Jubilant Italy savour the moment

It was party time for Italy on Monday night after they reached the UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2009™ quarter-finals by beating Russia 2-0. "We will have fun tonight, but I have to say that the whole tournament has been a celebration for us," striker Patrizia Panico told uefa.com.

Victory
Russia had many chances at Helsinki's Olympic Stadium, especially in the first half, but it was Melania Gabbiadini who broke the deadlock with 13 minutes remaining before Tatiana Zorri doubled the lead with a last-gasp free-kick. That gave Italy six points, second place in Group C, and a meeting with holders Germany on Friday in Lahti, the scene of the Azzurre's opening 2-1 win against England.

Luck
Captain Panico was honest about the pattern of the game, stating: "Today we did well and we've also been lucky." Gabbiadini, who was named Carlsberg Player of the Match and is the only person to have won the award twice so far in the finals, was delighted her side bounced back from the low of their 2-0 loss to Sweden. "I think I played well tonight, better than against Sweden," she said. "I found more space and I was able to be more dangerous up front. I'm happy because there are always great expectations around us in tournaments like the European Championship."

Slow starts
Italy resemble a diesel engine; they start slowly but soon reach top speed. They endured torrid openings in all three games, but came from behind to defeat England, let in two goals in 20 minutes to Sweden but no more and then withstood pressure from Russia before winning. Panico said: "It's true, we need some time to study our opponents, especially the way the midfielders move, and I think that if we don't concede in the first half then we have a good chance of winning." Gabbiadini added: "I don't know why this happens, I wouldn't say we fear our opponents, but they definitely start better than us, while we need some time to understand how we should play."

German 'steamroller'
The Azzurre know all about their next opponents: holders Germany, who are the only side to have won all their games here in Finland, scoring ten goals in the process. "They have no weaknesses, they're like a steamroller, they defeat whoever they find on their way," Panico said. "Even though they have won everything, they're still hungry for more. In any case, if it wasn't Germany it would have been Finland, another strong team, now we are here and we have to try to win."