England got their Euro 2024 qualification campaign off to the perfect start as Harry Kane's record-breaking strike helped the Three Lions beat Italy 2-1 in Naples.
Despite a bright start from the Italians, it was the Three Lions who opened the scoring within the first quarter of an hour through Declan Rice. Bukayo Saka's corner caused mayhem in the box and the ball fell kindly to the West Ham midfielder, who drilled home from close-range.
Gareth Southgate's side controlled the rest of the first-half and were handed the chance to double their lead from the spot. That gave Kane the chance to break Wayne Rooney's record - and he converted emphatically as he slotted the penalty into the bottom corner for his 54th international goal.
Italy came out firing at the start of the second period and pulled one back as debutant Mateo Retegui finished coolly. England were reduced to 10-men late on after Luke Shaw received a red card for being booked twice in 54 seconds. However, Southgate's men managed to hold on to secure a vital three points.
Mirror Football takes a look at six talking points from Naples....
Kane smashes record
When Kane stepped up to take the penalty, every England fan was praying that this was his moment. The Tottenham forward missed the chance break Rooney's goalscoring record after missing a penalty in the World Cup quarter-final defeat against France back in December.
But the 29-year-old made no mistake with his spot-kick after VAR had overturned the referee's initial decision for a handball in the box. Kane sent PSG 'keeper Donnarumma the wrong way, side-footing home into the bottom right-hand corner.
It was an emphatic penalty from Kane, who also recently became Tottenham's leading scorer back in February as he overtook Jimmy Greaves' longstanding record. He registered his 267th goal for his club by scoring against Manchester City, and now he has another remarkable achievement to be recollection.
Shaw sees red
England were forced to play the final 11 minutes plus injury-time with 10 men after Shaw was shown a red card. The Manchester United defender was cautioned in the 78th minute after appearing to waste some time, before he lunged into a late tackle on Retegui just 54 seconds later.
That gave the referee no choice but to hand Shaw a second yellow card. It meant the Three Lions had to grind it out in the latter stages, with Phil Foden being sacrificed for Kieran Trippier to come on. The Manchester City winger had only just come on after replacing Jack Grealish, but was taken off and became the latest victim of the sub-sub curse.
Shaw will now miss England's clash against Ukraine on Sunday.
Rice scores rare goal
Having netted just twice for his country before, not many would have fancied Rice to score the first goal in Naples. However, the 24-year-old was the man to find the breakthrough with a tidy finish, slotting the ball past Donnarumma from eight yards after a mix up in the Italy box.
It was Rice's third international goal in his 40th cap, having last found the net in England's 4-0 rout over Hungary back in September 2021. Rice's only other Three Lions strike came against Iceland a year earlier.
But Rice's all-round performance also stood out against Italy as England got off to the perfect start in their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. His passing range, composure with the ball and ability to do his defensive work were the three most impressive traits of his display.
Youngsters shine
England were excellent in the first-half in Naples, with Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka both standing out. The duo also gave the Three Lions the energy they needed on the counter-attack in the second period as they managed to hold out for three vital points.
Bellingham used his power and physicality to drive England forward when they were under the cosh, and shone in the no.10 role ahead of Kalvin Phillips and Rice in the double pivot. Meanwhile, Saka has been in sensational form this season and looked excellent against Italy, giving Leonardo Spinazzola a tough ride.
The Arsenal man also delivered the corner for England's opening goal and leading up to the decision to award the penalty, too. In the second-half, Saka also created an outstanding chance as he did the work all by himself, drilling the ball across the box, although no-one could get on the end of it.
Italy youngster nets on debut
Despite the result, it was a debut to remember for Retegui, who struck on his Italy debut against England. The 23-year-old, who has shone for Tigre in the Argentina Primera Division this season, was handed a chance from the start for the Italians - and it is safe to say he took it.
Retegui's first real opportunity of the game came in the 56th minute when he was fed through on goal. He took one touch to get the ball out of his feet, before drilling the ball low past Jordan Pickford. It was a terrific finish from the youngster, who didn't look like a debutant.
England fan has ticket ripped up
An England fan was denied access to the Three Lions' clash in Naples after they were pictured with a flag which included a sickening message to the late Diego Maradona.
There was some concerns about troubles in the city ahead of the game, and one supporter was photographed with the anti-Maradona flag in their hand. The Football Association have since condemned their actions and also rescinded the match ticket from the fan after it went viral.
The unnamed supporter, who is believed to be a part of the official England supporter club, was snapped with an England flag which carried the message "Diego's in a box" - a reference to the Argentinian and Napoli legend who passed away in November 2020.
