Good evening sports fans. It’s England v Italy and it’s live. The big pre-match news is that Roy Hodgson has stuck with the same 11 which started in the 1-0 win over Ukraine last week so Wayne Rooney partners club mate Danny Welbeck in attack and James Milner is again preferred to the in-form Theo Walcott.

The Italians also play with a striker who plies his trade in Manchester – in the form of Mario Balotelli.

England: Hart, Johnson, Terry, Lescott, Cole, Milner, Gerrard, Parker, Young, Rooney, Welbeck. Subs: Green, Kelly, Walcott, Henderson, Carroll, Baines, Jones, Jagielka, Downing, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Defoe, Butland.

Italy: Buffon, Abate, Barzagli, Bonucci, Balzaretti, Pirlo, Marchisio, De Rossi, Montolivo, Balotelli, Cassano. Subs: Sirigu, Maggio, Chiellini, Ogbonna, Thiago Motta, Di Natale, Giaccherini, Borini, Giovinco, Diamanti, Nocerino, De Sanctis.

These two teams have not met in ten years when an Italian side led by one Giovanni Trapattoni beat England 2-1 in a friendly at Elland Road thanks to two goals from Vincenzo Montella. We’ve kindly compiled five memorable past meetings between the pair with goals from Roberto Baggio and a fresh-faced Paul Scholes.

The fine work of an artist in Verona.

Credit: Matthew Barker

Our man at Euro 2012 Miguel Delaney believes that this will be the most evenly-matched of all the quarter-finals but has tipped a narrow Italian win. Read his excellent preview here.

Quick pre-match poll. Who will you be rooting for tonight?

Anthems and handshakes out of the way so we’re about to begin. Going to stick my neck out and go with an England win here… 2-1.

Play is underway as Italian strikers Antonio Cassano and Mario Balotelli kick off. The first pass back to Joe Hart is sliced out of play then when a ball bounces in the England box, John Terry hesitates before booting it away.

Deary me, what a goal that would have been. The ball is cut back to Daniele De Rossi 20 yards out and the Roma midfield general catches it ever so sweetly with his left boot to send it curling towards the top corner. With Hart well beaten, the ball strikes the upright. Desperately unlucky.

Gianluigi Buffon has just single-handedly prevented England from taking the lead with an unbelievable stop. Glen Johnson begins an attack and advances into the box to get on the end of a James Milner cross. When the full-back eventually gets the ball out of his feet, however, his shot from 7 yards should be better and Buffon gets a hand to it. Great start here.

The first real piece of good work from Wayne Rooney sees England win a corner. Rooney gets away down the left and looks to pick out Welbeck who is loitering centrally but Leonardo Bonucci cuts out the pass.

The chances continue to come thick and fast. A Johnson cross is aimed at Rooney and the Manchester United man seems to get his head to it but can’t direct the effort on target. It may have taken a touch off Ignazio Abate on the way out but the goal kick is given.

Italy have been the ones attacking in the past couple of minutes and when they win a corner, Welbeck is back doing his job to head Pirlo’s delivery clear.

Cassano then lines up a shot from a fair distance out but gets it all wrong.

Super opportunity for Balotelli to score against his City team-mate Hart there but, much like in the opener against Spain, he is guilty of dilly-dallying on the ball when clean through which allows the England defenders to crowd him out. Has clearly got talent in abundance but is incredibly infuriating at times.

First-time pass from Riccardo Montolivo sets Balotelli free and this time he gets the shot off straight away but it’s fired at Hart.

England then break with Welbeck, who plays an neat one-two with Rooney and tries to place a strike into the top corner. It sails wide, however.

Scott Parker tries to get close to Cassano but he wriggles free to blast goalward, where Hart saves well. The Spurs midfielder then crashes into De Rossi and is lucky not to pick up a booking.

Cork City’s striker peers into his crystal ball…

Smashing ball by Pirlo reaches Cassano at the back post where he heads it back into the danger area. No more than a couple of yards out, Balotelli should score but Lescott gets a leg in the way to put it over. In true Super Mario style, he reacts by kicking the goal post.

Half-time: England 0 Italy 0

Here’s that De Rossi effort after three minutes:

YouTube credit: Euro2012Golasos

And Johnson’s…

YouTube credit: Gabriel454100

Alan Shearer on Italy: “There’s Andy Carroll. They may not have faced anyone like him before.”

What is he talking about… Serie A is full of pony-tailed strikers!

Second 45 minutes have just begun with England in possession in the final third without getting a shot off. Milner’s pull back from the right is behind those waiting in the box and Italy get it away.

Absolute sitter and it’s fallen to that man De Rossi. Hart punches a corner clear but it’s sent back in and, staying onside, De Rossi completely snatches at the ball and volleys wide from close range. Huge let-off for England.

