Raspadori curler relegates England to League B in UEFA Nations's League

Giacomo Raspadori celebrates after firing Italy past England in a UEFA Nations League crunch tie on Friday. Italy won 1-0. (Photo credit: UEFA)

England’s preparation for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar took a big hit on Friday following a 1-0 loss in Italy to the European champions.

On loan Napoli striker Giacomo Raspadori curled one past Nick Pope in the England goal midway into the second half to continue the Azzuri’s dominance over the 3Lions, building on the Euro 2020 final success and historic wins over England.

The team filed out with black armbands to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II but Gareth Southgate’s defensive approach ruined the script; England offered nothing of note until Italy scored and as always, the reactive nature of Southgate saw him introduce Jack Grealish but the Manchester City man only did more damage.

Carrying a yellow from the embarrassing loss to Hungary, Grealish talked himself into trouble after a bad tackle and was duly booked. Grealish will now miss the final group A game against Germany, limiting the manager’s opportunity of seeing him in national team colors ahead of the World Cup.

The loss to Italy meant that the 3Lions are relegated to League B of the UEFA Nations League; a shame by all standards considering the number of talents available to Southgate. This further brings questions around his credentials as the team manager and the hope of England at the World Cup in Qatar.