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If Thursday night’s street celebrations are anything to go by, overcoming Spain in the final of Euro 2012 would see Italy greet Monday morning in bleary-eyed fashion.

In truth, few expected the party to continue this long, but Croatia, Ireland, England and Germany have all been sent packing, leaving the Azzurrri where they always aim to be a major tournament, with the trophy there for the taking.

Throughout a month in which belief has grown slowly, Cesare Prandelli has had to tailor his starting line-up for every game, responding to injury or the need for some tactical fine retuning.

The semi-final against the much-fancied Germans, who had won 15 consecutive matches, brought a new set of problems for the coach, with right-back Ignazio Abate injured in the win over England and the obvious replacement Christian Maggio suspended.

Rather than return to the back three of the first two fixtures, Federico Balzaretti was switched from left of the back four to the right, with Giorgio Chiellini restored to the left back spot - a position the Juventus man had played most of his career in until recent seasons.

Rather than look unbalanced, the defence had the extra security of having the left-footed Balzaretti able to come in from the flank and make a number of timely clearances on his favoured foot – with one early in the encounter ensuring the score remained goalless just when the Germans were enjoying a period of dominance.

In fact, a Juve-heavy backline also featuring the imperious Gigi Buffon and two pillars of strength in Andrea Barzagli and Leonardo Bonucci was the launching pad for Italy’s quick and decisive breaks that tore the Germans apart.

Mario gives it some welly to send Italy on their way to Kiev

Against England, Italy had dominated possession, but that was never going to happen in Warsaw, against opponents who based their game plan around control of the ball.

Italy also had two fewer days to recover from their 120 minute quarter-final, but Prandelli had promised that his team would remain true to his attacking ideals – and with Andrea Pirlo a serious contender for player of the tournament, there was no reason to fear it would be one-way traffic on Buffon’s goal.

Pirlo was once again an immense presence in the centre of the pitch, flanked by the ever-willing Daniele De Rossi and Claudio Marchisio, who had been complaining of tiredness, but both players were non-stop in their willingness not only to cover back but get forward to support the front two.

The defence and midfield had been sound throughout the tournament but now it was the turn of the attack to show what they could do – and how they responded.

Antonio Cassano and Mario Balotelli, in particular, had been wasteful in previous matches where the statistics had demonstrated that Italy had only take advantage of 12% of their goalscoring chances compared to nearly 30% when it came to the Germans.

Having weathered the early storm which had seen Pirlo clear off the line, the midfield came into their own to set the platform for Cassano to turn the German defence this way and that with a series of mazy runs which culminated on 20 minutes with the precise cross for Balotelli to head home the opener.

It was the moment where the pair finally clicked and from there on Balotelli was leading the line in a manner that Prandelli had been demanding from the moment he put his faith in the Manchester City youngster.

The second goal, following a simple long ball over the top from Riccardo Montolivo, had the mark of everything one expects from a world-class finisher: power, precision and not another thought than seeing the ball fly into the back of the net.

It was moment of sheer beauty that he had to spoil to some extent by removing his shirt thus gaining a yellow card – however, the nation forgave him, with chants of "bellissimo Balo" ringing out as he showed off his impressive pecs.

From there, muscle was needed by the whole team as Germany drove forward but the weight of history also laid heavily on them, having lost four and drawn the same amount against Italy when it really mattered.

The referee may have given Germany some faint hope, with a late penalty awarded when the ball struck Balzaretti’s arm, but it was all in vain – and now Spain await in the final.

The Spanish press had mocked Italy after the draw in the group meeting, with their 'see you in the final' headlines and then the biscotto taunts when the match against Croatia could have led a different outcome in settling qualification to the knock-out.

It may well come back to haunt them as Italy prepares to party like its 2006 all over again.

Never bet against Italy confounding the odds when it is least expected. This was certainly the case in Gdansk, where not only did they keep holders Spain at bay – they did so in a confident manner.

NEWS Sun 10 Jun: Spain escape with a point after Italian job

Cesare Prandelli arrived in Poland with the shadow of an ever-developing investigation into a betting scandal, which had engulfed Domenico Criscito and Leonardo Bonucci, hanging over the squad. Meanwhile a less-than-satisfactory on-pitch build-up had seen a friendly against Luxembourg postponed due to an earthquake back home followed by a 3-0 drubbing by Russia on the eve of the competition.

