England took their unbeaten record to nine matches in Turin this evening as they played out a 1-1 draw against Italy at the Juventus Stadium.
Wayne Rooney came close to giving his side the lead midway through the first half when he struck the bar, but it was Graziano Pelle who would break the deadlock with a glancing header shortly before the half-hour mark.
England improved as the match went on and finally got their equaliser with just over 10 minutes remaining as Andros Townsend thumped an effort into the far corner from just outside the box.
Find out how all of the action unfolded courtesy of Sports Mole's live minute-by-minute coverage below.
Good evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's international friendly between Italy and England in Turin. This will be the final match both sides will have before the end of the domestic season, so they will be looking to gain some momentum to take into the summer qualifiers. They had contrasting results last time out, however, so we should be in for an intriguing affair tonight. Let's start with a look at the hosts...
Italy come into this match far from the force that they have often been over the years, despite results suggesting that they are doing fairly well in the Euro 2016 qualification campaign. Antonio Conte is still unbeaten as manager of the Azzurri, but the performances under him have been questioned in some quarters. He has been unable to replicate his success at club level on the international scene just yet, and calls for improvement are growing louder.
Conte will feel very much at home tonight, though, with this match taking place at the Juventus Stadium in Turin. Conte spent three years as manager of the Old Lady before joining Italy, winning three consecutive Serie A titles in that time. He is also a playing legend at the club, spending 13 years there and winning five more Scudettos, in addition to the Champions League. He is certainly loved in this part of Italy, but that affection has not yet spread to the rest of the country given recent performances by the national team.
The Azzurri are second in their Euro 2016 qualifying group, now two points behind Croatia following Saturday's qualifiers. Of course, with two automatic qualifying spots and another going to the playoffs, Italy should be safe in the knowledge that they will reach France 2016, but they certainly don't look like qualifying in style at the halfway point of their campaign. They have scored eight goals fewer than Croatia having played all the same teams once, while they have also conceded twice as many goals.
Indeed, while they remain unbeaten since the World Cup, Italy have only won one of their Euro 2016 qualifying matches by more than one goal - a poor record for a country of their stature considering they have come up against the likes of Azerbaijan and Malta. They were somewhat fortunate to escape with three points in both of those games too, but five wins from seven games under Conte is all that history will show up to this point.
Italy have a well-earned reputation as a tournament team, so they may feel confident that they can impress in France even if their qualifying campaign isn't convincing. However, fans will be well aware that they crashed out of the same World Cup group as England last summer, and two consecutive tournaments in which they fail to make it past the first hurdle would be bordering on a national crisis for a team like the Azzurri. Conte has just over a year to find a formula that works, and he doesn't seem to be much closer to achieving that than when he started.
Italy needed an 84th-minute equaliser from debutant Eder to rescue a point against Bulgaria on Saturday, although the problems were largely of Italy's own making. The Azzurri dominated in the opening exchanges and should have been out of sight after 20 minutes, but instead they find themselves 2-1 down at that stage of the game. Their defending was poor, and the finishing at the other end was ever worse. Ciro Immobile was guilty of missing two glorious chances in particular, but the entire Italy team failed to turn their possession and dominance into a victory in Sofia.
The Azzurri are unbeaten in their last nine home games, a run that stretches back to August 2013, winning three and drawing one since the World Cup. However, their record in friendlies is surprisingly poor, with just three wins from their last 17 dating back to November 2011. They have drawn to the likes of Republic of Ireland, Luxembourg, Haiti and Nigeria, while losses to Russia and USA contribute to their seven defeats in that time.
In contrast, England come into the match full of confidence tonight. Their World Cup was even more shambolic than Italy's as they finished bottom of Group D with just one point from their three games. Their fate was sealed after only two matches, and there were calls for Roy Hodgson to step down after what was the country's worst showing in a World Cup since 1958. The veteran boss stayed, however, and things now appear to be heading back in the right direction.
The Three Lions have a 100% record since their elimination in Brazil and have won seven games in a row at the start of the season for the first time in their history. They are bidding for an eighth straight victory tonight, something they haven't achieved since 2005-06, and if they manage it then they would have matched their best winning streak since the 1920s - a run that began before the First World War.
