England

3-3

Italy

Bentley 30, Routledge 52, Derbyshire 58

Pazzini 1, 53, 68

Under-21 International Friendly
12.30pm, Saturday 24 March 2007
Wembley Stadium
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24 March 2007
VIDEO: Matt Derbyshire at Wembley
Matt Derbyshire was overwhelmed by his goalscoring debut for England's U21s at the new Wembley Stadium.

Matt Derbyshire says he was overwhelmed by his Under-21 debut against Italy, which not only came in the opening game at the new Wembley Stadium, but also saw him score his first international goal.

The game ended in a thrilling 3-3 draw as Italy's Gianpaolo Pazzini scored the quickest Wembley goal ever after just 29 seconds on his way to a hat-trick.

However, the Blackburn striker, a half-time substitute, helped make it a great day for England and Rovers when he set up the second goal and scored the third. His club mate David Bentley had earlier become the first England player to score at the new Stadium with a 30th minute free-kick to make it 1-1.

"You don't get to play on a platform like that many times during your career," he told TheFA.com shortly after the match.

"I'm very fortunate to be part of the first team playing at Wembley.

"It was a great feeling to score at Wembley. To score in the England kit or your club kit is brilliant. It's a bit overwhelming."

Derbyshire had only been on the pitch for seven minutes when he helped England take a 2-1 lead. His reverse pass out to the right split the Italian defence and gave Wayne Routledge the opportunity to open his Under-21s account.

He said: "I controlled it into space and I saw him (Routledge) make the run and clipped it over the defender. The defender stuck a leg out but he didn't get it and Wayne run in and scored."

Now, with the UEFA European Under-21 Championship less than three months away, Derbyshire is looking for more international chances.

"It's another experience for myself and hopefully this can take my career to higher places," he said.

Click on the link above to watch the full video of Matt's interview.