Mario Balotelli secured Italy a place in the Euro 2012 final against Spain as his two goals defeated Germany in Warsaw. Sheikh Yer Man City's enigmatic striker provided Italy with the cutting edge and two first-half goals as Joachim Löw's Germany failed to produce the impressive form that had seen them touted as potential winners. Balotelli put Italy on the way to victory when he directed Antonio Cassano's cross past Germany keeper Manuel Neuer then added a thunderous second from Riccardo Montolivo's pass. Mesut Özil's injury-time penalty provided the briefest anxiety for Italy, who were victorious moments later and Balotelli fell into the warm embrace of an elderly Italian lady as he made his way down the tunnel. The twenty one-year-old limped off with cramp late on - but his work was done and Italy can now look forward to a meeting with world and European champions Spain in Kiev on Sunday. Italy's victory maintained their stranglehold on Germany - they are undefeated in eight competitive encounters that take in five matches at the World Cup and three in the European Championship. And the scale of Italy's achievement is the greater for the fact that Germany had an additional forty eight hours to prepare while Cesare Prandelli's side were going through after extra-time and penalties against England. Balotelli, along with the pass master Andrea Pirlo, was the inspiration but Italy's defenders and goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon provided defiance and quality as Germany threatened in the first half then attempted to mount a recovery after the break. German coach Löw responded to Pirlo's master class against England by detailing the recalled Toni Kroos to monitor the veteran. The ploy was not a success. Buffon and his German counterpart Neuer greeted each other warmly in the tunnel before kick-off in a prelude to a busy first forty five minutes for the pair. Buffon was grateful Pirlo was well placed to clear Mats Hummels' effort off the line while he also needed to be alert to deal with Jérôme Boateng's dangerous cross, which almost deflected in off Andrea Barzagli, as well as a shot from Kroos. 
Italy edged their way into the game as Neuer saved from Montolivo and they capitalised on the spell of pressure when Balotelli headed them in front after twenty minutes. Cassano was the creator as he escaped Hummels and crossed perfectly for Balotelli, who lost Holger Badstuber to head past Neuer. Germany's slack defending was in sharp contrast to their attacking and Buffon was again called into action to save from Özil and Sami Khedira before Balotelli provided another demonstration of the talent that makes him such a compelling footballer and personality. Montolivo's pass exposed Germany, leaving Balotelli to take a touch before drilling a magnificent finish high past the helpless Neuer - although by stripping off his shirt in celebration he received a needless booking from the rather fussy French referee Stephane Lannoy. Germany required emergency action and Löw took it at the start of the second half when he replaced the anonymous Lukas Podolski - watched, after completing his summer move to Arsenal, by his new club manager Arsene Wenger - and Mario Gómez with Miroslav Klose and Marco Reus. A German response was to be expected and captain Philipp Lahm almost provided it, only to waste a presentable opportunity by firing off target - bringing a reaction from Prandelli as he removed Cassano and sent on Alessandro Diamanti. Reus almost provided what Löw was looking for just after the hour but once again Buffon showed great athleticism to turn his free-kick on to the bar. Claudio Marchisio was guilty of squandering the chance to wrap things up for Italy before Balotelli's night ended prematurely with twenty minutes left, making way for Antonio di Natale. Another spell of slick passing, inevitably, involving Pirlo, played Marchisio in again but he flashed a low, angled effort beyond Neuer but also the far post. Germany, backed by magnificent vocal support, thought they had a late lifeline when Özil scored from the spot after Federico Balzaretti's handball - but nothing could stop Italy and Balotelli's night of triumph.