Unsurprisingly, with such an impressive record, England sit top of their Euro 2-16 qualifying group, and they passage to France appears to be a straightforward one. Hodgson will be hoping to go through the entire campaign with a 100% record having got the hardest match on paper, away to Switzerland, out of the way first up, and in truth with the possible exception of the return fixture against the Swiss, they really should make short work of the rest of their group.
England's record in Euro 2016 qualifying so far stands up against any other teams, with only Slovakia joining them with a 100% record after five matches. The Three Lions have also only conceded one goal - the joint fewest with Belgium and Romania - while only Poland have found the back of the net more times than England's 15. England have always been a successful qualifying team, however, and quite the opposite to Italy in that they struggle when the tournament itself comes around.
England haven't always been convincing with their wins in qualifying, and a criticism that is often levelled at the team is that they are boring to watch. However, Friday's 4-0 victory over Lithuania was a welcome performance from England, who kept up a good tempo and high energy rate throughout. It could have been more for them, with Rooney hitting the post twice, but Hodgson would have been delighted with what was one of England's most encouraging performances in some time, even accounting for the level of opposition.
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Tonight will be a good yardstick for Hodgson to really judge how far his side have come since the World Cup. They were beaten by Italy in the opening game of the group stages and, with the possible exception of Switzerland away, haven't really been tested by top-class opposition since their exit from the tournament. This is by no means a vintage Italian crop, and both sides have been weakened by withdrawals, but it should be a good test for the Three Lions.
England are unbeaten in their last six friendlies, keeping four clean sheets in that time. Their last defeat came at the hands of Germany, who made it consecutive losses at Wembley in November 2013 after Chile had triumphed in their previous outing. They have only won one of their last five away friendlies, but that victory came in their most recent one, against the Auld Enemy Scotland at Celtic Park.
TEAM NEWS: The teams are in for both sides, and the first thing to note from an England perspective is that Harry Kane makes his full international debut, as Hodgson promised. Interestingly, he will be joined up front by Theo Walcott, with captain Wayne Rooney expected to play just behind them in the hole. Elsewhere, Jagielka, Smalling and Gibbs come into the defence as Hodgson makes five changes. Italy, meanwhile, named their side 24 hours early, with Bonucci, Chiellini and Darmian the only players to keep their places. Full teams for both sides coming up...
ITALY STARTING XI: Buffon; Ranocchia, Bonucci, Chiellini; Florenzi, Parolo, Valdifiori, Soriano, Darmian; Pelle, Eder
ENGLAND STARTING XI: Hart; Clyne, Jagielka, Smalling, Gibbs; Jones; Henderson, Delph, Rooney; Walcott, Kane
What can we make of those two sides, then? Well, there is a first international start for Eder, whose call-up to the Italy squad courted some controversy due to his Brazilian roots. Roberto Mancini was particularly outspoken about the inclusion, but few Italians would have been complaining when Eder came off the bench and curled home the equaliser on his debut against Bulgaria. Italy have a dearth of experienced international striking talent available to them at the moment, so he has a chance to nail a place down in the side tonight.
He is joined up front by Southampton's Graziano Pelle, whose international record is not much worse than Eders one cap, one goal. The Saints striker has one from two games for the Azzurri so far, but his form at club level has taken an alarming dip since the turn of the year. He will be up against club teammate Nathaniel Clyne, amongst others, tonight, and the likes of Jagielka and Smalling will also be fully aware of what the powerful frontman is capable of.
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There is a debut in midfield for Mirko Valdifiori, while Florenzi, Parolo and Soriano also come into the starting XI in the middle of the park. At the back, Chiellini is the only survivor from the World Cup meeting between these two sides, and he is also the highest scorer in the current Italy squad with six goals. He is one of just three players to retain his place tonight.
Bonucci is another to keep his place from the Bulgaria match, and he is the only other player in the current squad to have scored more than one goal for Italy, with three. Behind him, the vastly experienced Gianluigi Buffon is back between the sticks to win his 147th Azzurri cap.
