Sky Sports pundit and The Sun columnist, Chris Kamara, believes Italy will shock Spain in tonight’s Euro 2012 Final in Kiev, Ukraine.
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The Azzurri have enjoyed a remarkable turnaround in fortunes since Cesare Prandelli took charge two years ago following a disastrous World Cup campaign, and they are now just 90 minutes away from being crowned European Champions.
They stunned Germany in the semi-finals, thanks to a Mario Balotelli double, and Kamara believes they are poised to pull off another upset here.
Kamara wrote in his column for The Sun: “Italy have proved me wrong at Euro 2012.
“The way the Azzurri played in their 2-1 semi-final victory over Germany was outstanding.
“Going into the tournament, they had problems with another match-fixing scandal and had threatened to withdraw from the competition, so to get to the final is an achievement in itself.
“But now many people are saying they could beat Spain — the current European and World champions — which is one hell of an accolade.
“Their improvement has been remarkable. I’ve been in love with Andrea Pirlo ever since the tournament started, but there are other players who have stepped up to the plate.
“Defender Leonardo Bonucci was brilliant against the Germans and Mario Balotelli was every inch a world-class player on the night.
“When you have history people think you are going to revert to type, but give the fella his due.
“To treat the German defence with the contempt that the Manchester City striker did was unbelievable and his work-rate was top notch.
“And now, with the confidence they have gained from progressing through the tournament, you cannot write off Italy in this final.
He added: “I expect this game to be extremely tactical and very cagey.
“Both teams will enjoy their possession. The ball will be screaming for a rest at the end because it will have had so many touches!
“It’s a hard one to call but I think it might go all the way to penalties.
“And with the way Italy have lit up this competition, it would be a brave man who bets against them.”
