Italy beats Germany 2-1 to reach Euro 2012 final
WARSAW, Poland — Mario Balotelli scored twice to give Italy a 2-1 win over Germany on Thursday and an unexpected spot in the European Championship final.
Extending its winless streak against Italy in major tournaments to eight matches, Germany had no answer for Balotelli nor Antonio Cassano’s creativity.
In the 20th minute, Balotelli had no trouble getting past Holger Badstuber to head in a pinpoint cross from Cassano. Then in the 36th minute, the 21-year-old striker received the ball behind the defense and blasted a long shot into the top right corner.
Mesut Oezil scored from the penalty spot in injury time for Germany.
Italy will face defending champion Spain in Sunday’s final.
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked.
If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.