In the opposition goal, Joe Hart is more than a third of the way to Buffon's total, with tonight seeing the Manchester City stopper reach the landmark of 50 caps for his country. At 27, he is the youngest keeper in England history to reach that total and could be on course to break Peter Shilton's all-time record of 125 appearances. Shilton was 33 when he racked up his half-century, so Hart certainly has a chance.
Shilton's record may have already been broken by the time Hart reaches it, however, with Wayne Rooney making his 103rd appearance for his country tonight. It appears only a matter of time before he reaches the all-time tally, but it is another record that he is looking to break in the coming matches as he edges ever-closer to Sir Bobby Charlton's 49 England goals. An early header against Lithuania brought Rooney on to 47, one short of Gary Lineker and two away from Charlton.
Rooney will get a chance to play alongside England's newest star Harry Kane tonight, with the striker's breakthrough season just getting better and better. No-one could claim that he doesn't deserve his place in the squad after a return of 29 goals for Spurs this season, 19 of which have come in the Premier League, and his magnificent scoring form continued in dream fashion against Lithuania on Friday. The 21-year-old scored within 80 seconds of his introduction as a sub to mark his debut with a goal.
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Elsewhere in the side, Henderson, Delph and Clyne retain their places, while Phil Jones moves forward into midfield to accommodate Jagielka and club teammate Chris Smalling. Gibbs is preferred to Bertrand at left-back, while Ryan Mason is again forced to wait for his international debut.
PREDICTION: We're 10 minutes away from kickoff in Turin, which means that it is time for a prediction! England are the form team coming into this match, but question marks still remain over how they will fare against the traditional big boys of European football. This will be an interesting test between two sides unbeaten since a disappointing World Cup tonight, and I can see it ending all square. I'll go for a 1-1 draw.
England's record against Italy is not a great one in recent years, losing eight and winning just two of their last 12 meetings with the Azzurri, including defeat in the last two major international tournaments. England do have some memorable moments in Italy, from Gazza's tears in 1990 to qualifying for the 1998 World Cup, but their last visit was way back in 2000, when Gennaro Gattuso scored the only goal of the game in David Beckham's first match as England captain.
Next up for Italy after this match is an away qualifier against Croatia in June, which is likely to be their stiffest test of the entire qualifying campaign. They will want cause for optimism ahead of that, and only a good result and performance tonight would really give them that. England, meanwhile, have a friendly against Ireland and a qualifier with Slovenia in June.
The last meeting between these two sides came at the World Cup in Manaus as the Three Lions kicked their campaign off with defeat. Claudio Marchisio gave the Azzurri the lead before Daniel Sturridge's equaliser levelled things back up. Mario Balotelli proved to be the match-winner, however, nodded past Joe Hart to clinch the three points for his country.
The national anthems are both song with plenty of gusto from the opposing fans, and we're just about ready to go here in Turin. It may only be a friendly in name, but both teams will be eager to end their international breaks with a win having suffered contrasting fortunes so far.
KICKOFF: Italy get us underway in Turin as they look to maintain their unbeaten record under Conte, while England look to make it eight wins on the bounce.
It is England who have seen more of the ball in the opening exchanges here, with Italy sitting fairly deep when the visitors have possession at the moment. Harry Kane, meanwhile, has already been on the end of an introductory challenge by Chiellini.
Rooney is caught in possession in midfield and Italy are quick to break through Eder. A couple of passes go astray, however, and a promising attacking position quickly breaks down.
Better from Italy as they start to pass the ball around with a bit more pace to move forward. Florenzi drifts offside to end the attack, but the hosts certainly seem to have settled now.
England make their first venture into the Italy box as Clyne fires a pass in towards Henderson, whose touch almost takes it into the path of Rooney. The England skipper is just beaten to the ball, however, and Italy are able to clear the danger.
SAVE! Almost a spectacular opener from Parolo as he collects a pass from Darmian before firing a powerful strike towards goal from a good 30 yards. It is dipping late and Hart is forced to push it over with a good stop, denying Parolo a stunning strike.
Buffon isn't quite sure what to do with a pass back to him and dwells on the ball for a moment, allowing Kane and Walcott to close in on him. The veteran manages to get the ball away with what looks like a cool pass out to his left-back, but he was in trouble for a second there.
