England relegated following Italy defeat in Nations League

England were officially relegated to League B of the UEFA Nations League after suffering a 1-0 defeat away to Italy on Friday evening.

A curled effort from Giacomo Raspadori after 68 minutes was the difference in a dull game of football, where the Three Lions looked lacklustre once again and slipped to a fifth consecutive game without a win for the first time since 2014.

Gareth Southgate’s side started slowly and looked completely out of ideas for the most part against Italy, in a repeat of the Euro 2020 final which they lost on penalties just two years ago.

But, defeat against Italy means England have failed to win any of their five Nations League games in this campaign and drop to the lower level with a game still to play.

The Three Lions host Germany at Wembley on Monday night and go into the fixture with nothing to play for except pride, with relegation now confirmed.

It’s been a disastrous group stage for Southgate’s side, who lost 4-0 at home to Hungary in matchday four having already lost to them in matchday one. Draws with Germany and Italy in between those two losses meant Friday’s visit to Milan was all but a must-win for England.

Pressure is now on England to desperately find a vein of form before their World Cup campaign kicks off against Iran on 21 November. Southgate’s side have now failed to score a goal from open play in seven hours of game time and haven’t found the back of the net in each of their last three fixtures.