Jordan Pickford will head into Tuesday’s crunch Euro 2024 qualifier against Italy looking forward rather than back.
The Everton goalkeeper was between the posts when Italy beat England on penalties to win Euro 2020 at Wembley.
Pickford was rested for Friday’s 1-0 friendly win over Australia, but is expected to return for the visit of the Azzurri – where victory would secure Gareth Southgate’s side a place at next summer’s finals in Germany.
Since suffering Euro 2020 heartbreak, England have met Italy twice in the Nations League and also won 2-1 in Naples in the reverse qualifying fixture.
Now it is that prospect of another shot of international success – and not seeking payback for the heartache of two years ago – that Pickford insists is driving the team heading into the game.
“We know where we are in the world rankings and we know where we want to be. To do that, these are the teams you have to beat,” he said.
“I don’t think this game has anything to do with revenge. We went to Italy and made a bit of history, having gone so many years without beating them away from home.
“This is another tough game. They’ve got a new manager, played well in the last break, and we know they are a top side.
“This is all about qualifying for Germany. It’s another hurdle we have got to get past and we’ll be going for the victory.”
Pickford revealed there has never been much of a debrief on the shoot-out loss in 2021 and was more upset with the performance in last winter’s World Cup – praising England for brushing themselves off so quickly to work towards Euro 2024 qualification.
“We never really touched base on that Euro final,” he added.
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“There was more disappointment in Qatar, getting beat in the quarters, and then coming back straight into two competitive games.
“That just shows you the characters we are and the type of squad and togetherness we have to beat Ukraine and then beat Italy in their own backyard in Naples in a hostile environment.
“That shows you what kind of squad we are and I think the fans love it.
“Every time we put the shirt on we wear it with massive amounts of pride.
“To beat Italy in Naples was a great feeling, but they’re coming into our backyard now and they will want revenge.
“We just want to put on a performance, be at our best, and get a result to qualify.
“They are reigning European champions and are a top side. We only focus on ourselves.
“We look at what’s in front of us and we will always back ourselves to beat any team because we are fully prepared and have a lot of experience and ability.”
Bristol City Women 0-4 Man City Women: Hosts relegated as Fowler double inspires WSL leaders
Mary Fowler scored twice to set WSL leaders Manchester City on their way to a 4-0 rout of Bristol City, who suffered relegation as a result, on Sunday.
With Arsenal having drawn with Everton earlier in the day, Man City knew a victory would be enough to take the title race down to two teams.
That victory duly arrived in emphatic fashion, with all four of Man City's goals arriving in the second half.
Fowler's fantastic strike opened the scoring in the 62nd minute, with the Australia international doubling her tally soon after, paving the way for an Amy Rodgers own goal and Alex Greenwood's late header to seal a huge victory.
Arsenal are now out of the title race, with Chelsea - who have two games in hand on Gareth Taylor's team - the only side capable of catching Man City.
The Robins, meanwhile, will be playing in the second tier again next term.
Data Debrief: Bristol heading down with a whimper
Bristol City have failed to score in their last five games in the WSL, a run of 544 minutes without a goal.
They mustered just 0.09 expected goals (xG) to Man City's 3.4, with the visitors having now kept a clean sheet in nine of their 20 league games this season.
De Rossi demands more from 'tired' Roma ahead of crunch run
Daniele De Rossi acknowledged his Roma team may be tired, but he insisted they must not allow themselves to be embarrassed.
Roma fought back to draw 2-2 with last season's Serie A champions Napoli in a pulsating fixture on Sunday.
Tammy Abraham's late header secured a point for De Rossi's team, who took the lead through Paulo Dybala's penalty before going behind to goals from Matias Olivera and Victor Osimhen.
With Serie A set to have five teams in the Champions League next season, Roma occupy fifth spot with four matches remaining, but sixth-placed Atalanta are just two points behind with a game in hand.
There is also the small matter of a Europa League semi-final against Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen on the cards over the coming weeks, and De Rossi set the stall out.
"We drew, it is not a result to throw away, but it is not the result or the performance that we wanted," Roma coach Daniele De Rossi told Sky Sports Italia.
"At times you can steal the ball off Napoli, but we then gave it back again too many times. Napoli had a lot of chances in the first half, we did better in the second, but we have to do better.
"Look, we are tired, but we cannot start thinking that we’re tired and that means we can be embarrassed in the final few weeks of the season."
Roma host Leverkusen on Thursday before taking on Juventus on May 5, with a crunch clash against Atalanta – who are also into the Europa League semi-finals – set to follow after the away leg against Xabi Alonso's team.
Key to a successful end to the campaign for Roma will be keeping Dybala fit. The Argentine has been involved in the joint-most goals (12) in Serie A since the turn of the year, scoring nine and setting up three, level with Juve's Dusan Vlahovic.
PSG's latest Ligue 1 title arrives as Monaco lose to Lyon
Paris Saint-Germain have been crowned as Ligue 1 champions after Lyon overcame Monaco 3-2 on Sunday.
A 4-1 midweek win over Lorient ensured that one more victory would be enough for Luis Enrique's team to get over the line, but PSG failed to get the job done themselves when they faced relegation-threatened Le Havre on Saturday.
That game was the 700th match of the QSI era at PSG, and the club's 1,900th in France's top flight.
However, PSG's wait to win their third straight title did not last long, as less than 24 hours later, Lyon – who will face the Parisians in the final of the Coupe de France at the end of May – came out on top in a topsy turvy encounter with second-placed Monaco.
Substitute Malick Fofana was the matchwinner for Lyon, and ultimately the player who handed the title to PSG.
Wissam Ben Yedder had put Monaco ahead in the opening minute, but quickfire goals from Alexandre Lacazette and Said Benrahma turned the match on its head before half-time.
Ben Yedder netted his second to restore parity on the hour mark, and thought he had sealed his hat-trick when he volleyed in from a free-kick, only to have strayed offside.
With only a win good enough for Monaco to stay in the fight, the visitors were then caught out in the 84th minute, with Fofana racing onto Lacazette's throughball and finishing calmly.
After a dismal start to the season, relegation looked a real possibility for Lyon, but they are now, with three games remaining, still in with a shout of qualifying for Europe.
PSG on the other hand now have 12 Ligue 1 titles to their name, with 10 of those coming under QSI's ownership. Aside from the COVID-impacted 2019-20 season, five of their last six league titles have been secured before the start of May.
It also means Luis Enrique remains in the running for a treble in his first season at the club, with PSG taking on Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League semi-finals next week.
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