Italy vs England player ratings

England

Joe Hart  7
Commanded his area well by stopping supply to Balotelli, and could do nothing about either goals.

Glen Johnson   6
Got forward whenever England had possession but never delivered a good ball into the box.

Gary Cahill    6
Made strong challenges and blocks during the match and partned well with Jagielka

Phil Jagielka    6
Stopped Mario Balotelli from scoring a cheeky chip by heading the ball off the line, and was comfortable with Cahill.

Leighton Baines   4
Struggled against Candreva and Darmien on the left and lacked quality when in the attacking third.

Jordan Henderson 6
Worked hard in the midfield and tested Sirigu early on.

Steven Gerrard   6
Took up his Liverpool position of last season and sat deep spraying balls forward. Made the occassional run forward.

Danny Welbeck 6
Quiet going forward but did his share of defensive cover, pressed the defenders in their half.

Raheem Sterling  7
Bright performance for the youngster on his World Cup debut always trying to take on the Italian defence. Played Rooney in with a great ball in the lead up to England's goal.

Wayne Rooney  6
Missed a few chances, one glorius chance when he turned the defender and had the whole goal to shoot at but shot wide.

Daniel Sturridge   7
Scored the equaliser for England when Italy looked to still be celebrating and showed his speed beating his man multiple times.

Substitutes

Jack Wilshere   4
Didn't add anything to the team and made poor choices when he came on.

Ross Barkley   6
Showed bright sparks and tested Sirigu early on after he came on.

Adam Lallana  5
Was comfortable on the ball but failed to do anything decisive as Darmian had his number.

Italy

Salvatore Sirigu:   8
Looked uncomfortable at times during England corners but pulled of wonderful saves matching Buffon's quality.

Andrea Barzagli   7
Made good interceptions and strong defensively but couldn't match the pace of England's forwards at times.

Matteo Darmian  8
Great debut for the right back who was enthusiastic going forward proving a great outlet and good defensively.

Giorgio Chielini:  7
Pushed forward whenever he had the chance down the left and was comfortable behind the ball. Made strong tackles when required.

Gabriel Paletta    6
Looked uncomfortable when England showed their pace but made crucial clearances throughout second half.

Daniele De Rossi   7
Sat in front of the back four which allowed Pirlo to roam comfortably. Made a few ruthless challenges but strong overall performance.

Andrea Pirlo   10
The best man on the field as he was the heart of the Italian attack. Cleverly let the ball run through his legs which set up Marchiso to open the scoring. Unlucky not to have scored a sublime freekick.

Marco Veratti   8
Creative in possession and energetic throughout his time on the field before substituted for Paris Saint Germain teammate Thiago Motta.

Marchisio  8
Covered a lot of distance throughout the match whether it was pushing up in attack or tracking back in the second half. Opened the scoring for his side with a low finish outside the box in the first half.

Candreva 9
Harassed England on the right getting the better of Leighton Baines multiple times with Darmian. Creatively got past his marker and provided a killer cross for Balotelli to score the match winner.

Mario Balotelli  8
Didn't have a lot of chances but took his best chance by scoring a header at the back post to win the match for Italy. Spear headed the attack well and showed why he is their first choice striker.


Substitutes:

Alberto Aquilani    5
Helped ensure Italy remained in shape and keep their lead.

Thiago Motta    6
Used his experience to ensure Italy's midfield was strong and used possession well.

Ciro Immobile   5
Did plenty of running to keep Cahill and Jagielka on edge but was caught offside multiple times.