Italy just about managed to scrape through their first Group 8 qualifying match thanks to a double strike by Antonio Di Natale. The Udinese man gave the Azzurri the lead before Aloneftis levelled. However, it was Toto’, who popped up right at the death, with the winner. Goal.com rates the players on show.

Cyprus

Giorgallidis- 7.5: The shot stopper made some great saves to deny Alberto Gilardino in the first half. He couldn’t do much about Di Natale’s strikes however. Always alert and looked comfortable otherwise.

Nikolau- 6.5: Was always on hand to marshall the backline and ensure that nothing came through. However, his play was dirty at times and he was rightly booked.

Charalambous- 7.5: An excellent showing from the number three. He was constantly up and down the pitch and he should have won the game for his side late on. An accomplished performance and he had Luca Toni shackled.

Christou- 7.0: The small but built stopper worked non stop and he was always ready to interrupt and make life difficult for the Italians. Could have done better later in the match.

Garposiz- 5.0: His challenges were poor and late for most of the game. At times he risked being sent off with some nasty two foot challenges. It’s a miracle Daniele De Rossi wasn’t seriously injured.

Makridis- 5.5: Never really got into his stride but his passing did cause a few problems at the back for Italy. He could have done better in front of goal and missed a great chance in the first half.

Charalambides- 6.0: Controlled the middle of the park and he was always ready to help in defence. His passing was top notch but he could have been more alert when moving forwards.

Michail- 6.5: Was excellent in the first half but then he let his head down a little in the second. Showed great vision and trickery on the ball and he almost stunned Buffon with a long range strike from distance.

Aloneftis- 8.0: Arguably the most dangerous player on the pitch in Lanarca. Was a constant threat to the Azzurri and he got the stadium and adrenaline pumping when he equalised for his side on thirty minutes. Had countless chances and should have scored more.

Okkas- 6.0: Always looking for the slick move and his shooting was good. He tried too hard at times and maybe the easier pass rather than the selfish run would have been better. Was replaced by Pavlou on 73 minutes.

Kostantinou- 6.5: The hit-man was fairly quiet on the night but he did show glimpses of magic every now and then. He could have scored a couple had it not been for an outstanding Buffon.

Subs: Yiasouni 5.5, Christofi 5.0, Pavlou 4.5.

Italy:

Buffon- 8.5: Was superb for Italy all night and it’s little wonder as to why he is the World’s greatest shot-stopper. His saves stopped Cyprus but more importantly prevented the score line from turning nasty. Simply awesome.

Zambrotta- 6.5: Unfortunately he is not the Zambro of 2006. He struggled to get going and at times he looked lost. However, he made up for it by keeping things organised as the game progressed.

Gamberini- N/A: The defender was injured in the first minute and was replaced by Barzagli. The Wolfsburg defender receives a poor 4.5. He was awful all game and he just didn’t perform to the standard expected.

Cannavaro- 6.5: Made his return from injury and he did what he could. Had to work extra hard because he was let down by some of his team mates. Showed glimpses of the Muro Di Berlino he was during the 2006 tournament.

Grosso- N/A: Grosso receives no vote because like Gamberini, he was also injured early on. Cassetti scores 4.0. He replaced the Lyon man but Lippi must be wondering why on earth he choose him. Was very poor all game and his serious error of judgement allowed Cyprus right back into the game.

Camoranesi- 7.0: The Juventus midfielder was a constant threat down the right wing and his dancing runs and crosses were always dangerous. Pinpoint passing and some silky skills ensured his side were always able to attack.

Pirlo- 7.0: Ran the midfield and his passing was second to none. He could have showed more determination to lead but overall it was a typical Pirlo performance.

De Rossi- 6.5: The Roma man worked hard all night and he made some decent challenges to win possession several times. He linked up well with Di Natale on the right and he was also making his presence felt up front. Tried a cheeky lob which would have been goal of the season had it gone in.

Di Natale- 9.0: Udinese’s hero last weekend, the country’s saviour on the night. A sublime performance by the Napolitan hit-man. Never stopped running all game and his two goals were out of the top draw. He popped up right at the death to steal the points. What a difference he makes to the side.

Toni- 4.5: The Bayern Munich hit-man just cannot cut the mustard anymore for Italy. He was woeful all night and he kept on getting mixed up with Gilardino in the middle. A poor showing overall.

Gilardino- 5.5: Fared better than Toni but not by much however. Was never really dangerous on the night and his finishing just wasn’t up to scratch. He will be hoping to have another go when Italy play Georgia next week.

Subs:

Gattuso- 6.5: Came on for Toni and did a great job in midfield. Hungry, Eager and always ready to close down, win possession and get on with it.