Really good work from Eder as he wins an initial high ball forward against Smalling before beating Clyne to his own knock down and winning a free kick in a good position. Three blue shirts are standing over this one...
...Andrea Piro this isn't. Italy try one off the training ground and it is Eder who eventually lets fly, slicing a wild effort almost out for a throw.
CHANCE! Vital piece of defending from Jagielka as he denies Eder a certain goal. Darmian gets in behind Clyne down Italy's left and fires a dangerous low cross right in front of the face of goal. It would be a simple tap-in for Eder, but Jagielka is well-placed to knock it behind for a corner.
The resulting delivery is met by Chiellini, but the experienced defender is under pressure and his header is never troubling the England goal as he puts it well wide.
The pressure continues to build on the England defence as this time Italy come down the right before swinging a cross towards Darmian at the back post. It is an awkward one for Clyne to deal with, and he is happy to hear the whistle go for a foul on him by Darmian.
OFF THE BAR! England haven't really got a foothold in this game yet, but they come within inches of breaking the deadlock here! Delph hangs the ball up towards the back post and Kane climbs really well to nod it back into a dangerous area. Bonucci deals with the initial ball really well top thwart Walcott but can only get it out as far as Rooney, whose volley bounces into the floor and deflects off Soriano and onto the bar.
This has been better from England in the last few minutes. Their passing has been too sloppy in general so far tonight, but they are beginning to zip the ball around more accurately inside the Italy half following a spell in which the hosts were on top.
Kane is yet to really get into this match so far, with Italy's notorious defence so far doing a good job of limiting the service to him. The Spurs striker has shown glimpses whenever he has had the chance, though, and a player in his form only really needs one opening to make a difference.
Superb work from Rooney as he wins the ball off Valdifiori before firing a magnificent crossfield pass to Walcott. The Arsenal winger takes it into his path well before cutting inside, but Ranocchia is there to block the subsequent effort. What a pass that was from the skipper, though.
At the other end it is Jagielka who is forced into a block to deny Pelle. The Southampton striker was slipped in down the right channel and went for a snapshot first time, but Jagielka was alert to the danger and made the block.
GOAL! Italy 1-0 England (Graziano Pelle)
He can't score in England, but Pelle has scored against England here to give Italy the advantage in Turin. Chiellini is the unlikely creator, picking the ball up on the left flank before ghosting past Jones all too easily. His cross is a good one, and Pelle glances the deftest of headers into the far corner. That is two goals in three caps for Pelle now, making him the third-highest scorer in the current squad!
Good response from England as first Kane almost finds a way through before Walcott spins Chiellini inside the box only to see another blue shirt mop up the danger.
YELLOW CARD! Friendly or not, this will always be a yellow card I'm afraid Gibbs. He cynically blocks his man to stop a counter-attack and becomes the first name in the book as a result.
A stoppage in play due to a clash of heads results in the stretcher being brought on for Chiellini, but the defender is soon up on his feet and looks like he will be fine to continue.
YELLOW CARD! A needless yellow card for Pelle, who just tugged at Jagielka as the England player strode forward from defence. That is quite a harsh one for a friendly, it must be said.
Italy have looked dangerous from set pieces so far, with the likes of Bonucci and Chiellini often finding space inside the box. Even if they don't win the first ball, they are usually there for the second to keep the attack alive, which is where their goal came from.
Slick move from Italy as Eder takes it past one before poking the ball out for Florenzi's overlapping run down the right. He swings a first-time ball towards Pelle at the near post, but this time the striker can't get anything on his header as he tries to steer it past Hart again.
Italy's shape is forcing England into a number of high balls forward from deep positions, which the hosts are capable of dealing with comfortably due to how deep they are sitting. The home defence have done a good job of nullifying the visitors so far.
A worry for Smalling here as he looks a little dazed and is led off the field for treatment. Hodgson may wait until half time to assess the United man here, but if it is concussion then he is unlikely to return.
ENGLAND SUB: The visitors don't wait until the break as Michael Carrick replaces Smalling, which will see Jones drop back into the heart of the defence.
The fourth official indicates just the one minute of added time at the end of this first half.
