Max-level burst damage at the start, the British Empire arrives!

After conceding a third goal to England, the Italian players fell silent.

England's third goal dealt a severe blow to their morale, and they are now at a loss for what to do.

After a brief initial clash, England gradually found their rhythm.

They discovered that simply placing three players in the attacking third was enough to deal with the Italian defense.

Of the four players in Italy's back line, only Darmian has some speed; the other three are all tall, imposing figures.

In several exchanges in the first half, Walcott completely dominated Chiellini.

After Marchisio pulled one back, Chiellini shamelessly provided an assist, but it wasn't shown on the live broadcast when England scored.

For the remainder of the first half, England stopped pursuing counter-attacks after gaining possession, and Sun Ke began to drop back to receive the ball, leaving Italy with few options.

At halftime, the England players walked towards the tunnel arm in arm, laughing and joking, while the Italian players almost all kept their heads down and barely communicated with each other.

In the locker room.

The England players were in good spirits. They exchanged a few words and then started hydrating and changing clothes.

Sun Ke obtained the data provided by the coaching staff. Italy had eight shots in the first half, while England had nine. Both teams had a significant number of shots.

However, England had five excellent chances, while Italy only had two.

It's not a matter of seizing opportunities anymore; the problem is that the Italian team simply didn't create many decent chances.

Sun Ke has figured it out: in the current Italian team, only Balotelli, Marchisio, De Rossi, and Darmian can be considered first-class players.

In his previous life, Damian was just a third-rate player, but under Sir Alex Ferguson, for some reason, his growth was incredibly smooth, and he has become a first-class full-back who can play on both flanks.

As for Pirlo, he can only be effective in playmaking and set pieces now.

Once the Italian team is on the defensive, this midfield playmaker, whose physical attributes were not great in his youth, can only stand still.

The other Italian players were really not good enough; all they could do was use their experience to launch attacks when the opponents were in disarray.

After the players had rested enough, Hodgson summarized the first half of the game.

He believes England's performance in the first half was only passable, and they absolutely cannot relax in the second half.

He also specifically reminded Sterling not to be too aggressive when defending set pieces in the second half.

In his words, "Don't run around like you've suddenly lost your ability to think."

Although Hodgson's coaching career was not particularly illustrious, he was very demanding of England players in major tournaments.

In a team, the head coach holds an absolute dominant advantage over the players.

The reason is simple: the head coach holds the power of life and death over the players.

Especially in tournament-style competitions like this, head coaches can arbitrarily drop players they don't want.

Hodgson is a cunning old man. During the England team's training camp, he kept trying to get the players to act as workhorses.

Lampard and Gerrard, two veteran players, had already shown their submission during the World Cup qualifiers, which is why they were selected for the England squad.

In this England team, big names like Terry, Gerrard and Lampard, Rooney and Ashley Cole are all giving their all.

It's easy to imagine what would happen if someone tried to express their individuality.

Carrick, Baines, and Glenn Jensen, these three veteran artists, probably had their own pursuits, so Hodgson let them go.

After the start of the second half, the Italian team not only increased the pace of their passing but also intensified their physical play.

The England players were mentally prepared, but they still encountered a dangerous situation.

In the 47th minute, the Italian team, which had been playing at a leisurely pace, suddenly sped up. Pirlo received the ball and made a through pass to Marchisio, who had made a run forward.

Marchisio dribbled at high speed among three defenders and then passed the ball to Pirlo, who was in an open position.

Pirlo's through ball pierced England's defense, and Balotelli charged towards England's goal alone.

At a crucial moment, Terry displayed his veteran experience by hanging his body on Balotelli, preventing the latter from accelerating.

By the time Balotelli shook off Terry and caught up with the ball, he had already reached the left side of the six-yard box.

Terry successfully turned a one-on-one situation into a close-range shot, but Joe Hart immediately blocked Balotelli's shooting angle at the near post.

Balotelli didn't rush to shoot, but slowed down the pace, luring Joe Hart to the edge of the six-yard box before suddenly turning and lobbing the ball to the far post.

Cahill, who was prepared, leaped high and headed the ball out of bounds.

It seems that Hodgson was right when he said those things at halftime; Italy definitely doesn't have the strength to win the championship.

But if Hodgson had praised everyone in the locker room, maybe that ball would have gone in.

Goals are usually scored in an instant; if you're not mentally prepared, you're doomed.

In the following matches, the Italian team remained cautious and waited for the English defense to make a mistake.

England's midfield and defense performed steadily. Italy surrounded England for fifteen minutes but only managed two shots on goal, while England had three.

Sixty minutes later, the Italian players began to lose their composure.

These old guys are all getting on in years, but when they're still full of energy, they can maintain a calm mindset.

Once physical fitness declines, it's inevitable to feel anxious and frustrated, leading to frequent risky passes.

In the 65th minute, Verratti's pass in the attacking third was intercepted by Gerrard. Rooney dribbled laterally past De Rossi and then sent a long pass to the right wing.

Walcott immediately controlled the ball, and Chiellini cunningly rammed into him as he tried to stop it.

As a result, Walcott jumped to the right the instant the opponent collided with him, and simultaneously poked the ball forward with his left foot.

Advanced move!

Chiellini missed his target and fell to the ground.

Walcott, on the other hand, charged into the penalty area, made a slight change of direction as Paletta pressed him, and then passed the ball into the box.

Sun Ke shook off Barzagli in an instant and unleashed a powerful shot from the edge of the six-yard box.

Goalkeeper Sirigu thought he was going to shoot to the far corner, but Sun Ke instead shot directly to the near corner.

As the ball flew past Sirigu, he didn't even have time to raise his arm; he could only watch helplessly as the ball flew into the goal.

4: 1!

Sun Ke easily scored a hat-trick in his first World Cup match.

Both commentators exclaimed, "He seems to score goals here more easily than at his club!"

After Sun Ke scored a hat-trick, Hodgson decisively substituted him with Lambert. In the following ten minutes, he substituted Sterling with Sturridge and Gerrard with Wilshere.

Just before the end of the match, the Italian team executed a combination play in front of the England penalty area.

Pirlo passed the ball into the penalty area, and Balotelli launched a high-ball attack over Terry.

Joe Hart, in a crucial moment, was like being launched by a catapult, leaping forward and using his body to block what seemed like a sure goal.

When the referee blew his whistle, Sun Ke stood up with a smile and gave each of his teammates a high-five and a hug.

In their first group stage match, England defeated Italy with ease.

History has changed!