Good evening and welcome to Sports Mole's live text commentary of tonight's Euro 2012 quarter-final between England and Italy in Kiev.
Roy Hodgson's men were rewarded for finishing top of Group D with a match against the Azzurri, who came second behind holders Spain in Group C.
The Three Lions are bidding to reach their first semi-final since 1996, while the Italians are looking for a second triumph in the competition following their victory in 1968.
Please note that the match starts at 7.45pm.
22.26There it is. England lose yet again on penalties at a major tournament. You have to admit that Italy were the better team throughout the entire match, but England did well to take it as far as they did. It looked throughout that the Three Lions may have had luck on there side but, yet again, it wasn't to be. Credit to the Azzurri, they played some excellent attacking football this evening and are deserved winners. That's it from us tonight. We hope you've enjoyed our company as much as we've enjoyed yours. Join us on Wednedsday for the first semi-final as Portugal take on Spain.
22.25GOAL! Italy 4-2 England (Diamanti) - ITALY WIN 4-2 ON PENALTIES
22.24SAVED! Italy 3-2 England (Cole)
22.23GOAL! Italy 3-2 England (Nocerino)
22.22MISSED! Italy 2-2 England (Young)
22.21GOAL! Italy 2-2 England (Pirlo)
22.21GOAL! Italy 1-2 England (Rooney)
22.20MISSED! Italy 1-1 England (Montolivo)
22.20GOAL! Italy 1-1 England (Gerrard)
22.19GOAL! Italy 1-0 England (Balotelli)
22.18It'll be Italy's Mario Balotelli to take the first kick...
22.16The players are pacing around down on the pitch as the takers are decided.
22.13Well. England's future in a major tournament will once again be decided by penalties. Their last triumph came in Euro '96. Tense doesn't even cover the half of it.
ET 30 minAFTER EXTRA-TIME: England 0-0 Italy - Penalties to be played
ET 28 minMontolivo tries his luck now, but sees his shot from 25 yards go harmlessly wide.
ET 26 min...which Diamanti overhits out of play.
ET 26 minItaly can smell blood here as they win another corner...
ET 24 minThe ball is in the net for Italy but it's ruled out for offside as Nocerino is a yard in front of the defence when he nods in a cross.
ET 23 minCHANCE FOR DIAMANTI! The substitute hits his first-time effort over the bar from inside the box while under pressure from Gerrard.
ET 21 minBalotelli eventually hits it, but the striker lashes it into Row Z. Pirlo looks embarrassed.
ET 21 minCarroll then gives away a free kick with a foul on Marchisio. It's about 35 yards out and Pirlo is standing over it with Balotelli.
ET 20 minDiamanti whips it in, but Carroll eventually gets it away.
ET 19 minItaly have a free kick now as Maggio is dubiously fouled by Young...
ET 17 minTension for a moment in the England box as Lescott slips, but Terry clears up.
ET 16 minItaly get us underway for this second period of extra time...
ET 15+1 minHALF-TIME: England 0-0 Italy
ET 14 minItaly pressuring England now, but Young hoofs the ball away to safety.
ET 11 minOFF THE POST FOR ITALY! A cross from Diamanti inadvertently flies towards goal before clipping the outside of the post. A let off for England.
ET 10 minThe striker has another crack at goal, but again Hart gathers what was a tame shot.
ET 9 minBalotelli has a speculative effort on goal which is deflected and loops into the arms of Hart. It seems to be England who look more lively right now.
ET 7 minYoung whips in a cross now, but Walcott is simply too short to get on the end of it.
ET 6 minRooney looking frustrated as he is closed down out wide. It's not going his way. To be honest, it hasn't for the previous 95 minutes.
ET 4 minEngland make their final change as Jordan Henderson comes on for Scott Parker. The Spurs man has been magnificent tonight.
ET 3 minMaggio picks up a yellow card for a tackle on Young. The defender will miss the semi-final against Germany if Italy get through.
ET 2 minNocerino has the first shot on goal, but it flies over.
ET 1 minThere's some tired legs out there as Scott Parker and Steven Gerrard both receive massages on their legs. Play is about to get underway for the first period of extra-time and it'll be England to kick off.
21.37Just seeing replays of De Rossi's chance at the start of the second half. He had more time than he thought as he lashed wide from close range. How costly could that miss be?
21.34There you have it. A late chance for England, but that was pretty much all Italy for that second half. However, they couldn't find the net so we head into an extra 30 minutes. Got any fingernails left?
90+3 minFULL-TIME: England 0-0 Italy - Extra-time to be played
90+2 minNEARLY FOR ENGLAND! Carroll heads Cole's cross back across goal for Rooney, who blazes an overhead kick over the bar. What a goal that could have been.
90+1 minItaly make their final change as Ignazio Abate comes off for Christian Maggio. A straight swap for the Azzurri.
90 minWe'll have at least three minutes of added time...
89 minNocerino picks the ball up in the box and is about to pull the trigger, but Johnson defends brillianty to put the ball out for corner. Pirlo's resulting kick is cleared.
