The Azzurri confirmed their status as being slow starters as they somehow sneaked through into the last eight, despite picking up just one point from their first two games.
After losing 3-0 to Holland and drawing 1-1 with Romania, Italy’s destiny was out of their own hands, however a 2-0 win over France, coupled with a Dutch victory over Romania, saw them progress.
Roberto Donadoni’s men were much improved against Les Bleus, and they will now be hoping that they have started to hit form at just the right time.
Italy have an outstanding knockout record in major tournaments, and indeed have not lost a knockout tie in 90 minutes since the 2-0 semi final defeat to the Soviet Union at Euro 1988.
The Azzurri are renowned for their big game temperament, in stark contract to their opponents Spain, who despite being in better form, are often labelled as big-game bottlers.
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