The coach was then left with a defensive headache when Andrea Barzagli suffered a calf injury, leaving the Azzurri looking porous in what had promised to be a watertight Juventus backline.

However, Prandelli has become used making do with what resources he has at hand. Using the only positive note of Luis Enrique’s time at AS Roma, Daniele De Rossi was dropped back from midfield into the centre of defence, flanked by Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini.

At Roma, De Rossi had played in a back four of sorts, but parked solidly in the middle against a Spanish team bent on walking the ball into the net, he kept Italy in the game in the first half with timely interceptions – and as confidence grew, so his quick and decisive passing helped open space for the wide players in the five-man midfield.

Prandelli had claimed that De Rossi could develop into a modern-day Franz Beckenbauer but in truth his more robust style draws closer comparisons to Javier Mascherano, especially when it comes to driving forward to bring the midfield into the game.

It wasn't as if Italy lost that competitiveness in the middle, where Thiago Motta and Claudio Marchisio were encouraged to pressure the opposition as high up the pitch as they could, leaving Andrea Pirlo to sit further back – although Serie A’s player of the year-elect was less effective having to wait for the action to come to him, rather than being the focal point as he had been all season with the champions.

Another Juve man, Emanuuele Giaccherini, who only four seasons ago had been playing in Serie C, and Christian Maggio worked diligently along the flanks – only to suffer when Spain brought on Jesus Navas and Andres Iniesta began to carry the ball forward into dangerous areas.

None shall pass: Italy get it together at the back

However, this was no rearguard performance of old. Rather it highlighted Prandelli’s ability to mould together the various tactics employed in Serie A this season, beginning with Juve’s power base but then morphing into Napoli’s fast-breaking counter-attack – and it is getting men forward into goalscoring positions where Italy could really spring a surprise on the opposition to come in this tournament.

The starting front two of Antonio Cassano and Mario Balotelli were willing runners in the first half and the latter demonstrated that he had taken the coach’s orders to make life difficult for the Spanish backline by robbing Sergio Ramos of the ball near the touchline. Sadly, the Manchester City man was then much too casual when left one on one with Iker Casillas, which enabled Ramos to scamper back and make a decisive tackle.

When Prandelli saw that his starters in attack were fading both mentally and physically – not surprising considering that both Cassano and Balotelli had seen little playing time for their clubs – he immediately went to the bench, and this was where further dividends were to be found.

Antonio Di Natale, with his first touch, took his chance in the manner he had been all season with Udinese and at the same time wiped out his torment at missing one of the penalties in the quarter-final defeat to Spain at Euro 2008. Totò, who had flattered to deceive at international level in the past, nearly found a second when Cassano’s replacement Sebastian Giovinco picked him out with a perfectly weighted chipped cross, but he could only stretch to put his volley wide.

Spain had equalised by then and were turning up the pressure, but this new iron-willed Italy never wilted. As Prandelli pointed out on the eve of the encounter, pessimism motivates the national side – and few would bet against them leaving some more nations feeling blue along the way this month.

Italy head to Euro 2012 with the weight of the world on their shoulders, and Cesare Prandelli’s considerable man management skills will be put to the test as the Azzurri look to avoid a repeat of their humiliating performance at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

The spectre of the ongoing investigation into match fixing and betting rings hangs over the squad. A dawn raid on the national training facility at Coverciano saw Domenico Criscito served with notice that he was under investigation after photographs were published of the left-back standing outside a restaurant along with suspects in the case.

The Zenit St. Petersburg full-back, who was a Genoa player when the photos were taken, had his laptop, iPad and mobile phone confiscated by police working under the orders of prosecutors leading the Last Bet operation. The investigation has spanned the length and breadth of the country, from Cremona in Italy’s north to Bari in the south, and within the next 48 hours the findings from Naples should be made public.

By all accounts, Prandelli was not in the loop with regards to what proved to be a fast-moving series of events, but it seems that Italian Football Federation vice-president Demetrio Albertini was aware of what was afoot, as he was among the first on the scene when the police arrived at the training ground shortly after dawn.

