YEARS OF JOY FOR ITALIANS AT FORTRESS
Italy are unbeaten at Wembley for 44 years – here’s how the Azzurri have turned it into their satellite stronghold since 1977.
– England 2-0 Italy Ron Greenwood’s first competitive home game in charge of England. Kevin Keegan and Trevor Brooking’s goals came too late to earn them qualification for the World Cup in Argentina.
November 15, 1989 – England 0-0 Italy Tedious friendly where 10 of England’s starting XI opened the following summer’s World Cup campaign against the Republic of Ireland seven months later.
February 12, 1997 – England 0-1 Italy Gianfranco Zola’s winner, beating goalkeeper Ian Walker at his near post, put Glenn Hoddle’s England on the back foot – but they made it to the World Cup in France with a 0-0 draw in Rome in the return fixture.
– England 1-1 Italy Lorenzo Insigne’s late penalty, after referee Deniz Aytekin had consulted VAR, earned the Azzurri a draw after Jamie Vardy’s first-half opener, above, in a tepid friendly.
June 26, 2021 – Italy 2-1 Austria Federico Chiesa and Matteo Pessina, left, provided the quality off the bench to see off battling Austria in the last 16 at Euro 2020 – but only after Roberto Mancini’s men were taken to
extra-time.
November 16, 1977 March 27, 2018 July 6, 2021
Italy 1-1 Spain Chiesa was on target again in a semi-final thriller. Spain took the tie to extra-time through Alvaro Morata’s equaliser, but the Azzurri prevailed 4-2 on penalties.