Ref From Goal.com

Italy are out of Euro 2008 after a penalty shoot-out, Iker Casillas saving from Antonio Di Natale and Daniele De Rossi. Spain go through to face Russia in the semi-final.

The statistics were on the Azzurri’s side, as they were undefeated in competitive matches against Spain since the 1920 Olympics and their last official meeting was a 2-1 win in the 1994 World Cup quarter-final. The Iberians qualified from the group phase with a 100 per cent record, but in all the quarter-finals so far the group winners had gone out.

Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso sat out bans and were replaced by Alberto Aquilani - making his Euro 2008 debut - and Massimo Ambrosini, but the rest of the line-up that defeated France 2-0 remained unchanged. Luis Aragones rested his stars in the 2-1 win over Greece and returned to the same XI that won its opening two games. In a bid to end his goal drought, Luca Toni grew a moustache as a superstitious gesture.

A deflected David Villa effort was easy pickings for Gigi Buffon and Antonio Cassano’s wonderful turn and pass for Simone Perrotta was intercepted at the last second, but Spain were giving away a lot of free kicks and Andres Iniesta was booked after 11 minutes for a late challenge on Fabio Grosso.

Ambrosini did brilliantly to perform a crucial tackle on Fernando Torres in the box. However, moments later Ambrosini was fortunate to get away with a touch on Villa’s calf in the penalty area.

Ambrosini crossed for Perrotta’s fairly weak header straight at Iker Casillas, then the Milan midfielder dispossessed a Spaniard only to pass it too long for Toni.

Buffon smothered a low Villa free kick that whizzed through the defensive wall. Ambrosini was booked for a late tackle on Senna and Buffon got down well to block a hopeful Silva strike from distance.

Italy’s plan was to leave possession to Spain, but they began to take it a bit too far and were pinned back. Xavi Hernandez took advantage of Daniele De Rossi’s slip for a deflected effort off target.

Cassano’s chipped cross found a Toni header charged down by Marchena from six yards on 36 minutes. At the other end Torres had an angled drive slam into Chiellini and as the move continued Silva flashed wide of the far post from outside the box.

A couple of set-pieces caused problems for the Spanish defence and at the other end Villa wanted a free kick inches outside the area, but the referee waved play on. It was a fortunate decision for Italy, as Grosso stamped on Villa’s foot.

Iniesta drilled past the near post after combining with Villa. There was a testy incident on the stroke of half-time, as Perrotta reacted to a sneaky kick from Xavi.

There was a major scare straight after the restart, as a lucky ricochet gave Silva the ball from seven yards, but Chiellini threw himself at the shot to charge it down.

Cassano horribly wasted a golden opportunity on the counter by sliding an imprecise ball past Ambrosini. A splendid Chiellini tackle stopped Torres short at the end of a sprint.

There was another fright as Torres won a battle of strength with Panucci to pass in to Villa, but again Chiellini intercepted with great timing and positioning. The Juventus defender blocked another cross off the head of Torres, confirming his excellent individual performance.

It was a far more open game now with both sides leaving and taking advantage of extra space. With this in mind, Mauro Camoranesi replaced Perrotta to bring more pace to the Azzurri.

Buffon punched away a Xavi curling corner and Silva blasted the follow-up well wide. Spain also made a substitution, Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas and Santi Cazorla coming on for Xavi and Iniesta.

Italy had a fantastic chance on the hour mark as some slack defending and Toni’s physicality saw the ball ping-pong around the six-yard box before Casillas performed a desperate reaction save on Camoranesi with an outstretched left foot.

Aquilani scuffed a volley off target and a Villa free kick clipped the wall to land on the roof of the net. Toni nodded a curling Gianluca Zambrotta cross wide between two defenders.

Villa was rather harshly booked for diving, as he seemed to slip when Chiellini stood his ground and he had to change direction quickly. Torres was angry and had a coming together with Grosso.

Sergio Ramos fired past the near post with a hopeful attempt. Donadoni’s second change saw Antonio Di Natale replace Cassano. A dangerous corner found Buffon crowded out, but got enough to it to send it clear.

Buffon’s first real save of the game was on 80 minutes, as he punched away a Senna free kick from 28 metres. Moments later the goalkeeper fumbled another Senna missile from distance that rolled on to the base of the upright and back into his grateful arms!

Sergio Ramos did enough to put Toni off his header, but a poor Torres first touch accidentally turned into an assist for Villa and Chiellini again stood his ground.

There was a great chance wasted by the Azzurri! Di Natale’s cross was heading for the unmarked Grosso at the back post, but Toni went for it and took the ball off his foot!

Getafe striker Daniel Guiza replaced Torres in a surprise substitution six minutes from time. Spain have had a tendency to score very late goals in all their games in Euro 2008, so they began to pour forward in the hope of sealing this before it went to extra time.

