rebounds to Belotti, who nearly breaks through a weak Young challenge. Not quite. But theres a little more desire in the Italian attack.
40 min:Oxlade-Chamberlain tussles with Bonucci down the right. Hes flagged for a garden-variety shirt tug. But he doesnt like the decision – hed have been free in acres otherwise – and so boots the ball away in frustration. A silly yellow card.
61 min:Young and Vardy combine well down the right to earn a corner forEngland. From the set piece, Lallana tries to Le Tissier a gentle volley into the top corner, but that was never as easy as the Southampton legend used to make it look.
75 min:Rashford is quickly into the thick of things, advancing on the Italian box. Hes got Sterling on the left, but opts to go it alone, and in doing so is crowded out and cant get a meaningful shot away.
86 min:… then performs the international mime for TV, and points at the spot! VAR has its knockers, but thats the correct decision.
And thats that!Englandwill feel disappointed right now, having come so close to victory, only to be denied late on by James Tarkowskis clumsy clip on Federico Chiesa and Lorenzo Insignes calm penalty. But theyve won in Holland and now held Italy. Theyd have surely taken those results, both of which will give them confidence going into the World Cup. Speaking of which, its not going to be quite the same without Italy in the summer, is it? Missing them already.
56 min:Candreva is replaced by Chiesa, whose first act is to take a speculative shot from the right-hand corner of the Italian box. Its blocked at source.
60 min:… while Rose replaces Trippier. Hell be the left wing-back while Young moves to the right.
A decent half of football fromEngland, who lead thanks to the quick wit of Jesse Lingard. A sharper striker than Ciro Immobile might have had a hat-trick, of course, but lets not start pulling at threads.
48 min:Walker plays a loose ball down the England right. Its intercepted by Insigne, who chips forward first time for Immobile. Theres a little too much on the pass, and Butland snaffles. But once again,Englandhave been slack at the back. On another day, theyd have been punished severely for this nonsense.
Tue 27 Mar 201822.00 BSTFirst published on Tue 27 Mar 201818.30 BST
42 min:The free kick is no good. I dont know if I am OK, reports Giulio Ongaro. I hate to be proven right in this case.
70 min:Stones takes a Zappacosta cross flush in the coupon. Ooyah, oof. Thats gotta hurt. While he gets some treatment,Englandswap Vardy and Lingard for Rashford and Cook.
90 min +4:Italy spend the best part of a minute slowly stroking short passes upfield. Suddenly Chiesa is free down the right. He loops a dangerous cross into theEnglandarea, but nobody in blue has taken a chance.
Who is on the plane to Russia and whose World Cup dreams are at risk? Dominic Fifield
37 min:Nothing much happens from that. Dare I say it, but the kind of quick witted opportunism that Lingard just exhibited is exactly the kind of thing thatEnglandhave been naively hopeless at in tournamentspassim, writes Phil Sawyer. If you want me Ill be hammering planks over the windows to try to keep that pesky beggar Hope out.
62 min:Sterling has a crack from distance on the left, but theres no force behind it and thats easy meat for Donnarumma.
73 min:Before the free kick can be taken, Henderson replaces Stones, who remains dizzy after being blootered in the face. Dier will drop back into the defence. Insigne looks to bend the free kick into the top right, but gets it all wrong.
Englands James Tarkowski, second left, fouls Italys Federico Chiesa, after which a penalty is awarded following a VAR review. Photograph: Carl Recine/Action Images via Reuters
54 min:Sterling battles hard down the left to win the ball off Rugani. He had no right to snatch possession there, but that showed superb determination. He flicks the ball inside for Young, who sways into the box, a lovely slalom. He works a nanoseconds worth of space to shoot from a tight angle, and does so, but his efforts blocked by a sliding Bonucci.
Lorenzo Insignes late penalty denied England, who had led thanks to Jesse Lingards quick thinking and Jamie Vardys powerful strike
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.