Italians 'in love' with Prandelli's Azzurri

Italy coach Cesare Prandelli gave his side a glowing report for their victory against the Republic of Ireland that sealed a place in the UEFA EURO 2012 quarter-finals, adding that the 20m who watched live on television back home proved that "people are in love with this Italy side".

The Azzurri endured a testing physical encounter against Giovanni Trapattoni's men but passed with flying colours thanks to goals in either half by Antonio Cassano and Mario Balotelli, and with so much pressure to come good after successive 1-1 draws, Prandelli was full of admiration for his side.

"I give Italy high marks for lots of reasons," the 54-year-old told a press conference at Casa Azzurri. "Firstly, because in our opening match we had to play the best team of recent times [Spain], a team destined to keep winning for a long time, and we fared well against them.

"Against Croatia we played excellent football for an hour before a long ball cost us two points and put our qualification in jeopardy. Then we had to take on an Ireland side full of character and with nothing to lose. It was always going to be hard, but we sent out a strong message by pulling through. I give us a seven out of ten for the team spirit these guys have created."

Though Prandelli conceded his side were not firing on all cylinders for the opening quarter of the match in Poznan, he was impressed by their application. "It was our worst showing at this EURO for the first 23 minutes but even during that spell the side kept plugging away," he said. "Our pre-match preparation was based on dealing with all their long balls, winning possession and then trying to play football. We also set out to win the match: our attacking mentality was the right one."

Though he did not yet know that England would be Italy's quarter-final opponents in Kyiv on Sunday, he was wary of the threat posed by Roy Hodgson's outfit. "England are beginning to find their feet and we know what they're like to play against," explained the former Parma FC and ACF Fiorentina tactician. "They have great character, won't give you so much as a throw-in and have discovered some players of great imagination."

But the Azzurri have also captured the imagination, as the 20m viewers tuning in to watch Monday night's encounter bears out. "It's a wonderful thing. It means that people are in love with this Italy side and that what we are doing is working. Team spirit is what counts most. We know we have players of great quality but the reason we have got to this point is because everyone has given 100%. This is an extraordinary group; nobody is holding anything back. There is great respect for the team, everyone runs their heart out and gives their all."

Giorgio Chiellini has been a prime example of Italy's commitment to the cause but the Juventus defender will sit out the quarter-final against England after sustaining a hamstring injury that will require further scans.

At least Balotelli appears to have recovered from his knee injury. "It was a big call to bring him on," said Prandelli. "But it was a calculated gamble because players like him get going when the going gets tough. He did what we asked of him and played selflessly. Once he realises nobody wishes him ill he'll be fine, but we are here to help him grow up and when he does we will have a champion on our hands."

If Balotelli keeps scoring goals like he did on Monday, that day may come sooner than Prandelli thinks.