Pazzini strikes early at Wembley

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WEMBLEY, England -- Giampaolo Pazzini, who needed only 29 seconds to become the first player to score a goal at the new Wembley, grabbed a hat-trick in Italy's 3-3 draw with England in an entertaining under-21 international on Saturday.

The Fiorentina player curled a delightful shot past keeper Lee Camp to give Italy the lead as the 90,000-seater stadium opened for business on an overcast day, albeit with a reduced capacity of around 60,000.

The unofficial England anthem 'Football's Coming Home' blared out across the sweeping new venue as the teams emerged from the tunnel.

Pazzini was the first player to touch the ball in an official match at the stadium when he kicked off beneath the iconic 133-meter arch.

David Bentley of Blackburn Rovers had the honor of scoring the first goal by an Englishman at the spectacular new $1.48 billion venue when he bent in a free kick to make it 1-1 at half-time.

Wayne Routledge and substitute Matt Derbyshire twice put England ahead after the break, only for Pazzini to rescue Italy.

The match, played in front of a record crowd for an under-21 international,was the second of two test events which will allow Wembley to gain its safety certificate.

This season's FA Cup final returns to the stadium on May 19 after a seven-year gap.

At the final whistle the teams made their way up 107 steps to meet various dignitaries in the new royal box.

The old stadium's 39 steps to the royal box represented one of the most famous walks in world football.

The last official match at the old Wembley was the England senior team's 1-0 defeat by Germany in a World Cup qualifier in October 2000.

Since then England have played in a variety of grounds around the country while all domestic cup finals have been held at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

Wembley was due to host last year's FA Cup final but the rebuilding project was snagged by delays, soaring costs and disputes between Australian construction company Multiplex and steel sub-contractors.

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