Mick Channon still grimaces at the “torture” of a ruinous World Cup defeat in Rome – and 47 years later, England have yet to beat Italy away when it really matters.
Don't hang your hat on Gareth Southgate enjoying la dolce vita in Naples on Thursday night - because the Three Lions' record in competitive meetings with the Azurri on Italian soil is the tale of a spartan army.
Confused by manager Don Revie's baffling team selection and outplayed on a sultry November afternoon, England's 2-0 defeat in Rome's Olympic Stadium ultimately cost them a place at the 1978 World Cup finals in Argentina. It was the beginning of the end for Revie, who fled to the Arabian desert the following summer – and Channon's last chance of playing at the World Cup had disappeared, too.