David Beckham has not been selected for the Great Britain Olympic football squad. The thirty seven-year-old former England skipper said in May he thought he had a 'good chance' of playing at London 2012. He said: 'Naturally I am very disappointed, but there will be no bigger supporter of the team than me. I would have been honoured to have been part of this unique Team GB squad. Like everyone, I will be hoping they can win the gold.' Beckham made manager Stuart Pearce's shortlist of thirty five players but was overlooked for the final eighteen-man squad as one of three players over the age of twenty three allowed to compete in the Olympics. Pearce, who watched Beckham play for Los Angeles Galaxy last week, picked Sheikh Yer Man City defender Micah Richards ahead of him. Pearce rang Beckham on Wednesday night to tell him the news, explaining that he wanted more defensive cover in the squad. Richards has been included alongside The Scum midfielder Ryan Giggs and Liverpool Alabama Yee Haws' striker Craig Bellamy as the three over-age players. Beckham, who signed a new two-year with LA Galaxy in January, was part of the Olympic flame handover ceremony in May, bringing it to Britain for the torch relay. He played a major role as a sporting ambassador when London won the 2012 bid, and has made no secret of his desire to captain Team GB. He said in April this year that he wanted to 'be a part of history' by competing in the Olympics in his home town. London 2012 chief Lord Coe said he would be talking to Beckham about a role during the Olympics. 'David has been an extraordinary supporter - probably our number one supporter - of the Games from the very beginning and is keen to continue his enthusiastic support right to the end,' he said. 'He is from East London and knows how important the Games and sport are to young people. He is a great role model.' In January, Beckham said:
'I have led my country before and know how special it would be to lead them into the Olympics.' However, Pearce said in April: 'He's been a great ambassador but that's no guarantee he'll get in the squad. I'm picking on form and merit alone. David Beckham will be treated exactly the same as any other individual, whether it is young or over-age. I have a duty of care to the Great Britain squad to try to win a gold medal. I will pick the strongest squad I can.' Match of the Day's Gary Lineker reacted to Beckham's omission by tweeting: 'Never thought for a second that David Beckham would be excluded from GB's team. Terrible shame for Beckham having given so much to the Olympic bid and football.' Former Wales international and BBC Sport pundit - and gobshite - Robbie Savage tweeted: 'Why was Beckham on the shortlist in the first place, then not pick him? Disgrace!' And Beckham's former England team-mate Danny Mills, who played under Pearce at Man City, told BBC Sport: 'There's always an issue around the Beckham brand. We know how big he is - he's global, he's huge. But when it comes to football reasons, David Beckham can still do a job. "I think he would have been a great spectacle and I think it's a bit of shame he's not in there. Stuart Pearce doesn't always like confrontation and he's struggled with big players in the past.' 'Maybe he's thinking that what Beckham brings with him is too much to handle.' Though, what ignorant skinhead Danny Mills knows about 'big players' is another matter entirely. The British Olympic Association said it had not received the final eighteen-man squad from the Football Association. A statement read: 'We are expecting the list no later than the early part of next week.' Team GB were drawn in Group A at London 2012 alongside Senegal, Uruguay and United Arab Emirates. They begin their Olympic campaign against Senegal at Old Trafford on 26 July before facing the United Arab Emirates at Wembley on 29 July, and Uruguay at the Millennium Stadium on 1 August. Each squad must contain fifteen players born after 1 January 1989.
Former captain Alan Shearer believes England have 'no chance' of winning the 2014 World Cup and are 'a million miles away' from the top international sides. Roy Hodgson's side were knocked out of Euro 2012 by Italy on penalties. 'I don't attach any blame to Roy Hodgson,' Shearer told BBC Sport. 'But I don't go along with the idea England go home with their heads held high. It's no good sitting here saying we will win the World Cup in two years' time. The reality is we will not.' And, in other news, apparently, the pope is Catholic and bears do shit in the woods. Next ... Hodgson's side were beaten on penalties by Italy last Sunday after being outclassed in a goalless draw in Kiev. England's players won plaudits for an improved performance in Ukraine, after a disastrous World Cup in South Africa in 2010. Germany coach Joachim Löw - who masterminded a 4-1 thrashing of Fabio Capello's side two years ago - has praised Hodgson's management, and said that 'England will develop under him in the next few years.' But Shearer sees a vast gulf in quality between England and the likes of Spain and Löw's Germany side. 'The big thing people have spoken about is the togetherness and work ethic but if you just want eleven guys to go out and work hard, I can find you eleven men from Newcastle city centre who will work their socks off,' he said.
