England captain Harry Kane's mouth bloodied during UEFA Nations League loss vs Italy

Italy defeated England by 1-0 in the UEFA Nations League 2022-24 tournament, courtesy of Giacomo Raspadori’s strike at the 68th minute. With the loss, England was relegated from the top tier of the UEFA Nations League on Friday night, and also summed up the team’s poor run leading up to the FIFA World Cup 2022, later this year. Meanwhile, England coach Gareth Southgate also received a major injury scare during the game in relation to his captain. 

England skipper Harry Kame suffered a horrific injury, as blood rushed out of his mouth after he clashed heads with Rafael Toloi. Kane fell down on the ground as soon they clashed, while he looked to head the ball. Kane was down on the field with blood rushing out of his mouth, before eventually getting treated by the medics. 

However, the 29-year-old Tottenham Hotspur footballer eventually got back to his foot and continued to play. While there were a few chances created during the match, Giacomo opened the scoresheet in the 68th minute. This proved to be the match-winning difference for England, as they were also denied a penalty due to Kane’s collision with Toloi. 

A look at the UEFA Nations League points table after Friday's games

Meanwhile, England is currently placed bottom at 4th in the League A Group 3 points table of UEFA Nations League. Hungary leads the standings with three wins, one draw and a loss, followed by Italy with two wins, two draws, and a loss. Germany is placed 3rd with one win, three draws, and one loss, while England is placed fourth with two draws, and three defeats.

England will now face Germany on Monday in their final league match at home. In the meantime, Italy stands the chance of topping the group and sealing their place in the playoffs. However, to do so, Italy needs to defeat Hungary in Budapest on Monday.

'It's been a disappointing few games': Harry Kane

Meanwhile, revealing his thoughts about England’s performance on Friday while talking to Channel 4, Kane said, “I think overall, we had the better chances in the game. One fine moment for them with the ball over the top, and they scored. Even from that moment, we dominated. At the moment, it's not quite falling for us. One of those things. Preparing for November, coming to places like this is really good preparation. We dust ourselves down, we learn from it, and we get ready for Monday”.

“It's been a disappointing few games. It's part of football, you learn, and you move on. We're preparing for the biggest tournament of all in a couple of months' time. We need to make sure we're ready for that,” Kane added.