And another one bites the dust! So Italy went the same way as my other quarter-final tips Portugal, Croatia and Holland, losing out on a penalty kick shoot-out to Spain, and the Italians can have no complaints. Whilst being without the suspended Andrea Pirlo and Rino Gattuso posed a problem, their attitude was wholly negative, the Spaniards were the only team who set out to win the match and really should have done it inside 90 minutes. Euro2008 will certainly benefit from their continued presence in the competition.
The game had all the makings of the best of the quarter-finals, with quality players on both sides, but sadly it turned out to be a turgid affair, the worst of the four. Well, at least Croatia v Turkey had a grandstand finale to lift that match out of mediocrity. I got the impression a goal for either side, preferably Spain, would have opened things up but it didn't happen and, the longer the clock ticked on, the more and more the stalemate took root.
It was all very disappointing. In recent years the Italains have moved away from their ultra-cautious football of the past, yet at the slightest sign of trouble - or the suspension of a top player or two - they pull up the drawbridge and think only of defence. Then again, with Luca Toni having looked so out of touch in Austria and Switzerland, they lacked an imposing target-man but, with the likes of Cassano, Del Piero and Di Natale to call on, they should have been able to pose a more potent threat. After all, with Gianluigi Buffon between the posts, they are never going to give much away at the other end.
The game was so poor that the BBC's 'experts' were left to prattle on about the other quarter-finals and there was even a mind-numbing time-killer, supposedly funny, about the film 'The Third Man' which was filmed in Vienna. Listening to the rubbish Lineker, Hansen, Shearer and O'Kneel were coming out with, I was tempted to indulge in a wee rant about the misuse of my TV Licence money. 'What TV Licence?' shouted the voice from the kitchen. Oops!
Once it got down to penalties, with Buffon to sure to make at least one save, my money was definitely on the Italians - did I mention that I'd tipped them to win on pens? - and I was already worrying about how their negative approach might stifle the Russians in the same way that they choked the life out of this match. But it wasn't Buffon who stole the show. Iker Cassillas saved from Di Rossi to tip the balance in Spain's favour and, with Buffon not getting a sniff at any of the first three kicks he faced, it looked like it would be Y Viva Espana. But then Buffon saved from Guiza and Di Natale had a chance to level the scores, only for Cassillas to save, leaving Cesc Fabregas to fire Spain into the semis.
So its Russia v Spain in Vienna on Thursday and it will be very interesting to see how much this game differs from the group meeting in Innsbruck a week or two ago. Andrei Arshavin was suspended for that one, Russia played very naively and, with Villa and Torres hitting hard on the break, Spain romped to a 4-1 win. I know my ability to forecast the outcome of a football match is now in some doubt but, take my word for it, they won't win 4-1in the semi-final. It could and should be a cracker and heres hoping both sides go for it. I'm inclined to believe both know of no other way to play. Fingers crossed.
LITTLE BOY BLUE