'That has to be a given, whether at a club or even more so for an international team. We are a million miles away from the top sides. Heads held high? Do you think France will go home to that reception? It's a sign of how far behind we are now that we can go home and say we can hold our heads up high for getting into the quarter finals.' The Football Association recently voted in proposals for youth coaching which include smaller-sided games on smaller pitches with smaller goals. But Shearer believes any progress on the international stage will need a vast improvement in the coaching culture of the country, which could take years. 'It's no good sitting here saying we will win the World Cup in two years' time,' he said. 'The reality is we will not. We have got to get out of the habit of going to tournaments thinking we can win it. This tournament has proven that. We need a change in culture and to be fair to the FA they are trying to change things now. It's going to take time to put these systems in place. Our league is the best in the world for entertainment but only because it is full of foreigners.' Fellow England international and BBC Sport pundit Lee Dixon also called for changes. 'Let's remind ourselves where we were two years ago under Capello,' he said. 'We have come on, the team was an absolute shambles. We have repaired that but we haven't moved forwards football-wise. If you go and watch how they teach kids to play football on the continent, they are all doing it a different way to us. And we are not progressing, so they must be doing it right. It's not rocket science.'
Eric Cantona attended a Stone Roses concert in France last night, according to reports. The Scum legend and movie actor performed on stage in Lyon with the gig's support act, The Clash's Mick Jones. Cantona was attending an event organised to benefit the victims of the Hillsborough disaster.
Cantona performed a duet of Clash anthem 'Should I Stay or Should I Go?' with Jones, who was collaborating with The Farm and Pete Wylie. The elusive Frenchman, forty six, was originally expected to accompany the Roses on stage. Sheila Coleman, a spokeswoman for the Hillsborough Justice Campaign, told the Liverpool Echo: 'The HJC is thrilled that Eric Cantona spent some time with the band's musicians. Eric knows all about the campaign and he said that he supports it – and Ian Brown from the Stone Roses has given his backing too. It shows the campaign for the truth transcends football rivalries.' The Madchester group's song 'This Is The One' is traditionally played at Old Trafford as the players go down the tunnel.
England's manager Roy Hodgson insists lack of fitness was not behind Wayne Rooney's poor display in the Euro 2012 quarter-final defeat to Italy in Kiev. Hodgson insists that statistics backed up his claims that Rooney was in good shape - but admitted the weight of expectation on England's allegedly most gifted attacking talent may have been too great. Rooney returned from a two game ban to score England's winner against Ukraine, only to deliver a below par performance in the quarter-final as Italy won four-two on penalties after a goalless one hundred and twenty minutes. Hodgson said: 'We haven't noticed any problems with Wayne's fitness levels. We've monitored it in training and he's looked very fit.' He added: 'In the first game against Ukraine he didn't show any particular signs of lacking fitness. He played one hundred and twenty minutes [against Italy]. What you might be saying is that you are a bit disappointed with his performance and maybe thought he could have played better.'
Rooney was with England at their pre-Euro 2012 training camp in Krakow and travelled to the early group games in Donetsk and Kiev. Rooney looked sluggish and out of touch in the game against Italy - although, to be fair, he was far from alone on that score - but Hodgson defended him, saying: 'His running stats in the training sessions and in the game were actually very good. Of course we put a lot of expectations on him. When he missed the first two games there was a suggestion we all believed that all we need to do is get to the third game and Wayne Rooney will win us the championship. That was maybe too much to ask of him. He certainly tried very hard. He didn't have his best game - I'm sure he will admit that. That could be down to a number of factors but I don't think the fitness itself was a particular factor.' Rooney himself was in subdued mood after another England campaign ended with defeat on penalties in the last eight, as it did against Portugal in both Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup. He said: 'It was a horrible way to go out. We are all gutted. It was a tough game. We all worked hard and to lose on penalties is a horrible feeling for everyone. We can hold our heads up high. There are a lot of young players in squad. It's a sad feeling now but that will help us going into the qualifiers for the next tournament.'
Birmingham City are close to confirming the appointment of Lee Clark as their new manager, BBC West Midlands reports. The thirty nine-year-old Tynesider is believed to have agreed to take the post after talks with the Championship club and is expected to be unveiled on Wednesday. Wallsend-born Clark would succeed Chris Hughton, who resigned earlier this month to take charge of Norwich City. It would mean a return to football for Clark four months on from his surprise sacking as manager of Huddersfield Town. The former Newcastle United, Sunderland and Fulham midfielder was seen as a bright young managerial talent in the game for most of his three years in charge at the Galpharm Stadium. After cutting his teeth in coaching under Glenn Roeder, first at Newcastle, then at Norwich, Clark brought in experienced duo Terry McDermott and Derek Fazackerley alongside former team-mate Steve Watson as his backroom team when he took over at Huddersfield.
