After World Cup heartbreak, England and Harry Kane convincingly move on with historic win over Italy

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Ten-man England survived a second-half comeback in their opener of Euro 2024 qualifying to beat Italy 2-1 on Thursday in Naples, Italy.

It was England’s first-ever competitive win against Italy on Italian soil — their first including friendlies since 1961 — through a first-half goal from Declan Rice, followed by Harry Kane, whose 44th-minute penalty saw him become England’s all-time top scorer with 54 goals.

Rice fired England into the lead after 13 minutes when turning home the rebound after Kane’s shot from Bukayo Saka‘s corner was partially blocked. England were much the better side in the first half and deserved to extend their lead when Giovanni Di Lorenzo was adjudged to have handled in the box, a decision Serbian referee Srdjan Jovanovic awarded on VAR review, allowing Kane to set the new England scoring record.

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Italy rallied in the second half when Mateo Retegui marked his debut by coolly slotting home Lorenzo Pellegrini‘s 56th-minute pass.

As the home side pushed England back, Luke Shaw was sent off after picking up two yellow cards in quick succession, the first for timewasting and the second following a late tackle on Retegui, but England held together to see through the match.

The match marked Italy’s first Euro qualifier defeat in 41 games dating back to September 2006.

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