Ten Facts: England v Italy
Sunday, 24 June, 2012
England have played the four-time World Cup winners Italy on 22 occasions...
England have played the four-time World Cup winners Italy on 22 occasions, winning seven. Here's ten more facts about the fixture...
1. Italy have won the World Cup four times and the European Championship once – when they hosted the four-team tournament in 1968. They won their semi-final with the Soviet Union on the toss of a coin after a 0-0 draw in Naples!
2. Neither England nor Italy entered the first European Championship in 1958-60, then known as the ‘European Nations Cup’.
3. England and Italy have met on 22 occasions, initially in a Rome friendly in 1933 that finished 1-1. England’s record is won seven, drawn six and lost nine.
4. England have only won one of their last nine matches with Italy, 2-0 in ‘Le Tournoi’ in Nantes 15 years ago.
5. Despite having an Italian manager for four years, England and Italy haven’t played each other since 2002. The Italians edged a friendly 2-1 at Elland Road.
6. England and Italy have only clashed in one previous European Championship match and that was 32 years ago. Italy, hosting the 1980 Finals, beat us 1-0 with Tardelli’s goal in Turin at the Group stage.
7. We haven’t met in a ‘knockout’ match in a major tournament before – but hosts Italy won the ‘Match for Third Place’ at the 1990 World Cup, 2-1 in Bari.
8. England’s last European Championship quarter final, against their Portuguese hosts in Lisbon in 2004, was also played on 24 June.
9. England’s friendly 0-0 draw with Italy in 1989 was the last match at the old Wembley at which there were standing areas for spectators.
10. Peter Taylor, England’s caretaker boss, made David Beckham captain for the first time for a Turin friendly against Italy in 2000. Beckham wore the armband 58 times.