Italy v England
UEFA Nations League Group A3
San Siro Stadium
Milan, Italy
23 Sep 2023
This was the first game that the Azzurri have played in Milan since they lost 2:1 to Spain in Oct 21. It is also the 60th game they have ever played in Milan and where they played their first ever game in 1910 v France. In total Italy have only lost 3 times in Milan, winning 37 and drawing 19.
6767 members submitted applications and as predicted it was well over-subscribed. The capacity for this fixture was set to 75817, with 4361 tickets allocated to England Fans so a ballot had to be conducted. The magic number of caps to secure a ticket in the first 70% was 23. The added bonus was that the ticket price was only 9.50 Euros. Many fans purchased home end tickets, but it was not without risk because in Italy all names are printed on the tickets and ID is required for access.
Harry Kane on the front cover of the 174th edition of the Free Lions is only three goals away from Wayne Rooney's all-time scoring record of 53, albeit this is only his 74th cap compared to Wazzer's 120 appearances.
The San Siro is the home of AC and Inter Milan and with a capacity of 80,018 is the largest stadium in Italy. Both clubs have submitted planning permission for a new stadium to be built on the same site which would obviously mean that the San Siro will be demolished, though there is some debate as to when this would occur, but I am just glad that we managed to see it in the flesh before the bulldozers arrive. So it is with a slight relief that we take our seats in the sold-out England away end in the 3rd tier of the Blu Tribune, traditionally the Inter Milan end.
The history of the San Siro is quite impressive as it was used in the 1934 FIFA World Cup (3 games), UEFA Euro 1980 (3 games), FIFA World Cup 1990 (6 games: all Germany's Group D, Rd16 and QF matches). It was also used in the 2021 UEFA Nation League finals for 2 games (SF and final).
Attendance: 50,640
Day 1: Arrival We arrived in Milan Malpensa just after midnight local time from our Wizz Air flight from Gatwick, caught the bus at 0120 to central station and then survived a dodgy taxi ride to Naviglio which got us into our AirBnB at 0230 and sleep!
Day 2: Ticket collection and matchday. The apartment in Naviglio was facing the main canal on Ripa di Porta Ticinese (No 19) and was a really great find.
The view from the window is amazing
Once you step through the small door you leave the hustle and bustle of the street behind you with all of its bars and clubs you enter a quiet and peaceful courtyard
What is behind the door?
5 steps from our front door
A boat full of Italian kids powering up the canal
A bit further down the canal and it seems the English are settling down already. Time check (1156) and with KO tonight being 2045 proceedings could be messy.
We arrive at Centrale Station from the metro (M2) and go via the EF embassy on the Piazza Duca d'Aosta to pick up the mandatory 'Free Lions' before heading for ticket collection
The Italians are taking no risks as they deploy the Army
The queue for tickets at the Excelsior Hotel reached around the block but we were at the front of the queue within the hour. It always amazes me how popular the national team is if you consider all of the abuse they seem to get on SM!
Centrale Station in Milan on Piazza Duca d'Aosta
'Apple made whole again' is a sculpture by Michelangelo Pistoletto depicting a giant white apple with steel stitching
The day is young and so we had back on the M2 metro line to Porta Genova, after leaving the station to my astonishment the first pub we come to is the superbly named 'Derby Bar'
Big bottles of Morreti and Aperol Spritzers flowed all afternoon as many a member of the Sheep Shag Army popped in for a drink, including young Joe from Tring🍺
The massive Derby support was everywhere
Heading back to the main canal it seems that the place had been transformed
It's time like this that I wish I'd bought my flag
Our apartment is just to the right
The local scullers are enjoying the extra support
After meeting with Gary Mein and the gang we head up to the Metro on the way to the San Siro
First glimpse of the impressive San Siro😁
Within a stone's throw of the San Siro, another tick on the bucket list almost fulfilled
Time for a beer and a panini
Cheers
England's Top Boy breaches the outer perimeter
Gate 10 to the main turnstile and second check
The long walk up tower 9 reminds me of Newcastle away
The San Siro in all its splendour
It's high up but the view is unobstructed
The seat segregation seemed a bit unnecessary, but it is the same for both ends
At Half Time the scores are level at 0:0 but the Azzurri are by far the better team in the first 45
The view across the Settore Blu to Torre 11
England's finest
The Settore Verde (Green Sector) the top tier is empty
England lose 1:0 to a good goal by Raspadori in the 68th minute, Harry Kane had chances but so did the Italians as the game ended in a flurry of opportunities at either end. At the end of it all England are relegated to League B of the UEFA Nations League but more importantly, to Pot B of the draw for German Euros in 24 being held on 7 Oct. On the bright side we may get a few decent away trips 🦁🦁🦁
Day 3: Walking the Cathedral and the Last Supper. Despite the rain the queues were long, thank God for giving me the foresight to book advanced tickets for the rooftop tour of Milan's world-famous 'Duomo'.
