Italy v Ukraine

This game was nowhere near as lopsided as the score might imply, although Italy did clearly outclass the Ukraine. Even hanging with Italy after giving up an early goal is difficult, and the Ukraine took a couple really nice chances in the second half, but couldn't catch a break.

The perfect one touch passes on the give and go for the Italians were really fucking nice. Italy's first goal, came through that, when Zambrotta passed the ball forward and cut around a Ukrainian midfielder, and his teammate's first touch sent it right back to him, a few feet farther upfield with space to run. Zambrotta took a shot from the no-man's-land between midfield and the Ukraine's back line. A defender hesitated the came out and jumped to block the far post shot, and Zambrotta instead fired it along the ground between his legs, just inside the near post, with the keeper out of position and screened by his own defender.

I also liked the creativity on the set pieces from Italy, cracking out the goofier stuff. On a free kick facing a wall, Grosso sets up to take the kick, but leaves it for Pirlo and cuts around the wall, and Pirlo chips it to him behind the wall, while the Ukraine's trying to figure out what's going on. It was cleared, but still amusing to watch. Italy's second goal came off a short corner, and a cross by Francesco Totti to Luca Toni. Toni scored Italy's third as well from a run by Zambrotta, splitting two defenders on the left side and pulling the whole D his way, but they couldn't slow him down until the keeper came over and Zambrotta passed across the goal mouth for Toni to tap in.

Mauro Camoranesi, for no apparent reason sporting a samurai topknot, was unlucky to not have a bigger day. In the third minute he made a run up the middle where everybody looked like they were in slow motion trying to close him down, taking the first shot of the game but missing. In the second half he made a similar run out of midfield, but holding the ball up just inside the box he collided knee to knee with a Ukrainian defender after passing the ball off to Perotta. Camoranesi went down, and should have won a penalty for that foul, but got no call, leading to him gesturing to his knee when the ref finally came over to find out why he couldn't get up. Perotta would have had a nice shot too, if he hadn't given up on the play waving his arms for the foul. The Italian reputation for diving probably cost them that penalty, and also caused problems when Gianluigi Buffon conked his head on the post making a save and couldn't get set for the resulting corner kick, clearly having to explain to the ref he really had something wrong with him and wasn't just time-wasting.

I knew it was all over though once the only player to crack Italy's defense came on the field... Cristian Zaccardo, who put one in his own goal against the United States. Seriously, the only goal Buffon has allowed was from his own defender, and Italy is really rolling, they have a serious shot at a fourth star on their jerseys. I would also note that there is no player named Barzoggley, and anytime ESPN wants to stop pronouncing Andrea Barzagli's name that way would be just fine.

Italy 3-0 Ukraine
'6 Zambrotta
'59 Toni
'69 Toni

Italy plays Germany in the semi-final in Dortmund.