Euro 2012 Scores: Highlighting Most Critical Moments of England vs. Italy

Italy defeated England on penalty kicks to advance to the semifinals of Euro 2012.

After playing to a scoreless draw through 120 minutes, the two sides squared off in the first penalty shootout of the tournament. Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney each scored for England, but Ashley Young drilled the crossbar and a surprisingly-hesitant Ashley Cole had his shot denied by Gianluigi Buffon. 

It was England's sixth loss on penalty kicks at a major tournament, and as their national tourism board pointed out, they're becoming quite used to the disappointment.

"

England lose on penalties. For more on our culture and traditions go to visitengland.com ;)

— VisitEngland (@VisitEngland) June 24, 2012"

While it was a heart-crushing defeat for the Three Lions, they were quite lucky to survive the first 90 minutes.

The Italians were incredibly wasteful, missing on 35 shots (20 on goal). Mario Balotelli, Daniele De Rossi, Andrea Pirlo, Claudio Marchisio and Antonio Cassano all hit the target on multiple occasions, but nobody could put the ball into the back of the net.

They had plenty of close-but-not-good-enough shots throughout the game, starting with De Rossi's swerving bomb that deflected off the post.

Just three minutes into the match, the world-class midfielder struck the ball perfectly, creating a ridiculous amount of side-spin as the ball sliced through the air. He was able to beat Joe Hart, but the post proved to be on the side of England.

Hart was bailed out by the post again in the 101st minute, when a cross from Alessandro Diamanti curled in from the right. Diamanti sailed the ball past everyone, including Hart, but the frame thwarted the Italians for the second time. 

In between those two near-goals, the Italians squandered a host of other chances.

Balotelli beat England's offside trap all game long, but he was often unable to run down the ball. When he did control it, he was either hesitant or inaccurate.

He blasted an easy finish over the crossbar in the 41st minute, then fired a rebounded shot directly at the legs of Hart in the 52nd. As the ball deflected off of Hart, Riccardo Montolivo had a perfect opportunity to finish it off, but he launched the ball over the crossbar.

In the end, none of the missed chances matter for Italy, since they will be moving on to the semifinals anyway. They stepped up when the stakes were at their highest, sinking four of five penalties for a 4-2 win. The key moment for them (other than Young hitting the crossbar), was Pirlo's cheeky straight-on chip shot that ignited the confidence of his teammates.

Diamanti and Antonio Nocerino buried the next two penalties, and Italy got the result it deserved.

If they are this wasteful against the Germans, however, the Italians will be in for a harsh reality check on Thursday.