This is getting ridiculous now. Hart is poor when a long range shot comes in and parries straight to Balotelli. He shoots but it’s blocked by the England stopper before Montolivo follows up by sticking it over.

Italy’s finishing has been so wasteful tonight.

Stop in play for a clash of heads between Ashley Young, who has been under-par, and Abate. Could be the Manchester United man’s last action as Theo Walcott and Andy Carroll are ready to join the action.

Scrap that, Hodgson has decided to withdraw Welbeck and Milner for Carroll and Walcott. Half an hour to make an impact.

Balotelli, meanwhile, has had what seems like shot No.213. He holds off Terry then flicks the ball up with back to goal and goes for an acrobatic overhead kick, which doesn’t trouble Hart.

Walcott’s first involvement sees him cross for Carroll and when the ball falls to the feet of Young his scuffed attempt is deflected wide.

There’s an awful lot of shirt pulling going on when the corner is swung in but, strangely, referee Pedro Proenca gives a free out.

Steven Gerrard now receiving attention for what looks like cramp.

John Terry with one of his trademark blocks there from Marchisio. Was wondering when we would see one of those.

When England get a free down the other end, Rooney is a whisker (or a hair) away from connecting with Gerrard’s ball with his head.

Cesare Prandelli has made his first change and it’s former West Ham midfielder Alessandro Diamanti for Cassano.

A minute later, he makes another by taking off De Rossi for Antonio Nocerino of AC Milan.

Diamanti, who has got a sweet left foot, calls Hart into action with his first touch. Andrea Barzagli has been handed the first yellow card of the match for a OTT tackle on Young.

Says a bit about how the game has gone…

With a terrific first touch, Nocerino kills a pass and puts his foot through the ball but Johnson makes a vital block.

Just three minutes of added time on to be played, meaning it looks like we will be witnessing extra-time at Euro 2012 for the very first time.

Full-time: England 0-0 Italy (extra time to follow)

Walcott begins a move and Young, Cole and Carroll create for Rooney but he can’t keep his overhead kick down.

Here’s the miss of the game. England were second best for the last 45 minutes and are only still here because of criminal finishing from the Italians. It’s still all to play for, though.

YouTube credit: FootballEuro12Match (h/t: 101greatgoals)

30 minutes of extra-time are underway.

Christian Maggio is booked a little harshly for a challenge on Young and will now miss the semi-final if Italy progress.

The number of Liverpool players on the pitch has just increased to four as Jordan Henderson is on in place of Parker.

Couple of half-chances down either end and Balotelli has hit another one down the throat of Hart. Will be interesting to see his shooting stats at the end of the game.

Italy have hit the woodwork again. Diamanti’s cross is over-hit but catches Hart off-guard and bounces before striking the post and going out of play.

Johnson plays in Walcott and he clips one to the back post but it’s a little too high even for Carroll, who can’t connect properly. 15 minutes are up so it’s time to get some liquids on board and change ends.

According to the lads at Opta Sports, Italy have never scored a goal in extra time at a Euro finals after six previous attempts.

Diamanti shoots wide but the Azzurri are looking more likely to score at the moment. England sitting quite deep.

GOAL… is ruled out for offside. Diamanti gets the better of Cole and chips to the back post where Nocerino heads into the roof of the net. Celebrations are cut short as the linesman (correctly) raises his flag.

That is that *rubs hands together*…

ENGLAND V ITALY IS GOING TO PENALTIES

Is Balotelli going to take one?

YouTube credit: mcfcofficial

Buffon and Gerrard share a joke are the referee flips the coin to decide on which end the penalties will be taken. And it’s Balotelli who is first up!

GOAL! Balotelli tucks it away to Hart’s right, 1-0 Italy

GOAL! Gerrard sticks it in the same corner, 1-1

MISS! Montilivo steps up… and puts it wide, still 1-1

GOAL! No messing from Rooney, 2-1 England

GOAL! Coolest penalty of the night from Pirlo, dinks down the middle 2-2

MISS! Young crashes his spot-kick off the bar, 2-2

GOAL! Nocerino scores, 3-2

MISS! Buffon saves from Cole, 3-2 Italy

GOAL! Diamanti slots past Hart, 4-2… meaning Italy are through to the semi-finals and England are out of Euro 2012.

I thought we might have had that bit of luck in the penalty shootout but it wasn’t to be. Credit to Italy, though,” England skipper Steve Gerrard talking to the BBC.

So the semi-finals look like this:

• Portugal v Spain, Donetsk, Wednesday
• Germany v Italy, Warsaw, Thursday

I’ll leave you with Pirlo’s cheeky pen but we’ll have post-match reaction on the site shortly. As always, cheers for the company!

YouTube credit: chrisiyo (h/t: James Dart)