England were defeated by Italy after Manchester United striker Federico Macheda scored a late penalty in the Under-21 friendly at Empoli, Italy.
Shortly after substitute Scott Sinclair had squandered a great chance for the visitors, Ben Mee brought down Niccolo Giannetti to concede a spot-kick with two minutes remaining.
Macheda, who is currently on loan at Sampdoria, made no mistake to deal England a blow in their preparations for this summer's European Under-21 Championship in Denmark.
Manager Stuart Pearce, who saw his squad severely weakened by withdrawals, handed a debut to Middlesbrough defender Joe Bennett while 17-year-old Chelsea midfielder Josh McEachran made his first start.
Everton striker James Vaughan, meanwhile, made his first appearance for nearly 18 months after impressing on loan for Crystal Palace.