86 minWe're into the final five minutes of normal time now. This one looks like it's heading for an additional 30 minutes unless someone can make the decisive breakthrough.
83 minThe resulting free kick is cleared, but play is stopped as Balzaretti goes down after a collision with Parker. The Italian looked to be making a bit of a meal of that.
82 minAndrea Barzagli picks up the first yellow card of the match for a tasty tackle on Young.
80 minDiamanti tries his hand from distance, but his low drive is saved by Hart.
79 minItaly make another substitute with Daniele De Rossi coming off for Antonio Nocerino.
79 minDiamanti fires in a ferocious delivery which is punched away with equal vigour by Hart.
78 minCorner for Italy now...
78 minHere's a change for Italy now as Antonio Cassano is replaced by Alessandro Diamanti.
77 minCHANCE FOR ENGLAND! Gerrard swing in a free kick deep in Italian territory which reaches Buffon before Rooney can get his head to it. A rare opportunity for Hodgson's men, but can is spur them into life?
75 minPirlo still being afforded too much time in the midfield as Italy stay in possession. The chances aren't coming quite as frequently now, but they are dominating.
72 minGerrard is down now with a spot of cramp. He may have to play a fair bit longer if the result stays like this...
69 minLooking at the subs, Carroll is certainly putting himself about a bit out there, but Walcott has hardly had a touch.
67 minDe Rossi goes down like he's been shot under the challenge of Carroll. Nothing wrong with it, though.
65 minCarroll tries to get his head on Gerrard's delivery, only for the whistle to go for a foul.
64 minCLOSE FOR YOUNG! Carroll causes all sorts of problems in the Italian box as the ball falls to Young, whose deflected shot goes wide. Corner for England.
62 minPirlo chips a delightful ball to the back post, but De Rossi lashes at the ball and volleys over. Italy still pressing.
60 minHere they come now as James Milner and Danny Welbeck make way. Cometh the hour, cometh the...men?
59 minAndy Carroll and Theo Walcott are about to come on for England.
57 minFrom and England point of view, Pirlo is being allowed far too much time on the ball. We know how capable he is of picking out a killer pass, but nothing is being done about it.
56 minSuperb defending from Cole now as the full-back cuts out Pirlo's through ball to Abate. It's all Italy at the moment.
54 minAny fears that this would be a dud second half have been dispelled in the opening 10 minutes. Both teams attacking as they did in their first.
53 minAndy Carroll and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are warming up on the sidelines...
52 minAMAZING DOUBLE SAVE FROM HART! The keeper saves the original long-range effort before blocking Balotelli's rebound. That was excellent from the England number one.
49 minBonucci heads clear the set piece.
49 minEngland now have a corner as Abate deals with a good run from Rooney.
48 minINCREDIBLE MISS FROM DE ROSSI! Hart punches out the corner before the ball is hooked back in to De Rossi who somehow fires wide under no pressure from all of six yards. An astonishing miss.
47 minDanger for England as Abate's cross is dealt with before being put out for a corner.
46 minEngland start brightly as Milner does well on the right before firing in a low cross that evades his teammates before being hacked away by the Italians.
45 minEngland get us underway...
20.44The players are on their way out now for the second half...
20.33If you're looking for a concise review of the opening 45 minutes then check out our Half-Time Report here. We'll be back in five.
20.31The referee calls an abrupt end to what was a thrilling first half as England and Italy go in 0-0. There were plenty of chances for both sides there, with the two defences soaking up a lot of pressure. Some better finishing and we could have had a breakthrough.
45 minHALF-TIME: England 0-0 Italy
43 minEngland take advantage of a miscommunication between the Italians and go on the counter attack. Rooney picks the ball up out wide and can only deliver a weak cross which is easily dealt with. That was poor from Rooney. He's puffing away a bit out there...
42 minBalotelli nearly finds the net from six yards when he gets on the end of Cassano's header across goal, but Lescott claears before the corner is wasted. Balotelli reacts by booting the post. Nice.
39 minBalotelli has his hands together as he claims for a penalty. The striker tumbles while chasing the ball with Lescott, but the referee waves play on. Looked to be very little in that, to be honest.
38 minUnorthodox there from Hart as he casually bats away Cassano's swerving effort.
36 minBoth teams seem quite happy to let the other attack at the moment before going on the counter.
32 minGREAT CHANCE FOR WELBECK! The forward is played in by Rooney with the whole goal to aim at from 18 yards, but he sidefoots the ball over Buffon's crossbar. He would have been expected to score from there.
31 minAnother chance falls for Balotelli as Montolivo floats a ball into the edge of the area. The striker has to perform an acrobatic half-volley, which falls comfortably for Hart.
30 minSimilarly, Cassano picks up possession on the edge of the box before he is hustled out of it by plenty of England shirts.
28 minRooney gets the ball for a moment, but four Italians are on him in a flash as the attack breaks down. Anyone would think that he's the dangerman.
25 minGreat defending from Terry. Balotelli is onside and has a crack at goal from the edge of the box. However, the former England captain gets back just in time to deny the striker. Could have been the opening goal right there.
