EURO 2012 LIVE: Spain vs. Italy

Associated Press – 15 mins ago

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — It’s the final day of Euro 2012, with Italy and Spain going head to head for the cup. Follow the best of the action, photos and pre-match buildup here. Want to have your say? Contact (at)phillipsian and (at)simonhaydon via Twitter. All times are Ukrainian.

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1645: Five hours until kickoff at the Olympic Stadium — and the outcome is so hard to predict. Can Italy’s Andrea Pirlo continue to shine even in the company of Spain’s Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta and Xabi Alonso? Will it be showman Mario Balotelli‘s night? Or another headline-grabbing night for Cesc Fabregas whose penalty got Spain into the final and also won the 2008 European Championship final? Of course it could come down to nerve-wracking penalties — with two of the world’s very best goalkeepers, Iker Casillas and Gianluigi Buffon, emerging the hero.

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1630: Will Spain throw off the shackles and attack more tonight? They beat Portugal on penalties in the semifinals after a 0-0 draw. Their 2-0 victory over France in the quarterfinals included a penalty and a 1-0 win over Croatia in the final group match needed an 88th minute winner from Jesus Navas. That’s just two goals from open play in 300 minutes of football. The coach has mostly opted for starting lineups without a recognized striker, hoping one of the midfielders will ghost into attacking positions and score. That’s risky — especially gainst Italy which over the years has traditionally been a hard team to break down.

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1615: Among tonight’s guests could be Belarus’ authoritarian president Aleksander Lukashenko. EU leaders are boycotting Sunday’s match over the jailing of former Ukraine premier Yulia Tymoshenko.

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1600: So far, 72 goals have been scored and here are AP’s John Leicester top five contenders. Still time, though, for another entry or two tonight. Want your say? Contact us via Twitter:

DANNY WELBECK vs. Sweden: Brilliant for its cunning and exquisite timing.

ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC vs. France: An acrobatic kick Bruce Lee would have been proud of.

DAVID SILVA vs. Ireland: He passed it into the back of the net — past one defender, through the legs of two others, and beyond ‘keeper Shay Given.

ANDREA PIRLO vs. England: The height of cool, chipping a penalty over the ‘keeper — Panenka-style.

DI NATALE vs. Spain: Not the prettiest of goals, but worth a mention because of the rarity of anyone scoring past Iker Casillas.

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