HAMBURG, June 30: Luca Toni struck twice in the second half as Italy beat Ukraine 3-0 on Friday to set up a World Cup semi-final against hosts Germany.
Italy had a grip on the game from the sixth minute when Gianluca Zambrotta cut inside from the right flank and fired home a low left-foot shot.
The 3-0 win set up Italy’s first meeting with Germany at a World Cup since their victory in the 1982 final.
The World Cup hosts beat Argentina in a penalty shooutout earlier on Friday and will face Italy in Dortmund on Tuesday.
Gennaro Gattuso of Italy was named Man of the Match by FIFA’s Technical Study Group after his performance in the 3-0 win over Ukraine in the World Cup quarter-final in Hamburg on Friday.
In Berlin Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann saved twice in a shootout to give the hosts a 4-2 win on penalties over Argentina on Friday after their World Cup quarter-final had ended 1-1 after extra time.
Lehmann saved penalties from Roberto Ayala and Esteban Cambiasso, while Germany scored all four of their spot kicks.—Reuters
