Euro 2012: Inspirational Balotelli fires Italy past Germany

The Liverpool striker has seen his career dwindle in the past few years, but he showed how good he could be when he led the Azzurri to victory in the Euro 2012 semi-final

Mario Balotelli reached arguably the highest point of his career when he starred with a match-winning double as Italy defeated Germany 2-1 in the semi-finals of Euro 2012.

The enigmatic striker has failed to reach the same pinnacle following struggling spells at Liverpool and an encore season at AC Milan, but he demonstrated his talent as he put the stubborn Germans to the sword and extended their winless run against the Azzurri in major tournaments to eight matches.

But it didn’t stop the German newspapers boasting about their superiority, claiming to be fitter, faster and stronger than Italy despite their personal hoodoo. Italy showed however, that they are not to be messed with when it comes to the business end of tournament season.

It was particularly evident and beautifully poetic after Balotelli scored his second goal, as he lifted his shirt and started posing as The Hulk, showing that even Italians have biceps and muscles to scare the most formidable of opponents.

But this was a different Azzurri, that were built also on style, not just substance. Under the guidance of Cesare Prandelli, the Azzurri would play their most aesthetically pleasing style of football in years with the most imaginative and exciting partnership upfront of Antonio Cassano and Balotelli.

The two would combine for Italy’s opener, when Cassano conjured some magic on the edge of the penalty box and floated in a perfect cross for Balotelli to head home and give the Azzurri an advantage they’d never relinquish.

Now include the experience and know-how of Andrea Pirlo and Gianluigi Buffon, stalwarts of the 2006 World Cup-winning side, then Prandelli had the perfect blend for a successful team.

Mesut Ozil would peg one back from the penalty spot in injury time, but the Azzurri would hold on for another memorable victory so that they would advance to face an unstoppable Spain in the final.

Adapted from an article in La Gazzetta dello Sport by Andrea Schianchi