24 minThe Italian fans getting behind there team now with a thunderous chant of 'ITALIA! ITALIA! ITALIA!' It seems to be working too as the Azzurri start enjoying possession.
21 min...however, it comes to nothing again. Meanwhile Cassano lines one up from outside of the area which flies harmlessly wide.
20 minCorner for Italy now...
19 minAt the other end, Gerrard curls in a better cross this time, but Rooney can't get to it. It really is end to end stuff now.
17 min...but he overhits it before Balzaretti whacks the ball out for a goal kick.
16 minItaly free kick out on the right now as Lescott fouls Balotelli. Pirlo to deliver...
16 minThe England striker tries to turn provider this time, only to see his cross float well over the heads of his teammates and out for a goal kick.
14 minBig chance for Rooney. The striker dives in to head Johnson's cross, only to see the ball fly over the bar while under pressure from Abate.
13 minSome indecision from Buffon there as he punches a cross out under no pressure. The ball falls to Parker on the edge of the box, but he drags his effort wide. England starting to control.
11 min..which comes to nothing.
11 minWelbeck tries to latch onto the end of Rooney's cross, but Bonucci blocks and it's a corner...
9 minNow Italy have a chance to break, but Cassano's attempted pass to Balotelli is well overhit and rolls through to Hart. Plenty of space for the players all over the pitch at the moment.
8 minGerrard tries to swing in a cross, but the connection is poor and the Italians clear.
8 minBoth sides showing plenty of attacking intent here. Looking at the replay, Johnson just couldn't get the ball out from under his feet for his shot.
5 minWHAT A SAVE BY BUFFON! England's first meaningful attacks sees James Milner find Glen Johnson who hits a scuffed shot from the centre of the box that Buffon claws out of the air before gathering. Breathless stuff, this.
3 minOFF THE POST! Daniele De Rossi hits a stunning half-volley from 25 yards that bounces back off the post with Hart beaten. What a start from the Azzurri. Meanwhile, England have hardly had a touch.
2 minThe Italians are having the better of the opening stages here as Federico Balzaretti's decent cross evades his teammates and is eventually cleared.
1 minWe have our first shot on goal and it's from that man Balotelli. The striker hits an outrageous volley from distance that bobbles into the hands of Joe Hart.
19.45The handshakes are done and it'll be Italy to get us underway. Hold onto your hats...
19.42And the English give a rousing version of 'God Save the Queen'. Kick off is just minutes away.
19.40Italian skipper Gianluigi Buffon just sung that as if his life depended on it.
19.38The players are out and we're about to have the national anthems...
19.37The atmosphere is growing fervent inside the Olympic Stadium. And we have some avant-garde dancers in the centre circle. I avant-garde a clue what's going on.
19.34And now another look at Welbeck's cheeky finish against Sweden. Some incredible technique shown by both players.
19.33Just saw a replay of Balotelli's goal against the Republic of Ireland. That's him at his enigmatic best.
19.29Of course there will be plenty of eyes on Mario Balotelli tonight. What is there left to say about the Italian striker? A match-winner on his day, the 21-year-old can also single-handedly cause the walls to come tumbling down on himself and his teammates. What will his contribution be tonight?
19.24A bit of (recent) history for you: The last time the teams met was in a friendly at Elland Road in 2002 which Italy won 2-1. Vincenzo Montella scored twice that night while Robbie Fowler netted for the hosts.
19.20Italy currently edge England on the head-to-head stats with nine wins to England's seven. The two teams have played out seven draws.
19.15Let's remind ourselves how England got here: Two wins and a draw saw them top Group D ahead of France. They scored five goals in total and conceded three. Meanwhile, two draws and a win got Italy over the line behind holders Spain in Group C. The Azzurri netted four times and leaked two goals.
19.11"The bench is going to be more important than ever on an evening like tonight," says England manager Roy Hodgson. The veteran coach has Andy Carroll, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, amongst others, at his disposal this evening.
19.08That said, England will be up against an Italian side decorated with some incredible talent. Andrea Pirlo is one name that leaps out as pure class.
19.06Steven Gerrard is out with his players going through their warm-up routine. The skipper has been quite outstanding for this tournament, leading from deep within the midfield. Can he help see the Three Lions over the line tonight?
19.04Ahead of the match, many have predicted that penalties are likely to decide the outcome. I write this with heavy hands, but England haven't won a shootout since they saw off Spain in the quarters of Euro '96. That was the one where Stuart Pearce went bonkers after he scored.
18.59We like to spoil you here at Sports Mole, so take a look at our rundown of memorable encounters between the two sides. Contains Paul Ince doing his best Terry Butcher impression.
18.51TEAM NEWS: Roy Hodgson has named an unchanged lineup for England, while Mario Balotelli has replaced Antonio Di Natale for the Italians. You can see the lineups here.
18.49Right, here we go then. It's the big one. England and Italy conclude the quarter-finals of what hes been a thrilling European Championship. The prize for the winner is a semi-final clash against a much-fancied Germany.
