Sport
Mario Balotelli puts Italy in the Euro 2012 final against Spain
“Balotelli’s career has just started,” Prandelli said.
Balotelli took off his jersey after his second goal, which drew an automatic yellow card, although he will not miss the final.
Even before scoring, Italy controlled the pace of the match, although Germany did have several chances from Hummels, Toni Kroos and Oezil.
In the 35th, Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon preserved the Azzurri lead by swatting away a long shot from Sami Khedira – and Balotelli doubled the lead a minute later.
To start the second half, Germany coach Joachim Loew brought on Miroslav Klose for Mario Gomez at center forward and replaced Lukas Podolski with Marco Reus on the wing.
With Germany appearing slightly more organized, Lahm had a great look at the goal in the 49th but shot way over the bar.
“If we had scored earlier, there could have been more for us,” Loew said. “The disappointment is great. Nobody is speaking in the dressing room. The players are crying. … But I am not going to question everything we’ve done. This team has great quality. It will continue to develop and learn.”
