WARSAW, Poland (AP) England and Italy are vying for the last semifinal berth at the European Championship - and the winner will play Germany. Follow all of the action and build-up here. All times are Polish.
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1950: Italy forward Mario Balotelli returns to the starting lineup to face an unchanged England team. Balotelli is selected ahead of Antonio Di Natale. Defender Giorgio Chiellini injured his left hamstring against the Irish and his Juventus teammate Leonardo Bonucci continues to fill in. Italy coach Cesare Prandelli has opted for Riccardo Montolivo in midfield over Thiago Motta.
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1945: Here are the lineups:
England: Joe Hart, Ashley Cole, Glen Johnson, Joleon Lescott, John Terry, Steven Gerrard, James Milner, Scott Parker, Ashley Young, Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck.
Italy: Gianluigi Buffon, Ignazio Abate, Federico Balzaretti, Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci, Daniele De Rossi, Claudio Marchisio, Riccardo Montolivo, Andrea Pirlo, Mario Balotelli, Antonio Cassano.
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1940: AP's Rob Harris, in Kiev: ''For the first time at Euro 2012, England fans are making their presence felt in Kiev ahead of the quarterfinal against Italy. Logistical problems getting to the outer reaches of eastern Europe seem to have been partly overcome. The chorus of ''We are the Champions'' seems a tad premature though.''
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1835: Defending champion Spain is hoping the extra two days rest that Portugal has before the semifinal encounter on Wednesday will not prove to be of advantage when they compete for a place in the final in Donetsk.
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1815: simonhaydon: Pedro Proenca was nursing broken teeth after being headbutted by a fan. Ten months later, he refs Italy vs England tonight (via Twitter.)
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1500: Former Portugal great Eusebio is in stable condition after undergoing tests on his heart. The 70-year-old Eusebio was admitted to hospital in Poznan late Saturday after feeling ill and suffering what was initially suspected to be a heart attack, hospital spokesman Stanislaw Rusek said. Doctors performed a coronary catheterization, which determined that Eusebio had not had a heart attack but merely complications from poor health. ''I had the chance to speak to him this morning and asked him whether his heart hurt at all,'' Rusek told The Associated Press. ''He smiled and said, 'not at all,' and that shows that this morning he was in good form.''
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Rank | Team | W/D/L | Pts |
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Cities & Stadiums
The Top 3 Teams of Previous Tournaments
Year | Winners | Runner-up | Third place |
---|---|---|---|
2008 | Spain | Germany | Russia / Turkey |
2004 | Greece | Portugal | Netherlands / Czech Republic |
2000 | France | Italy | Netherlands / Portugal |
1996 | Germany | Czech Republic | France / England |
1992 | Denmark | Germany | Netherlands / Sweden |
1988 | Netherlands | Soviet Union | Italy / West Germany |
1984 | France | Spain | Denmark / Portugal |
1980 | West Germany | Belgium | Czechoslovakia |
1976 | Czechoslovakia | West Germany | Netherlands |
1972 | West Germany | Soviet Union | Belgium |
1968 | Italy | Yugoslavia | England |
1964 | Spain | Soviet Union | Hungary |
1960 | Soviet Union | Yugoslavia | Czechoslovakia |