He guided the Terriers to third place in League One in the 2010-11 season and, although they lost to Peterborough United in the play-off final, he was rewarded with a new rolling contract. They began last season in the same form, Clark's Terriers eventually extending their unbeaten league run to a record forty three matches between January and November 2011. With his team still fourth in League One, eyebrows were raised when he was sacked in February following a 1-0 home defeat by Sheffield United. But the change in leadership ultimately paid off as the Terriers went on to win promotion to the Championship in May via the play offs. Under new boss Simon Grayson, they won after a dramatic 8-7 penalty shoot-out win over the Blades at Wembley. But Grayson afterwards paid a generous tribute to his predecessor, saying: 'Credit goes to Lee Clark, because he put most of that team together."'
Italy edged their way into the game as Neuer saved from Montolivo and they capitalised on the spell of pressure when Balotelli headed them in front after twenty minutes. Cassano was the creator as he escaped Hummels and crossed perfectly for Balotelli, who lost Holger Badstuber to head past Neuer. Germany's slack defending was in sharp contrast to their attacking and Buffon was again called into action to save from Özil and Sami Khedira before Balotelli provided another demonstration of the talent that makes him such a compelling footballer and personality. Montolivo's pass exposed Germany, leaving Balotelli to take a touch before drilling a magnificent finish high past the helpless Neuer - although by stripping off his shirt in celebration he received a needless booking from the rather fussy French referee Stephane Lannoy. Germany required emergency action and Löw took it at the start of the second half when he replaced the anonymous Lukas Podolski - watched, after completing his summer move to Arsenal, by his new club manager Arsene Wenger - and Mario Gómez with Miroslav Klose and Marco Reus. A German response was to be expected and captain Philipp Lahm almost provided it, only to waste a presentable opportunity by firing off target - bringing a reaction from Prandelli as he removed Cassano and sent on Alessandro Diamanti. Reus almost provided what Löw was looking for just after the hour but once again Buffon showed great athleticism to turn his free-kick on to the bar. Claudio Marchisio was guilty of squandering the chance to wrap things up for Italy before Balotelli's night ended prematurely with twenty minutes left, making way for Antonio di Natale. Another spell of slick passing, inevitably, involving Pirlo, played Marchisio in again but he flashed a low, angled effort beyond Neuer but also the far post. Germany, backed by magnificent vocal support, thought they had a late lifeline when Özil scored from the spot after Federico Balzaretti's handball - but nothing could stop Italy and Balotelli's night of triumph.David Beckham has not been selected for the Great Britain Olympic football squad. The thirty seven-year-old former England skipper said in May he thought he had a 'good chance' of playing at London 2012. He said: 'Naturally I am very disappointed, but there will be no bigger supporter of the team than me. I would have been honoured to have been part of this unique Team GB squad. Like everyone, I will be hoping they can win the gold.' Beckham made manager Stuart Pearce's shortlist of thirty five players but was overlooked for the final eighteen-man squad as one of three players over the age of twenty three allowed to compete in the Olympics. Pearce, who watched Beckham play for Los Angeles Galaxy last week, picked Sheikh Yer Man City defender Micah Richards ahead of him. Pearce rang Beckham on Wednesday night to tell him the news, explaining that he wanted more defensive cover in the squad. Richards has been included alongside The Scum midfielder Ryan Giggs and Liverpool Alabama Yee Haws' striker Craig Bellamy as the three over-age players. Beckham, who signed a new two-year with LA Galaxy in January, was part of the Olympic flame handover ceremony in May, bringing it to Britain for the torch relay. He played a major role as a sporting ambassador when London won the 2012 bid, and has made no secret of his desire to captain Team GB. He said in April this year that he wanted to 'be a part of history' by competing in the Olympics in his home town. London 2012 chief Lord Coe said he would be talking to Beckham about a role during the Olympics. 'David has been an extraordinary supporter - probably our number one supporter - of the Games from the very beginning and is keen to continue his enthusiastic support right to the end,' he said. 'He is from East London and knows how important the Games and sport are to young people. He is a great role model.' In January, Beckham said:
