England 0-0 Italy (AET) (2-4 P)

It was penalties again for England, as Italy held the Three Lions to an awkward 0-0 draw, before Ashley Young and Ashley Cole missed spot-kicks to send England out of the tournament, and Italy on.

England started nervously, and Daniele De Rossi hit the post early on, but neither team were taking their chances. Both Italy and England were missing chances from close range. The half-time whistle could not have at a better time for either team, as they began to tire. The teams were again dull and boring in the second half, and only Andrea Pirlo could really dictate the game. Italy did score, but the ‘goal’ was quite rightly disallowed for offside. The full ninety were played, and the teams quickly prepared for extra-time in the Olympic Stadium. Again the match didn’t open up, and it felt as though extra-time dragged on and on. Before you could even shout at the telly for Joe Hart to score a goal-kick, the referee stopped the game for the dreaded penalty shoot-out.

After Gerrard, Rooney and Balotelli had all scored, Riccardo Montolivo missed the target for Italy, but Ashley Young and Ashley Cole both missed with Antonio Nocerino scoring in between. All Alessandro Diamanti had to do was simply score, and as Joe Hart went the wrong way, the former West Ham United man was bundled over by the twenty-three superior men of Italy, and the English twenty-three were left thinking of what might have been.