England 1-1 Italy: Player Ratings
Goalscorers: Jamie Vardy 26', Lorenzo Insigne 87' (Penalty)
Attendance: 82,598
Gareth Southgate's England were restricted to a 1-1 draw by visitors Italy at the Wembley Stadium last night. Things were working out in fine fettle for the Three Lions, who started the game on the front foot and the hosts were duly rewarded in the 26th minute when Jamie Vardy managed to get on the end of a quickly worked free-kick from Jesse Lingard that paved the way for the opening goal of the game.
Despite creating a few chances for themselves in the first half, Italy failed to muster any end product whatsoever and Ciro Immobile, in particular, was left to rue three glorious missed chances in the first 16 minutes of the game. The game progressed steadily throughout the second half and England were denied a victory on the night when they conceded a late penalty due to the intervention of VAR.
The spot-kick was awarded to the visitors after referee Deniz Aytekin consulted the video assistant referee following a challenge from debutant James Tarkowski on the Azzurri's second-half substitute Federico Chiesa. Lorenzo Insigne stepped up to tuck the ball past Jack Butland to prevent Italy from going four consecutive games without scoring for the first time in their history.
Without further delay, let's take a closer look at how players from both sides fared during the match:
Italy
Gianluigi Donnarumma - 7/10
The Italian shot-stopper kept the visitors in the game with a few impressive saves despite conceding the opening goal of the game. Donnarumma showed excellent command inside his penalty area.
Davide Zappacosta - 6/10
Zappacosta was solid at right-back for the Azzurri and managed to work tirelessly against a well-oiled unit like England. However, he might feel undone by the lack of offensive threat he offered while venturing forward.
Daniele Rugani - 6/10
The youngster did not enjoy a stellar game and was not at his best whenever he went up against the pace and direct threat provided by the likes of Sterling and Vardy on the night. Rugani is still learning and is far from the finished product.
Leonardo Bonucci - 7/10
Bonucci was calm and composed at the back for the visitors, as you would expect. The skipper never looked like putting in a wrong foot but he was made to look ordinary due to the performances from the England attackers.
Mattia De Sciglio - 6/10
The full-back was positive on the ball and was always looking for an opportunity to dash forward. However, De Sciglio failed to leave a lasting impact on both ends of the field and he will be looking to add more awareness to his traits while defending.
Marco Parolo - 6/10
Parolo started in midfield for Italy but he failed to grab the opportunity with both hands owing to some strong performances from his English counterparts in the middle of the park. The midfielder could do very little to help his team on the front-foot but he covered a lot of ground on the night.
Jorginho - 6/10
The same goes for Jorginho who has been linked with a move to the Premier League due to his impressive performances with Napoli. The player was the pick of Italy's midfielders on the night but then again he could not replicate the form he boasts of in club level.
Lorenzo Pellegrini - 5/10
Pellegrini was successful in keeping the ball moving in midfield and contributed well to the numbers behind the ball. However, he looked like a passenger for the majority of the game and was replaced in the 80th minute.
Antonio Candreva - 7/10
The winger offered great width on the night for the visitors and he continued to work tirelessly to try and snatch the game away from the hosts. Candreva's delivery from the right was impressive yet again but he was the first player to be taken off by Luigi Di Biagio.
Ciro Immobile - 4/10
Immobile would have gone on to become the villain if Italy had not grabbed that late goal, after he missed a few glorious opportunities early on in the first half to put the visitors ahead. The striker caused a few problems with his movements but he failed to add the finishing touch every single time.
Lorenzo Insigne - 8/10
The Napoli winger was yet again instrumental for the Azzurri and made no mistake from the spot when he stepped up to take that penalty in the dying stages of the game. Insigne was neat and tidy in possession and was arguably their best player on the night.
Substitutes
Federico Chiesa - 7/10
The youngster proved to be a real breath of fresh air and helped Italy snatch that late equaliser when he was brought down by James Tarkowski inside the penalty area.
Andrea Belotti - 6/10
Belotti replaced Immobile shortly after the hour mark and did well to hold the ball up and linked up well with his teammates.
Roberto Gagliardini - N/A
Came on in the 80th minute to replace Lorenzo Pellegrini.