England U21 1-3 Italy U21

Italy had not won either of their other two Group B games before Wednesday night

England Under-21s' European Championship campaign came to a dismal end as they lost 3-1 to Italy at the Ander stadium in the Czech Republic.

With Portugal drawing with Sweden in Group B's other game, a point would have taken England to the semi-finals.

But they conceded two goals in as many first-half minutes with Andrea Belotti and Marco Benassi scoring.

Benassi added a second with a header. Nathan Redmond scored late on but England finished bottom of the group.

England's win over Sweden on Sunday means they depart the tournament in the Czech Republic with one more victory than their abject campaign two years ago, but for a third successive tournament the Young Lions have failed to progress beyond the group stages.

The decision to omit eligible players who had previously been promoted to the senior squad - including the likes of Raheem Sterling, Ross Barkley, Luke Shaw and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - will now come under renewed scrutiny.

Coach Gareth Southgate was part of the England team that famously secured qualification for the 1998 World Cup with a 0-0 draw away to Italy, but his own side failed to show such solidity and discipline.

Instead an England Under-21 team who had advanced to the tournament at a canter, dropping just two points in their qualifying group, dissolved in the space of two first-half minutes.

First, centre forward Belotti darted between England's dawdling centre-backs to meet Domenico Berardi's cross with a superb sliding volley to score the opener.

England had not regained their shape when Lorenzo Crisetig ran at a retreating rearguard and slipped the ball to Benassi, whose careful side-foot shot found the bottom corner via a slight deflection off Ben Gibson.

Nathan Redmond, a veteran of England Under-21s' 2013 European Championship campaign, scored England's late consolation

Harry Kane was England's likeliest route to a comeback. The Tottenham striker's incisive through-ball set up an early chance which Danny Ings wasted with the game still scoreless. He then tested Francesco Bardi in the Italy goal with a fierce left-foot of his own soon after.

But Italy's defensive shape and England's poor passing meant that the supply lines to Kane were limited in the second half and, apart from a couple of bright moments from Jesse Lingard, Southgate's side looked unlikely to force their way back into the contest.

Their fate was sealed when Benassi rose unchallenged to send home a header from Marcello Trotta's hooked cross with 18 minutes to go.

Italy's victory proved in vain with Sweden and Portugal's draw depriving them of a qualifying spot and Redmond's fierce low shot in injury time was the final act in a deflating evening for both teams.