Audacious: Pirlo coolly converted his penalty

'He knows he could turn the game around.'

Andrea Pirlo was the epitome of coolness when he dinked Italy's third penalty over Joe Hart.

'He was very calm indeed. He's an absolute star player who knows exactly what to do, and he did so,' Prandelli said.

The deft move became popular in Euro 1976, when Czech Antonin Panenka beat German goalkeeper Sepp Maier in similar fashion in the final.

French great Zinedine Zidane also scored what has been sometimes dubbed a 'Panenka' in the 2006 World Cup final against Italy.

Even England manager Roy Hodgson was left to admire Pirlo's gem.

'The cool, calculated way Pirlo chipped it, that is something you have or you don't have as a player,' he said.

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