'I have led my country before and know how special it would be to lead them into the Olympics.' However, Pearce said in April: 'He's been a great ambassador but that's no guarantee he'll get in the squad. I'm picking on form and merit alone. David Beckham will be treated exactly the same as any other individual, whether it is young or over-age. I have a duty of care to the Great Britain squad to try to win a gold medal. I will pick the strongest squad I can.' Match of the Day's Gary Lineker reacted to Beckham's omission by tweeting: 'Never thought for a second that David Beckham would be excluded from GB's team. Terrible shame for Beckham having given so much to the Olympic bid and football.' Former Wales international and BBC Sport pundit - and gobshite - Robbie Savage tweeted: 'Why was Beckham on the shortlist in the first place, then not pick him? Disgrace!' And Beckham's former England team-mate Danny Mills, who played under Pearce at Man City, told BBC Sport: 'There's always an issue around the Beckham brand. We know how big he is - he's global, he's huge. But when it comes to football reasons, David Beckham can still do a job. "I think he would have been a great spectacle and I think it's a bit of shame he's not in there. Stuart Pearce doesn't always like confrontation and he's struggled with big players in the past.' 'Maybe he's thinking that what Beckham brings with him is too much to handle.' Though, what ignorant skinhead Danny Mills knows about 'big players' is another matter entirely. The British Olympic Association said it had not received the final eighteen-man squad from the Football Association. A statement read: 'We are expecting the list no later than the early part of next week.' Team GB were drawn in Group A at London 2012 alongside Senegal, Uruguay and United Arab Emirates. They begin their Olympic campaign against Senegal at Old Trafford on 26 July before facing the United Arab Emirates at Wembley on 29 July, and Uruguay at the Millennium Stadium on 1 August. Each squad must contain fifteen players born after 1 January 1989.Former captain Alan Shearer believes England have 'no chance' of winning the 2014 World Cup and are 'a million miles away' from the top international sides. Roy Hodgson's side were knocked out of Euro 2012 by Italy on penalties. 'I don't attach any blame to Roy Hodgson,' Shearer told BBC Sport. 'But I don't go along with the idea England go home with their heads held high. It's no good sitting here saying we will win the World Cup in two years' time. The reality is we will not.' And, in other news, apparently, the pope is Catholic and bears do shit in the woods. Next ... Hodgson's side were beaten on penalties by Italy last Sunday after being outclassed in a goalless draw in Kiev. England's players won plaudits for an improved performance in Ukraine, after a disastrous World Cup in South Africa in 2010. Germany coach Joachim Löw - who masterminded a 4-1 thrashing of Fabio Capello's side two years ago - has praised Hodgson's management, and said that 'England will develop under him in the next few years.' But Shearer sees a vast gulf in quality between England and the likes of Spain and Löw's Germany side. 'The big thing people have spoken about is the togetherness and work ethic but if you just want eleven guys to go out and work hard, I can find you eleven men from Newcastle city centre who will work their socks off,' he said.
'That has to be a given, whether at a club or even more so for an international team. We are a million miles away from the top sides. Heads held high? Do you think France will go home to that reception? It's a sign of how far behind we are now that we can go home and say we can hold our heads up high for getting into the quarter finals.' The Football Association recently voted in proposals for youth coaching which include smaller-sided games on smaller pitches with smaller goals. But Shearer believes any progress on the international stage will need a vast improvement in the coaching culture of the country, which could take years. 'It's no good sitting here saying we will win the World Cup in two years' time,' he said. 'The reality is we will not. We have got to get out of the habit of going to tournaments thinking we can win it. This tournament has proven that. We need a change in culture and to be fair to the FA they are trying to change things now. It's going to take time to put these systems in place. Our league is the best in the world for entertainment but only because it is full of foreigners.' Fellow England international and BBC Sport pundit Lee Dixon also called for changes. 'Let's remind ourselves where we were two years ago under Capello,' he said. 'We have come on, the team was an absolute shambles. We have repaired that but we haven't moved forwards football-wise. If you go and watch how they teach kids to play football on the continent, they are all doing it a different way to us. And we are not progressing, so they must be doing it right. It's not rocket science.'Eric Cantona attended a Stone Roses concert in France last night, according to reports. The Scum legend and movie actor performed on stage in Lyon with the gig's support act, The Clash's Mick Jones. Cantona was attending an event organised to benefit the victims of the Hillsborough disaster.
