England remain without a win in this year’s UEFA Nations League after a goalless draw with Italy at Wolverhampton’s Molineux on Saturday.
The match was played behind closed doors following sanctions against the FA for crowd trouble during last year’s Euro 2020 final at Wembley, when Italy beat England to win the trophy after a penalty shootout.
The 2,000 or so children who were allowed to attend Saturday’s match witnessed a much less dramatic affair this time around.
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The two goalkeepers were the standout performers with England’s Aaron Ramsdale and Italy’s Gianluigi Donnarumma each making impressive saves to maintain the 0-0 scoreline.
England will likely feel the more disappointed of the two sides not to pick up a win after controlling much of the possession and also seeing Raheem Sterling shoot over the bar from inside the six-yard box with a clear chance in the second half.
Both teams featured a number of changes from the lineups that contested the European Championship final a year ago.
England coach Garteth Southgate took the opportunity to get looks at Ramsdale, defender Fikayo Tomori and striker Tammy Abraham from the start, with Harry Kane only a substitute, as preparations continued for the World Cup.
Italy’s Roberto Mancini, meanwhile, continued to look to the future with a new generation of players after failing to qualify for Qatar.
England stay bottom of League A3, with two points from three games, while unbeaten Italy are top with five points.
In the final games of the June window on Tuesday, England will host Hungary while Italy will travel to take on Germany.