Italy earn draw against England through VAR penalty decision

Joe Williams

Jamie Vardy’s early goal was cancelled out by a penalty from Lorenzo Insigne that was given by VAR as Italy came back to draw 1-1 against England on Tuesday.

The Three Lions showed an early inclination to play out from the back, a philosophy which almost came with a steep price.

After receiving a short pass from Butland, John Stones attempted to glide past Ciro Immobile but got the ball stuck under his feet and surrendered possession at the edge of the box.

Immobile glimpsed a chance to give his side the lead inside three minutes but Stones corrected his own error, flinging himself in front of the shot and deflecting it wide.

Italy needed a last-gasp challenge of their own when a swift counter-attack, involving Tarkowski and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, resulted in Vardy latching on to a through ball.

Just as the Leicester man went to pull the trigger Mattia De Sciglio made a fine saving tackle, keeping the game scoreless after 10 minutes.

Immobile missed a good chance for Italy in the 16th minute, arriving in perfect time to meet Antonio Candreva’s cross but powering his header over from a dangerous central position.

Oxlade-Chamberlain created England’s response, tearing towards the box from the halfway line and tumbling inside the penalty area as he looked to squeeze between Lorenzo Pellegrini and Leonardo Bonucci. The referee and assistant were both well placed and saw no illegal contact.

Moments later Vardy forced the first real save of the game, driving low but straight at Donnarumma after Sterling’s pass.

The hosts went ahead after 26 minutes, thanks to Jesse Lingard’s quick thinking and Vardy’s finishing prowess.

Sterling was bundled to the floor by Marco Parolo as England broke forward, winning a free-kick.

As the blue shirts reacted slowly, Lingard was quick to take the set-piece, and rolled the ball to the centre forward as the Italians looked on.

Vardy hammered his shot inside Donnarumma’s near post to make it England 1 Italy 0.

Having gone in front, Southgate’s side began to play with greater verve and control.

Sterling was bothering Italy with his runs through the middle and teed up Young after one burst upfield.

The Manchester United wing-back, on his first start for just over five years, produced a cross-shot which took a slight deflecting and snaked wide.

The half-time whistle came after an extended spell of English possession, sending the visitors in on the back foot and trailing to Vardy’s seventh international goal.

The momentum continued with England after the break, with Sterling the common factor.

He linked up well with Young as the latter burrowed into the box only to be denied by a sliding block by Bonucci at the near post.

Sterling was also busy in the build-up to Oxlade-Chamberlain’s edge-of-the-box strike, which Donnarumma saved comfortably.

The usual rash of second-half substitutions interrupted the momentum, though there were a couple of notable additions for England.

Adam Lallana came on for Liverpool team-mate Oxlade-Chamberlain, marking his first international appearance since June 2017, and Bournemouth’s Lewis Cook earned his debut in place of Lingard.

Stones was unable to continue after the ball struck him flush in the face, with Jordan Henderson entering the fray.

Italy equalised with three minutes left after winning a penalty following a VAR referral – the first in an England game at Wembley.

Tarkowski was the man to go into the history books, tussling with substitute Federico Chiesa, who dropped to the floor after a tangle of legs.

VAR was called for and referee Deniz Aytekin ran to the side of the pitch to assess the replay, eventually ruling against the Burnley defender.

Amid boos from the home fans and cheers from the small Italian contingent, Lorenzo Insigne stepped up to convert from the spot.

Italy were buoyed by their unexpected leveller, the first goal conceded by England in six matches, and launched a late pursuit of victory.

England’s rejigged back three of Tarkowski, Dier and Walker looked ready to surrender another goal but the final whistle came first, leaving it tied at 1-1.

 

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