Guiza escaped a booking for a double handling offence that looked more like volleyball than football, though Buffon had saved it anyway. Zambrotta smartly got his body between Villa and the ball, then cleared a dangerous Fabregas cross off Villa’s foot with only Buffon to beat. It was crucial, as this quarter-final went to extra time.

Sergio Ramos tussled with Chiellini as a free kick was floated in, but it looked like a mutual movement. Spain had two chances in the same move, as Chiellini charged down Villa’s effort and the Silva follow-up flashed inches past the upright.

Di Natale flicked a fine ball on for Grosso, whose cross was reaching Toni’s foot before a crucial defensive intervention. From the following throw-in Di Natale got a firm header to Zambrotta’s centre, bringing a fantastic fingertip save out of Casillas.

Italy strung together a series of corners and Toni’s stooping header landed on the roof of the net. Villa slipped, but still managed to get a backheel to Silva from the floor, then Guiza’s angled drive was well wide.

Casillas plucked a Grosso free kick off Chiellini’s head and it was still 0-0 15 minutes into extra time. Sergio Ramos’ high foot kicked Camoranesi in the shoulder for a free kick just outside the box, but Grosso’s effort was off target.

The final substitution saw Alessandro Del Piero replace Aquilani, pushing Camoranesi back into central midfield in a very attacking change with 12 minutes to go before penalties.

Villa sprung the offside trap from Silva in a very close decision, but Buffon followed him and forced a corner with his legs, from which Sergio Ramos nodded wide. Chiellini’s sliding tackle stopped Santi Cazorla from turning in Villa’s through ball and avoided a corner, for which Cazorla was booked for dissent.

There was fair play from Spain, who put the ball out when Di Natale was down injured with a bruised thigh. Marchena charged down a Del Piero strike and on the counter Chiellini and De Rossi needed a double intervention to keep the Spaniards at bay.

A magnificent bit of play from Del Piero left his marker for dead, but the pass to Grosso was intercepted just inside the box. Guiza and Di Natale ballooned hopeful attempts off target, but a good counter from Spain in the final minute saw Santi Cazorla flash an angled drive acros the face of goal. It was the last kick of the game and it went to penalties.

The first up was David Villa, who buried it past Buffon. Grosso smashed a powerful finish to level it, just as he had against France in Berlin. Santi Cazorla rolled it low to send Buffon the wrong way. De Rossi hit it hard, but Casillas guessed the direction and it was saved. Senna lifted a fine right-foot penalty over the goalkeeper. Camoranesi kept Italy in it by firing into the top corner. Guiza stepped up and Buffon levelled the scores with a save on the substitute. Di Natale was next up and his was saved, too, as Casillas got the right angle on a fairly central kick. Fabregas converted the final kick to send Spain through to the semi-finals.

Shoot-out: :

Spain: Villa (goal), Santi Cazorla (goal), Senna (goal), Guiza (saved), Fabregas (goal)

Italy: Grosso (goal), De Rossi (saved), Camoranesi (goal), Di Natale (saved)
Spain: Casillas; Sergio Ramos, Puyol, Marchena, Capdevila; Senna; Iniesta (Cazorla 59), Xavi (Fabregas 59), Silva; Villa, Torres (Guiza 84)

Italy: Buffon; Zambrotta, Panucci, Chiellini, Grosso; Ambrosini, De Rossi, Aquilani (Del Piero 108); Perrotta (Camoranesi 57); Cassano (Di Natale 74), Toni

Ref: Fandel (Ger)

Ref From channel4.com

It’s the Derby of the Alps all over again, except this time both Italy and France know even a win might not be enough to stay in Euro 2008.

The rivalry between these two sides has sky-rocketed over the past few years with France’s Golden Goal victory in the Euro 2000 Final and revenge from the penalty spot in Berlin. They have met twice since that World Cup decider, the Azzurri losing 3-1 in Paris and scraping a 0-0 draw at San Siro.

Both teams still have a chance of reaching the quarter-finals, but are equally likely to crash out of the competition. If Romania beat an already-qualified Holland in the other Group C game, then the result in Zurich will be purely academic. However, if the Dutch continue their current form then the winner of this clash will go through to the next phase. Italy have another option, as due to their superior head-to-head record in terms of goals scored, a score draw with France and Romania’s defeat will see Roberto Donadoni through the Group of Death with a grand total of two points.

