What we learnt from Italy's win over England?

Italy picked up a crucial 2-1 victory over The Three Lions in a pulsating encounter

The expected result , as predicted by many was inclined in Italy's favor a wee bit as the Azzurri claimed a 2-1 victory over England. The Group of Death took an ever intriguing turn as minnows Costa Rica cruised to a 3-1 victory over Uruguay hours before the England- Italy game.

Italy survived an early sequence of knocking-on-the-door attacks in the early stages of game and grabbed a lead through Claudio Marchisio 10 minutes before half time. But Raheem Sterling's threaded through pass to Wayne Rooney was enough to unlock the Azzurri as the 28 year old swung in a pin point cross to Daniel Sturridge , who slammed the Brazuca into the empty net.

England were seemingly unable to deal with the sweltering conditions at Manaus but fought hard to get an all important break through. Meanwhile, Mario Balotelli headed in from close range to hand Prandelli's men the lead. Italy were happy to sit deep in their own half and soak up pressure and succeeded in doing so as England failed to grab an equalizer. Both teams, though looked evenly matched on paper, ground out a result as Italy claimed top spot in Group D.

Here's what we learnt from the Three Lions' opening day defeat against Italy-

Buf..Sirigu to the rescue

An ankle injury to veteran Azzurri stopper Gigi Buffon was enough to change the mood of Italian fans but the 2nd choice keeper Salvatore Sirigu did well in making a name for himself. The 27 year old PSG stopper made all important saves which were vital to Italy close win at Manaus and that being when England were in no mood to give up. The likes of Wayne Rooney, Raheem Sterling, Dan Sturridge and Leighton Baines fired shots continually but Sirigu's resolve not to concede any more paid off.

Way to go Raheem Sterling!

The Liverpool teenager took no time to take flight and venture into the unknown and smashed a long range effort just wide off the bar in the 3rd minute. After that it was no looking back for the little magician. He made consistent surges into the bolted Italian defense, although efforts went in vain but they were highly commendable. Not being acclimatized to the Brazilian weather proved costly and it was good to see the 19 year old give everything and leave the field with his jersey soaked in sweat.

The exposed English left flank

Roy Hodgson did put square pegs in round holes against a resolute Italian side and got everything wrong tactically. Wayne Rooney started on the left flank while Raheem Sterling started in the hole behind Daniel Sturridge. Rooney's tendency to act as a No.10 and Sterling overlapping that left the Left back Leighton Baines isolated during counter attacks. As a result, the Everton skipper was subjected to excessive pressure from opposing right players -Antonio Candreva and Matteo Darmian . He was left for dead in 2 on 1 situations and couldn't handle the extra leverage applied on him. Both of Italy's goals came from the left flank and evidently , Roy couldn't get his tactics right.

The Bearded governor general - Andrea Pirlo shines again

Two years on since the 2012 Euro's and the bearded midfield genius still the same. Just like a bottle of wine, he seems to better with age. And the best part is that he created a goal without even touching the ball! His dummy move which came right from the training ground did what the English fans dreaded in the first half. His inch perfect through balls to Mario Ballotelli did keep the English back four on their toes and the immaculate creativity was once again on show and his miraculous free kick in the very end ,didn't land into the back of the net but won many hearts.

Lessons learnt but good days to come!

Sure, the disappointment was palpable after a muggy day on the pitch but this English side is the most exciting and upcoming as I have ever seen. They are a perfect medley of everything - youth and experience. And quite interestingly, the youngsters are coming of age and are increasingly influencing everything that happens on the pitch. They know how to hold up the ball(Jordan Henderson) , they know how to have a run at defenses and more importantly, they know to fight. Even after going down they kept up the good work and didn't let the concentration drop, not even a bit. That spirit, that commitment which was sorely lacking before the tournament began has sneaked in at the perfect time. In the years to come this young team is sure to light up the big stage or..maybe even more than that!