Criscito, who was rooming with Inter defender Andrea Ranocchia, was definitely taken by surprise and had to be calmed from his agitated state by Prandelli before being issued with the news that he would be excluded from the squad.

There was no other option as the player could have been called to testify at any time during the month he was due in Poland and Ukraine, but Prandelli still had to sweat on whether another vital member of his team, Leonardo Bonucci, would also be cited.

Police arrive at Italy's training centre on Monday morning

However, the Juventus defender had already given his evidence surrounding his time at Bari and in particular the match against Lecce where captain Andrea Maisella claimed he had helped throw the game by scoring an own-goal.

With high profile arrests of Lazio vice-captain Stefano Mauri, former Genoa midfielder Omar Milanetto and Juventus coach Antonio Conte – the latter in relation to two matches during his spell in charge of Siena in Serie B last season - some of the heat was deflected from the national team.

However, events well away from the shady world of match fixing would further hinder Prandelli’s preparations, when a major earthquake hit the Emilia Romagna area on Tuesday morning.

Italy were due to play Luxembourg in Parma later in the evening, but the decision was taken to cancel the game following further tremors and aftershocks which were also felt in the team hotel.

At the time of writing, 17 people are believed to have been killed, with 300 injured. It was the second quake in the region in just over a week.

Having omitted Ranocchia and Siena striker Mattia Destro from his final 23-man squad, Prandelli will be hoping he can start his preparations in earnest when the team arrive in Zurich on Friday evening, where he will look to finally gave his players a semi-competitive run-out against Russia, before heading to Poland to face a daunting group opener against defending champions Spain.

However, the long shadow of match fixing will not pass quickly, and Gianluigi Buffon’s unfortunate turn of phrase in a recent interview has not helped matters, drawing the spotlight back to the national team.

"Better two injured than one dead," was the goalkeeper’s less than cryptic response to whether it was really organised crime controlling matches or that teams conspired to ensure that a certain result suited both teams.

Prandelli knows he cannot shelter his players from the events unravelling back home, but as with Marcello Lippi when the Calciopoli scandal broke ahead of the 2006 World Cup, he will call for an act of faith from his players that football is really won on the pitch.

Swedish club AIK have cancelled plans for an August friendly against AC Milan in Stockholm because the Italians cannot guarantee that Zlatan Ibrahimovic will still be playing for them, AIK said in a statement.
The Sweden captain is rumoured to be on his way to Paris Saint Germain after Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi told reporters on Thursday that he had sold Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva to the French club.
The two players are said to be negotiating personal terms.
AIK said they had planned the friendly at the Rasunda stadium on August 12.
"Unfortunately, a number of external circumstances meant that we took a joint decision not to stage the match this time," said AIK managing director Thomas Edselius.
"If we cannot guarantee Zlatan's participation there is a risk that many would be disappointed," added Mimi Nordling-Petterson, spokesperson for event managers Tailor Events who were to organise the game.

AS Roma have completed the signing of Siena striker Mattia Destro, one of the most sought-after players in Serie A.
Juventus, AC Milan and former owners Inter Milan were among the clubs courting the 21-year-old, who netted 12 league goals for Siena last term and just missed out on a berth in Italy's Euro 2012 squad.
Underachievers Roma, who have also recruited American Michael Bradley and Brazilian Dodo for new coach Zdenek Zeman over the close-season, said in a statement on Monday that they had signed Destro in a complicated deal involving previous co-owners Genoa.

Arsenal has confirmed that it has reached agreement with Manchester United for striker Robin van Persie transfer.
The best scorer last season in the Premier League, tomorrow (Thursday) will travel to Manchester to complete the transfer.

"Arsenal Football Club can confirm that it has reached agreement for the transfer of Robin van Persie to Manchester United".

"Van Persie will travel to Manchester on Thursday in order to reach agreement and to complete medical tests before the proposed movement," says the statement issued by the London club.

Dutchman will reportedly sign four-year contract with the club at Old Trafford, which is said to have paid Arsenal £ 24 million.

For 29-year-old were also interested Manchester City and Juventus