HALF TIME: Italy 1-0 England
The first half comes to an end in Turin and it is the hosts Italy who go into the break with a deserved 1-0 lead over England. It hasn't been the most entertaining 45 minutes of football you will ever see, but Italy will be happy with their performance so far while England need to improve after the break if they are to maintain their 100% record since the World Cup.
The goal came just before the half-hour mark as Southampton's Graziano Pelle glanced his header past Joe Hart and into the far corner. It came from the left flank as Giorgio Chiellini picked the ball up out wide before coasting past Jones and delivering a good ball into the middle that Pelle finished perfectly. Jones was at fault for letting Chiellini past him far too easily, but it was still a nice finish from Pelle.
England have come close to scoring themselves, even hitting the woodwork in the opening 45 minutes through a deflected Rooney effort. Delph's ball towards the back post was met well by Kane, whose downward header was initially dealt with by Bonucci. The ball arrived out to Rooney on the edge of the box and, while he didn't catch his volley perfectly, it bounced up and deflected off Soriano to take it onto the crossbar.
Phil Jagielka has made a couple of important blocks inside his own penalty area, one in particular which denied Eder a certain goal. Darmian raced through having got the wrong side Clyne and his subsequent low ball across the six-yard box was begging to be knocked home. Jagielka did well, however, to get in front of Eder and make a vital interception to knock it behind for a corner.
Hart has also been drawn into a save from a long-range effort from Parolo in the 10th minute, and there is little arguing with the fact that Italy deserve their slender advantage at the break. England have struggled to make any serious headway against the Italian defence, usually being forced into high balls forward from deep that have been comfortably dealt with so far. The middle of the park is quite congested, but England have not been able to get any joy down the flanks either.
Italy are defending very deep, which is making it difficult for the likes of Kane and Walcott to get involved with any degree of regularity. The hosts haven't helped themselves with a rather laboured performance which has been too predictable and too slow for the most part. That may change with Carrick coming on right on the stroke of half time and Jones moving back into defence, but Hodgson may also need to make one or two more changes to improve here.
KICKOFF: England get us back underway for the second half and the first thing to tell you is that the visitors have made a change at the break, bringing Kyle Walker on for Clyne.
Pelle has been closer to his early-season self than the player we have seen for Southampton recently. In addition to his goal, he has held the ball up well and brought others into play, using his strength to hold off the England defence.
Soriano almost finds Eder with a beauty of a pass. He sent it through with the outside of his boot and Eder would have only had Hart to beat, but Jagielka was at full stretch to intercept.
CHANCES! Two big chances for Italy to double their lead in a matter of seconds! First Darmian does well cutting inside from the left before finding Eder, who took the ball into his path and into the box. His effort is denied by a really good stop from Hart, but Jagielka can only put the clearance straight to Pelle on the edge of the box. The Southampton man should probably score, but his first-time strike is drilled wide.
CLOSE! Kane has his clearest opening of the match so far as the ball falls kindly for him inside the box. He hits it early, but a deflection takes it rippling into the side-netting at the near post. Buffon may have been tested without the deflection there.
CHANCE! Really good chance for England to get an equaliser, but it falls to the wrong man in Kieran Gibbs. It is nice build-up play as Henderson fizzes the ball in to Rooney, who exchanges passes with Kane before poking it though to Gibbs. The angle is against the left-back with only Buffon to beat, but he should still do better as he puts a tame effort wide of the near post.
ENGLAND SUB: Another change for the visitors as Ross Barkley comes on in place of Walcott.
England are enjoying a good spell of pressure at the moment, their best of the match so far. Italy are being very disciplined in their shape, which is making it very hard for the visitors to find a way through, but there have been encouraging signs for Hodgson in the last few minutes.
England's good spell of possession comes to an end as Delph gives the ball away far too carelessly in midfield. He hasn't enjoyed the best game so far, the Aston Villa man.
ITALY SUBS: Triple change for Italy as Florenzi, Eder and Pelle all make way to be replaced by Ignazio Abate, Franco Vazquez and Ciro Immobile. Vazquez makes his debut with this appearance.
Almost an immediate impact from two of the changes as Vazquez, with his first touch in international football, chests the ball nicely towards Immobile inside the box. It is just behind the striker, however, and Jagielka is there to make an important challenge, not for the first time tonight.
