Italy 0 Costa Rica 1

Giuseppe Rossi is frustrated to miss out on a third straight major tournament with Italy after being among the final cuts made by coach Cesare Prandelli.

Republic of Ireland 0 Italy 0

Italy were held by the Republic of Ireland to a goalless draw in a lively encounter at Craven Cottage.

Italy began their preparation yesterday for the match against Ireland in a mood of national euphoria but no great confidence about the tournament to come.

ITALY:

Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill faces a late change of plan ahead of tonight’s World Cup qualifier against Russia, with Kyle Lafferty missing out with an Achilles injury.

Pope Francis has cheered fellow Argentine Lionel Messi and other soccer stars as he led a rally of sorts at the Vatican for Argentina and Italy’s national teams ahead of their eagerly awaited friendly match.

Italy head coach Cesare Prandelli revelled in a Confederations Cup victory over Mexico at the Maracana but warned his match-winning striker Mario Balotelli to stop “flexing his muscles”.

Italy head coach Cesare Prandelli will remain patient with Mario Balotelli despite the striker’s impetuous dismissal in last night’s World Cup qualifying meeting with the Czech Republic.

Italy head coach Cesare Prandelli hopes Daniele De Rossi learns a valuable lesson after dropping the Roma midfielder from his 25-man squad to face France tomorrow night.

It is usual in football for a crushing defeat to be followed by recrimination and the search for scapegoats.

Mario Balotelli should accept Italy were beaten by a better side in last night’s Euro 2012 final according to the striker’s coach Cesare Prandelli.

Spain 4 Italy 0

Italy skipper Gianluigi Buffon has praised controversial striker Mario Balotelli for his willingness to work for the Italian cause at Euro 2012.

Italy coach Cesare Prandelli has praised Mario Balotelli’s attitude ahead of tomorrow’s Euro 2012 final with Spain.

Forza Gagli

Italy have already held off the future. Tomorrow, they must stop the march of history.

Mario Balotelli insists Sunday’s Euro 2012 final will feature the best two teams in the competition.

Germany 1 Italy 2

Germany may increasingly represent the future of international football, but the current message is all too clear: they feel they’re finally ready to rule the present.

Fewer than than 24 hours have passed since Italy’s dramatic penalty shootout victory over England sealed their placed in the Euro 2012 semi-finals, but coach Cesare Prandelli has told his players to “turn the page”.

Italy coach Cesare Prandelli labelled Andrea Pirlo “a star” after the Juventus midfielder helped end England’s dreams of European Championship glory.

’Why always me?’ When Mario Balotelli lifted his jersey to reveal that famous T-shirt during Manchester City’s 6-1 win at Old Trafford, he all but wrote his own epitaph.

Italy coach Cesare Prandelli plans to ask Mario Balotelli if his angry outburst after scoring yesterday was directed at him.

Euro 2012 co-hosts Poland and Ukraine have “already won the European Championship” for the legacy it will leave, UEFA president Michel Platini said last night.

Italy coach Cesare Prandelli reflected on a job well done but had to admit at a lot of anxiety in the last quarter.

Giovanni Trapattoni didn’t get the point he wanted but insisted he got the performance.

Italy 2 Republic of Ireland 0

By Alan Smith, Soccer Correspondent

Cesare Prandelli has admitted his surprise that the Republic of Ireland will not be fighting for Euro 2012 qualification tonight.

It’s only eight days on from Ireland’s first trip to Poznan but, around the charming city yesterday, it felt like light years.

Cesare Prandelli has no difficulty with criticism after a game.

Eighteen minutes had elapsed of last night’s Italian pre-match press conference before the conversation turned to tonight’s opponents.

Cesare Prandelli called for calm as he prepared to send Italy into their make-or-break Group C clash with the Republic of Ireland tomorrow night.

Italy captain Gianluigi Buffon is hopeful that a win against the Republic of Ireland will be enough for his team to progress to the quarter-finals of Euro 2012.

Defiant Italy coach Cesare Prandelli insists the Azzuri still have every chance of qualifying for the Euro 2012 knockout stages despite having to settle for their second consecutive Group C draw.

Italy coach Cesare Prandelli has questioned his players’ lack of a killer instinct and their fitness levels in the wake of another draw in Euro 2012.

Cesare Prandelli has only one decision to make for tonight’s Group C duel with Croatia: does he stick with the front two he picked against Spain or should he give Antonio Di Natale a start?

Italy striker Antonio Cassano has apologised after causing controversy by saying he hoped there were no homosexuals in the national team squad at Euro 2012.

Buoyed by a strong showing against the world champions there’s a new mood of optimism in the Italian camp, boosted by the post-match words of their president Giorgio Napolitano who compared the spirit of the nation to the spirit of the team.

Italy coach Cesare Prandelli has labelled Thursday’s game against Croatia as “crucial” to their hopes of advancing past the group stages of the European Championship.

Italy Football Federation president Giancarlo Abete is confident Mario Balotelli will bounce back from his disappointing display against Spain.

Italy midfielder Daniele De Rossi revealed he will play in defence against Spain in tomorrow’s Group C opener.