After scoring two goals on Thursday with his mum in the stands, Balotelli now wants to score in front of his father during tomorrow's final in Kiev
Mario Balotelli finally delivered on his promise as he took centrestage in the biggest match of his young life to send Italy into the Euro 2012 final against Spain on Sunday.
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Mesmerising: Italy’s Mario Balotelli controls the ball as he runs through to score his team’s second goal during the UEFA Euro 2012 semi-final against Germany in Warsaw, Poland on Thursday. PIC/Getty Imagesu00a0
The Azzurri proved once again they have the Indian sign on Germany as a superb double by Balotelli saw them to a 2-1 win - the third time they have beaten Die Mannschaft in a major tournament semi-final.
They are now unbeaten in eight competitive matches against Germany and the enigmatic 21-year-old Balotelli was the major reason for that. What made it extra special was that his adoptive mother was in the stands and whom he embraced at the end. “My mother was in the stadium and my father was watching it on television,” said Balotelli. “I scored two goals in front of my mother and I would like to score four in front of my father in Kiev in the final! My favourite moment was when I embraced my mum after the match.” Balotelli, who went joint top of the scoring chart with three goals as he grabbed one in the 2-0 win over the Irish in the group stage, was lauded by Italy coach Cesare Prandelli, who has been like another father figure to him. “He (Balotelli) was excellent, just like the entire team were,” said Prandelli.
“I really believe that a team needs to have an idea in the way they play and he really subscribed to this playing style. He was high up the pitch and available and I think he put in a very good performance this evening.”
One of the best...
In Italy Balotelli’s coaches have been saying for years that he has the potential to become one of the best players in the world but until Thursday, he had yet to prove it.
But in two moments of clinical brilliance in the first half, the Manchester City star buried Germany and made a mockery of the pre-match betting odds. On 20 minutes he showed a striker’s instinct to find a yard of space behind Holger Badstuber to head home Antonio Cassano’s left wing cross from six yards out. His teammate Daniele De Rossi had called him an “ometto” last week, an Italian word that means someone who is becoming a man and starting to take responsibility. That he certainly did but he then stripped off his shirt to celebrate his second goal, a move that earned a booking, demonstrating that he is not yet the finished article, either as a player or a man. Italy held on despite a late German goal and Balotelli, the errant wildman more known for his madcap antics than his footballing prowess, finally made his biggest headlines on the pitch.
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