Number Cruncher: Incredible stats from England vs Italy

Italy beat England 2-1 in their opening game. Here are some stunning stats from the game played in sweltering Manaus.

- England’s 2-1 loss to Italy was just the second time since 1962 that they have lost their World Cup opener. Their only other defeat was in 1986 where they lost 1-0 to Portugal.

- Daniel Sturridge became just the second English player wearing the no. 9 shirt to score in the World Cup since England’s World Cup victory in 1966. The first one was Alan Shearer in 1998.

- Mario Balotelli became the first Italian since Fabio Quagliarella to score on his World Cup debut. Quagliarella performed that feat in 2010.

- With the 2-1 win over England in Manaus, Italy finally broke their four-match World Cup win-less streak (This included the 1-1 scoreline against France in the 2006 World CUP final). Their last World Cup win was against Germany - 2-0 on 4 July, 2006.

- Balotelli has been the driving force for Italy of late. With a winning header in the second half against England, Balotelli has now scored four goals in seven games at World Cups/European Championships.

- Italy had a phenomenal passing accuracy of 93.2 percent again England. It’s the highest ever recorded in a World Cup game since 1966.

- The Italian magician - Andrea Pirlo - was at his best against England and he completed a remarkable 108 passes in the game. It’s the highest recorded by a player in the World Cup 2014 so far.

- England’s pass completion rate against Italy was 91 percent. It’s the highest they have recorded in a World Cup game.

- When Claudio Marchisio scored Italy’s first goal, it marked the 15th match running in which Italy has found the net in the World Cup. It’s an Italian record.

- Raheem Sterling at the age of 19 years and 188 days became the second youngest England player after Michael Owen to have started a World Cup match. Owen was 18 years and 194 days when started against Colombia in 1998.

Stats courtesy OptaJoe and InfoStrada