The Italian press is unanimous in its praise of Mario Balotelli after last night’s 2-1 victory over Germany that clinched a place in the final of the Euro 2012.

Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport have issued an apology after they published a cartoon depicting Mario Balotelli as King Kong.

Ireland may be pointless in Group C but Italy remain wary of Giovanni Trapattoni’s men.

In every tournament, the Italians claim to have discovered a “mina vagante” — a floating mine. This time the honour belongs to Ireland. It was a discovery they could have done without.

The Italian press have been left stunned by Fabio Capello’s resignation as England manager but are already focusing on his next destination.

The players' representatives of all 20 Serie A clubs have announced they will go on strike unless a settlement is reached regarding player contracts.

ITALIANS are miserly with their player ratings; 7.5 out of 10 is usually the top mark. But after Gareth Bale’s second spectacular showing against the European champions, they may have to rewrite the rankings.

The Italian media have condemned the bad behaviour of the travelling Serbia fans which forced the abandonment of last night’s Euro 2012 qualifier in Genoa.

Federico Macheda this morning moved to clarify comments he made about Manchester United team-mate Wayne Rooney.

Real Madrid fans will have to play the waiting game to see Jose Mourinho land at the Bernabeu stadium, according to Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti.

ITALIAN newspapers hailed a special moment of history after Inter Milan sealed an unprecedented treble with victory in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich on Saturday night.

The Italian media paid tribute to Inter Milan today after their season-ending victory over Siena secured the Nerazzurri a fifth straight Serie A crown.

Italy’s media hailed Inter Milan’s heroics today after they eliminated holders Barcelona to reach the Champions League final.

CRISTIANO RONALDO has asked the Real Madrid fans to be more like those of Manchester United.

ITALY have made it, and with a match to spare, just as they did when they won the World Cup in 1982 and 2006, as Marcello Lippi was keen to point out.

TRAP or Capello? As far as the Italians are concerned it’s no contest after Saturday’s opening World Cup qualifiers – the only question is the amount of egg there will be on Fabio’s face in Zagreb.

Chelsea might have been pursuing AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti to become their new manager but it appears there could be movement the other way with the Italian club claiming they have been given permission to speak to Blues forward Didier Drogba.

ITALY 0 England 3 read the headlines in Italy yesterday and the third consecutive English win in the Champions League over Italian opposition left the journalists asking why their clubs do not seem able to compete with the best in the Premier League.

“DIDASTRO” read the front page in the Gazzetta dello Sport.

THE trek home began immediately after the match ended: 7,000 Milan fans with their different-coloured bracelets indicating the departure time of their return flights to Malpensa.

THE Italian media collectively relished the prospect of AC Milan’s Champions League final rematch with Liverpool and mocked Manchester United’s beaten stars after the Rossoneri secured their place in the final.

AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti has defended Dida after the Brazilian goalkeeper came under fire for his performance in the Champions League defeat against Manchester United.

IT may have been unmissable in Manchester but it was ‘unwatchable’ in Rome, at least according to the front page headline in Il Messaggero, the capital’s daily paper, as Italy woke up to its heaviest defeat in nearly 40 years of international football.

Wednesday’s confrontations between Manchester United fans and police inside the Stadio Olimpico have created a “diplomatic issue”, according to the Italian media.

WEDNESDAY night’s controversial Champions League quarter-final tie between Roma and Manchester United received markedly different press coverage across Europe.

WITH Seville bouncing back to the top by beating Barcelona, La Liga seems more and more like an exhilarating flamenco, the dancers gyrating faster and faster, the steps more dazzling at each turn, with no one sure who will come to the front next time, let alone when the dance comes to an end.

MICHEL PLATINI’S election as the new president of UEFA has naturally caused some surprise, not to say apprehension, around Europe.

For 10 years Alessandro Del Piero has been hyped as the great hope of Italian football only to disappoint on the big stage.

BRING on the Martians! Maybe it’s not the most catchy football chant for next season, but Il Messaggero captured perfectly the mood of delirium that swept across Italy at around 11.30 on Tuesday night.

The deal struck to take Arsenal skipper Patrick Vieira to Juventus will be announced today, according to Italian media reports.

STEVE FINNAN has described the stories linking him with a move to Manchester United and Liverpool as nothing more that speculation.

RYAN GIGGS has played alongside the good and the great during an illustrious career at Manchester United.