Head-to-Head
- The 22 previous meetings have produced nine wins for Italy, seven for England and six draws.
- The Azzurri have the edge in recent history - they have lost just once against the Three Lions in 35 years (W6, D2, L1). Their only loss in that time was a 2-0 reverse at Le Tournoi in Nantes in 1997, when Ian Wright and Paul Scholes got the goals.
- Italy won the two previous meetings at major tournaments; Marco Tardelli got the only goal in Turin to give the hosts victory in a group game at the European Championship in 1980. And Italy beat England 2-1 in the third-place play-off at the 1990 World Cup, with goals from Roberto Baggio and Toto Schillachi. David Platt got England's reply in Bari.
- Italy won the last meeting, at Elland Road in March 2002. Robbie Fowler put England ahead before Vincenzo Montella netted twice. Gianluigi Buffon is the only survivor from that game.
Match Facts:
- England did not register a single shot on target in the opening 45 minutes against Ukraine - the last time that happened to England in a European Championship game was in the 1-0 loss to Italy in 1980.
- In the last 24 years, Italy have lost only two knock-out games at European Championships or World Cups, excluding penalty shoot-outs. They were beaten 2-1 in the Euro 2000 final against France, and 2-1 by South Korea in the last 16 of the 2002 World Cup.
- England had the best chance conversion rate (21.7%) in the group stages of Euro 2012.
- Italy have lost only two of nine quarter-finals - and both of those were shoot-out defeats (to France at the 1998 World Cup and Spain at Euro 2008).
- Just two of the last six winners of the European Championship have finished top of their group - Spain (2008) and Germany (1996).
- The Azzurri had the best defensive record in Euro 2012 qualifying, conceding just twice.
- England and Greece were the only teams who failed to catch an opponent offside in the group stage.
- Andrea Pirlo made 2,778 successful passes for Juventus this season - the highest tally of any player in one of the top European leagues.
- England have won one of their six previous penalty shoot-outs at major tournaments - beating Spain in the quarter-finals of Euro 1996 after a 0-0 draw.
- Italy have lost five of seven penalty shoot-outs at major tournaments, and two of three at European Championships; they beat the Dutch in the semi-finals of Euro 2000, but lost to Spain in the quarter-finals four years ago and to Czechoslovakia in a third-place play-off in 1980.
- Wayne Rooney has 29 international goals and needs one more to go joint-fifth on England's list of top scorers, level with Sir Tom Finney, Nat Lofthouse and Alan Shearer. Only Michael Owen (40), Jimmy Greaves (44), Gary Lineker (48) and Sir Bobby Charlton (49) have scored more.
Source: DSG