It’s not quite the situation everyone envisaged when the draw placed France and Italy together for the final match, but Holland have swept both aside with 4-1 and 3-0 scorelines respectively. Romania proved tough nuts to crack too, although the Nazionale can be boosted by a much better performance in Friday’s 1-1 draw. Norwegian referee Tom Henning Ovrebo apologised for incorrectly disallowing Luca Toni’s goal, but for all that it was only a Christian Panucci tap-in and late Gianluigi Buffon penalty save from Adrian Mutu that kept them in the competition this far.

It is worrying that Italy’s only goal has been scored by a defender, so Donadoni is tempted to again reshuffle his squad. Having already changed five from the starting XI that lost to Holland, Alessandro Del Piero now finds himself threatened by the on form Antonio Cassano. Alberto Aquilani is also pushing for a midfield spot after Simone Perrotta was fielded in an unusually deep position against Romania. The defence seems to be confirmed now with Panucci and Giorgio Chiellini giving up their usual full-back roles to shore up the central defence between the marauding Gianluca Zambrotta and Fabio Grosso, the latter facing some of his Olympique Lyonnais teammates.

France boss Raymond Domenech fully lived up to his ‘provocateur’ reputation by musing that “the Romania result is already written” and he might field “the youngsters in this game so they can gain experience.” For all the talk of a futile gesture, he never likes to lose, especially against Italy. “This is like a derby for me now,” grinned the controversial figure.

Inter midfielder Patrick Vieira might be back from injury, though William Gallas is now struggling with an ankle problem. Former Juventus and Parma defender Lilian Thuram admits he had a nightmare against Holland, but is eager to prove he’s still in good shape.

In attack Samir Nasri has been consistently sharp in training and could finally get a start in support of Thierry Henry with both Karim Benzema and Bafetimbi Gomis disappointing so far. If Domenech does indeed go for a younger line-up, then former Under-21 internationals Sidney Govou, Lassana Diarra and the often ignored Manchester United man Patrice Evra could get a look-in.

Key clash: Fabio Grosso v Franck Ribery
It’s a tasty battle down that flank between The Flamingo and Scarface, one that was already seen in 2006. Grosso came out the winner that day and with his current form will be hoping to make it a Double. “Fabio is my great friend, but I am always explaining to my colleagues that they must not let him get to the byeline,” warned goalkeeper and Lyon teammate Gregory Coupet. “We nicknamed him Monsieur Prope (a French Mr Sheen, ndr), as he has a magic left foot and always serves perfectly clean assists. Great scoring opportunities are bound to be sparked from his feet.” With Ribery often France’s strongest attacking threat, it’ll be a real tussle to see them charge up and down that wing covering and pushing in turns.

Italian connection:
There are so many French stars with links to their neighbouring nation, from ex-Juventus figures Lilian Thuram, Jean-Alain Boumsong and Thierry Henry to current Inter midfielder Patrick Vieira and Fiorentina goalkeeper Sebastien Frey. Even Patrice Evra started his career with Serie C outfit Marsala. Fabio Grosso shared the recent Lyon title with Gregory Coupet, Boumsong, Francois Clerc, Sebastien Squillaci, Jeremy Toulalan, Karim Benzema and Sidney Govou, while Luca Toni celebrated Bayern Munich’s Bundesliga triumph with Franck Ribery and Willy Sagnol.

Did You Know..?
Even with the 2006 victory on penalties, Italy have not beaten France within the 90 minutes since a 2-1 result in the 1978 World Cup. Their latest European Championship encounter was the Euro 2000 Final on July 2, won by David Trezeguet’s Golden Goal. The only survivors from that game are Lilian Thuram, Thierry Henry, Massimo Ambrosini and Alessandro Del Piero.

Referee Lubos Michel was also officiating the most recent meeting, a 0-0 qualifying draw at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza. The other Group B game was a 3-1 thrashing in Paris, Sidney Govou scoring twice with Thierry Henry and Alberto Gilardino’s lone reply.

Including shoot-outs, the record now stands at 18 Azzurri victories, nine France wins and eight stalemates.

Holland inflicted the heaviest ever European Championship defeat on both these teams in Euro 2008. Italy had never previously lost a tie 3-0 in this tournament, while France were hammered 4-1.

With two games of the competition gone, both World Cup Finalists have an identical record so far – one point, one goal scored and four conceded.

Roberto Donadoni’s men tested out the Letzigrund Stadion in Zurich earlier this year by beating Portugal 3-1 in a 6 February friendly. Luca Toni, Fabio Cannavaro and Fabio Quagliarella were on target.
France (probable): Coupet; Sagnol, Thuram, Gallas, Evra; Ribery, Makelele, Toulalan, Malouda; Nasri, Henry

Italy (probable): Buffon; Zambrotta, Panucci, Chiellini, Grosso; Camoranesi, Pirlo, De Rossi, Aquilani; Cassano, Toni

Ref: Michel (Slk)

Ref From channel4.com