On our ascent to the roof, we meet many of the Duomo's resident gargoyles. There are 150 on the cathedral
Sue at base camp
The view onto the Piazza del Duomo
Selfie time
It is the 5th largest church in the world with over 3500 exterior statues held up by 52 huge columns
The roof is amazing and has 135 spires
The cathedral took 430 years to complete from its inception in 1386 to the application of the finishing touches in 1813
The Duomo received minimal bomb damage during WW2 and became a place of solace for the Milanese locals. In total about 40 statues were lost at the top of the spires and the main portal of the still bares the scars of the bombing
The Great spire is the tallest point within the cathedral at height of 108.5 m and supports the statue of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The statue of the Madonnina was erected in 1774 and weighs over 700 kg.
On a clear day you can see the Alps, but not today!
From the terrace you can see the Velasca Tower, 106m tall with 26 floors but the last 8 of these have a larger floor plan than the lower floors. Very odd design!
The decorative marble triangles which run the whole perimeter of the cathedral are known as 'falconi' make up the crowning decoration of the cathedral, the 'falconatura'
Spectacular buttresses and spires = 100% cathedral porn
A selfie at the central nave
Statue of Vittorio Emanuele II, the first king of a united Italy who ruled from 1861 to his death in 1878
The Arches of fashion are sucking us in
Shopping at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
After some retail therapy a nice spot of lunch
Cenacolo Vinciano (Last Supper) or to be more precise Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper is one of the most famous paintings in the world and can only be viewed by 35 people at a time so advanced bookings are definitely required. To ensure success I booked a full two months in advance.
The masterpiece was created between 1494-97 and is located on the wall of a refectory in a Dominican convent next to the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie
It is the world's most important mural painting
Feeling very smug😎
Judas was a bastard
After a massive culture overload it's time to relax with a bottle of Franciacorta, a sparkly white wine produced in the Lombardy region just East of Milan
Arco di Porta Ticinese is a modern name referring to the gate to the Ticino river but the original 19th century name for the victory arch was 'Porta Marengo' which was named after Napoleon's victory over the Austrian Army at the village of Marengo, located just to the SW of Milan.
The Market - top tip for a quck beer
The bright lights of Naviglio Grande
Time to take Sue to bed
Day 4: Stadium Tour San Siro
An early start for the stadium tour and outside our AirBnB the street has been transformed into a vibrant antique market
Sue makes a purchase (a brass horse belt thingy) then we get on the Metro to the San Siro
Entering via the AC Milan end we see some interesting graffiti
This is the best
A quick livener before the tour starts
Main entrance to the San Siro
After a very quick slurp the tour guide arrives and off we trot
One the museum highlights is the San Siro wooden model
Both clubs are equally represented
...at either end of the museum
The top tier has a great exhibition of memorabilia from famous players over the years, this cabinet was my favourite with Franz Beckenbauer's 1975 shirt v Bulgaria, Michael Owen's 2003 shirt v Croatia and Paul Gascoine's boots
First up on the tour is Inter Milan's dressing room which is quite dull. The only interesting fact is the 'gallery of legends' that leads to the dressing room which is adorned with famous players, apart from the last image which is left blank as it is intended to inspire the next Inter legend to fill the void
Hard plastic seats
The AC Milan dressing room is much plusher
Check out these comfy leather seats
As with most stadium tours the dressing room tour leads to the tunnel and a photo opportunity
Selfie time
The Italian seats from the other night
Tribuna Blu - England's end
Torre 11
Finally we visit an exhibition to Italian football
I loved this. It is a display of over-sized replica match tickets from the Azzurri over the years
There was no WC in 1940 but this team was pretty good having won the previous two WC's
The stadium store has two departments and checkouts
I grab my scarves and go
Tram No 16 back into town
The tram into the city centre takes us to Castle Sforzesco, this is the Filarete Tower which was dedicated to King Umberto I
Torrione di Santo Spirito (Tower of the Holy Spirit)
Piazza delle armi (Square of Arms)
A brisk walk through the park and we arrive at
Arco della Pace (Arch of Peace)
This is also the Porta Sempione (Simplon Gate) and
was built in the Napoleonic era
Old Milanese tram
After a quick Pancetta we head back to Naviglio
Roller skating club - Milan Chapter
Its cocktail time in the Blues Canal on Via Casale
Someone's been busy
Next stop the 1847 Milano for an Aperitif
Sunset in Naviglio
Last Supper in Milan
Dining out at the famous Lombardy restaurant on Naviglio called El Brellin. This is the Milanese classic 'Risotto alla Milanese'
Buona Notte Milano
Planning our breakfast for tomorrow's early flight
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