World champions Italy finally found luck and way to score here on Tuesday, knocking out the 2006 World Cup runners-up France with a 2-0 victory and reaching the Euro 2008 quarterfinals thanks to a 2-0 win of the Netherlands over Romania in Bern.
A superb penalty scored by Andrea Pirlo in the mid of the first half and Daniele De Rossi's super free-kick volley after the break sealed the crucial win for Azzurri, which desperately need a victory to qualify for the knockouts after beaten 3-0 by the daunting Dutchs and tying 1-1 with Romania.
French full back Eric Abidal was red carded after clattering into Italian striker Luca Toni's legs from behind in the area on 25 minutes, which favored Italy a penalty kick as well as against a 10-men France. AC Milan playmaker Pirlo right-footed the ball to the top left corner to earn Roberto Donadoni's side a 1-0 ealy lead.
Italian supporters, however, did not stood up to celebrate until the big screen showed in the 56 minute that the group winners Holland grasped a 1-0 lead over Romania, which had two points in hand ahead of Tuesday's game and would have see both the World Cup finalists off.
The cheering mood of Italians was further boosted up after De Rossi belted a free-kick towards the bottom left-han corner of Gregory Coupet's goal from 25 meters out, which deflected off French striker Thierry Henry on the edge of the wall, looping back across the goal and over the dived keeper.
Boosted by the early 1-0 lead after Pirlo's penalty, the Azzurri launched a series of efforts on the goalmouth at the rival end, but a De Rossi attempt at 27 and other presentable three by Toni in quick succession went wide or blocked by a tight Gregory Coupet.
France's best chance came in the 50 minute when Karim Benzema's power shot with his right foot from outside the box just went high,before Karim Benzema's right-footed shot from outside the box, assisted by Patrice Evra, was saved in the bottom right corner at 73.
All things seemed to go wrong for Raymond Domenech's side, as core midfielder Franck Ribery was stretched off due to injury just eight minutes into the game after a clash just with Gianluca Zambrotta while both chasing a long ball forward.
The attacking front of the French also met problems with Henry and Benzema wasted a couple of scoring chances after trailing 1-0 in the first half.
However, fantasy happens for the world champions, on the other hand, with both the referee and the weather gave them the superiority.
The 25-minute red card given by Slovakian referee Lubos Michel could be a sensible yellow card with some mercy.
And the rain, which has lasted out in Zurich for hours, stopped right after there started Italian national anthem, and a rainbow hung over the Letzigrund, which could see world champions Italy or runners-up France, or both, bow out of the tournament.
France needed a win to have any chance of progressing in the tournament, with the result in the Netherlands vs Romania match also having to go their way, after Les Bleus tying Romania 0-0 and lost to the Netherlands on a shock 4-1.
Holland, with 9 points from three impressive victories of as many matches, had already qualified as group winners ahead of the Romania match, while Italy joined the Oranje after the overdue 2-0. Romania kept in two points after the disappointing 2-0 on Tuesday, and France packed home with only a goalless draw and two humiliating defeats.
Source: Xinhua
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