It was neither Catenaccio nor Cannavaro, nothing from the glorious traditions of Italian defending. There was Alessandro Bastoni contriving to head Marc Guehi’s punt backwards, Harry Kane beating the Champions League finalist and Giorgio Scalvini to surge clear and score. Italy were unlocked by one long ball and one centre forward.
For a nation of connoisseurs of clean sheets, it was a particularly damning goal to concede. It was easy to imagine Franco Baresi sweeping up with imperious ease, Paolo Maldini winning the first header, Claudio Gentile resorting to the illegal but preventing the goal. Luciano Spalletti had his regrets after Kane’s second goal, and England’s third, at Wembley, condemned him to a first defeat in charge of the Azzurri. They were not necessarily those of the stereotypical Italian manager. Then again, the 2023 Scudetto winner, and the new Italy manager, is not the stereotypical Italian manager.