Immobile and Vazquez have already looked dangerous a few times since coming on. The former missed a couple of golden chances in the last match and looks keen to make up for that.
England have a great chance to break as Barkley spins clear and only has one blue shirt between him and the goal. Rooney busts a gut to get up in support and create a two-on-one situation, but Barkley doesn't get his head up and Chiellini eventually makes an important challenge.
ITALY SUB: Valdifiori's debut is over as he makes way to be replaced by Marco Verratti in midfield.
There has been a bit of a lull in the game in the last few minutes as the subs settle in. That can often happen with so many changes, but England need to do something to make a difference now.
YELLOW CARD! Phil Jones is the latest name in the book for a foul in midfield.
ENGLAND SUB: Delph has endured a difficult evening tonight and he makes way with 20 minutes remaining to be replaced by Andros Townsend.
CHANCE! Chiellini has been good so far, but he gets it all wrong here, completely misjudging a long pass forward and getting caught under the ball. Rooney's touch is a good one and he hammers a volley towards goal, but it is straight at Buffon, who makes the save.
ITALY SUBS: Two more changes for Italy as Chiellini and Darmian both depart to be replaced by Emiliano Moretti and Luca Antonelli.
CLOSE! Almost an own goal from Ranocchia as Kane spins down the right flank before firing a fine low ball towards the near post. Rooney is attacking it but it is the Italy defender who gets the last touch, with the ball squirming narrowly past the far corner.
ENGLAND SUB: Ryan Mason makes his international bow for England, being handed a 15-minute cameo in place of Henderson.
Quick break from Italy as Verratti pokes a ball forward for Immobile, who beats the offside trap to bear down on goal. He is further wide than he would like and is forced to cut inside, allowing Jones to get back and make a challenge inside his own box.
GOAL! Italy 1-1 England (Andros Townsend)
England have their equaliser! An initial ball from Carrick is thwarted by Italy, but the midfielder keeps it alive by contesting the resulting aerial ball. Mason shows great desire to then slide in and poke it to Townsend, who proceeds to hammer a magnificent 20-yard effort into the top corner. That is some strike from the Tottenham man, leaving Buffon no chance whatsoever.
CHANCE! Huge chance for England to get a quick second! A ball over the top beats the defence to send Rooney clean through on goal, but he tries to slide his finish through the legs of Buffon, who makes a smart stop. The skipper should have equalled Gary Lineker's record there.
It is England who are pushing for a winner now, and we could be set for a very interesting final 10 minutes or so. The pressure is on Italy manager Conte so he will want a win, while the momentum is very much with the visitors. It is very much game on right now.
CLOSE! Italy almost hit England with a quick break, but Antonelli sends an effort just past the far post. It was lovely football from the hosts in the build-up, with Antonelli starting the moved and exchanging passes with Vazquez to bear down on goal. He does the right thing in shooting across goal, but the ball skims narrowly wide.
This time it is England who break as Townsend leads the charge down the left flank. He carries the ball a good 50 yards before playing a low ball into the middle, but Abate just about bundles the ball back to Buffon.
ENGLAND SUB: There will be a late change for England here as Ryan Bertrand wins his third cap, replacing Gibbs.
There will be three minutes of added time at the end of this match. Will we see a winner here in Turin?
SAVE! Kane almost steals the headlines again late on, but it is Barkley who started the attack here, turning in midfield before showing a great turn of pace to leave a couple of blue shirts in his wake as he burst forward from midfield. His pass towards Rooney is cut out and falls to Kane, who drills a first-time effort that Buffon has to save.
FULL TIME: Italy 1-1 England
It ends all square in Turin, then, as both Italy and England maintain their respective unbeaten records since the World Cup. Pelle had given the hosts the lead shortly before the half-hour mark, having earlier seen Rooney hit the crossbar, but Andros Townsend's thumping equaliser 11 minutes from time ensured that the spoils are shared this evening.
That is all we have time for tonight! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for the international friendly between Italy and England, which ended honours even in Turin. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction, analysis and player ratings. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
Written by
Barney Corkhill
Barney Corkhill