Cantona performed a duet of Clash anthem 'Should I Stay or Should I Go?' with Jones, who was collaborating with The Farm and Pete Wylie. The elusive Frenchman, forty six, was originally expected to accompany the Roses on stage. Sheila Coleman, a spokeswoman for the Hillsborough Justice Campaign, told the Liverpool Echo: 'The HJC is thrilled that Eric Cantona spent some time with the band's musicians. Eric knows all about the campaign and he said that he supports it – and Ian Brown from the Stone Roses has given his backing too. It shows the campaign for the truth transcends football rivalries.' The Madchester group's song 'This Is The One' is traditionally played at Old Trafford as the players go down the tunnel.England's manager Roy Hodgson insists lack of fitness was not behind Wayne Rooney's poor display in the Euro 2012 quarter-final defeat to Italy in Kiev. Hodgson insists that statistics backed up his claims that Rooney was in good shape - but admitted the weight of expectation on England's allegedly most gifted attacking talent may have been too great. Rooney returned from a two game ban to score England's winner against Ukraine, only to deliver a below par performance in the quarter-final as Italy won four-two on penalties after a goalless one hundred and twenty minutes. Hodgson said: 'We haven't noticed any problems with Wayne's fitness levels. We've monitored it in training and he's looked very fit.' He added: 'In the first game against Ukraine he didn't show any particular signs of lacking fitness. He played one hundred and twenty minutes [against Italy]. What you might be saying is that you are a bit disappointed with his performance and maybe thought he could have played better.'
Rooney was with England at their pre-Euro 2012 training camp in Krakow and travelled to the early group games in Donetsk and Kiev. Rooney looked sluggish and out of touch in the game against Italy - although, to be fair, he was far from alone on that score - but Hodgson defended him, saying: 'His running stats in the training sessions and in the game were actually very good. Of course we put a lot of expectations on him. When he missed the first two games there was a suggestion we all believed that all we need to do is get to the third game and Wayne Rooney will win us the championship. That was maybe too much to ask of him. He certainly tried very hard. He didn't have his best game - I'm sure he will admit that. That could be down to a number of factors but I don't think the fitness itself was a particular factor.' Rooney himself was in subdued mood after another England campaign ended with defeat on penalties in the last eight, as it did against Portugal in both Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup. He said: 'It was a horrible way to go out. We are all gutted. It was a tough game. We all worked hard and to lose on penalties is a horrible feeling for everyone. We can hold our heads up high. There are a lot of young players in squad. It's a sad feeling now but that will help us going into the qualifiers for the next tournament.'Birmingham City are close to confirming the appointment of Lee Clark as their new manager, BBC West Midlands reports. The thirty nine-year-old Tynesider is believed to have agreed to take the post after talks with the Championship club and is expected to be unveiled on Wednesday. Wallsend-born Clark would succeed Chris Hughton, who resigned earlier this month to take charge of Norwich City. It would mean a return to football for Clark four months on from his surprise sacking as manager of Huddersfield Town. The former Newcastle United, Sunderland and Fulham midfielder was seen as a bright young managerial talent in the game for most of his three years in charge at the Galpharm Stadium. After cutting his teeth in coaching under Glenn Roeder, first at Newcastle, then at Norwich, Clark brought in experienced duo Terry McDermott and Derek Fazackerley alongside former team-mate Steve Watson as his backroom team when he took over at Huddersfield.
He guided the Terriers to third place in League One in the 2010-11 season and, although they lost to Peterborough United in the play-off final, he was rewarded with a new rolling contract. They began last season in the same form, Clark's Terriers eventually extending their unbeaten league run to a record forty three matches between January and November 2011. With his team still fourth in League One, eyebrows were raised when he was sacked in February following a 1-0 home defeat by Sheffield United. But the change in leadership ultimately paid off as the Terriers went on to win promotion to the Championship in May via the play offs. Under new boss Simon Grayson, they won after a dramatic 8-7 penalty shoot-out win over the Blades at Wembley. But Grayson afterwards paid a generous tribute to his predecessor, saying: 'Credit goes to Lee Clark, because he put most of that team together."'
