| TV | Date/time (BST) | Venue | |
| BBC | Wed 27 June, 19:45 | PORTUGAL 0-0 SPAIN* | Donetsk |
| BBC | Thu 28 June, 19:45 | GERMANY 1-2 ITALY | Warsaw |
SEMI FINAL 2: GERMANY 1-2 ITALY
Germany Neuer - Boateng (Mueller 71), Hummels, Badstuber, Lahm (c) - Schweinsteiger, Khedira, Kroos, Oezil - Podolski (Reus 46), Gomez (Klose 46). Goal Oezil 90pen
Italy Buffon (c) - Balzaretti, Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini - Pirlo, Marchisio, Montolivo (Motta 63), De Rossi - Balotelli (Di Natale 69), Cassano (Diamanti 58). Goals Balotelli 20, 36
Attendance 58,500 at the National Stadium, Warsaw Referee Stephane Lannoy (France)
ITALY broke Germany hearts again, repeating their 2006 World Cup semi final win to set up a final against favourites Spain on Sunday.
Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli scored twice in the first half to shock the Germans who have now made it to the last four of the last four competitions but failed to win any of them.
Joachim Loew's men actually started on the front foot with Mats Hummels getting the first chance to break the deadlock after just five minutes.
Gianluigi Buffon flapped at a corner, but centre-back Hummels was unable to control the ball and it came off his knee from six yards out for a goal-kick.
Still, the Nationalmannschaft continued as they were surely meant to go on, justifying their tag as second favourites behind Spain having scored nine goals in the tournament already.
The next chance, on 12 minutes, also inadvertently fell the Germans' way. Buffon was again unsure, electing to parry Jerome Boateng's cross.
Unfortunately for the Juventus keeper, he only managed to palm the ball straight against club-mate Andrea Barzagli. But, fortunately for the pair, the ball was deflected inches wide of the post.
From the resultant corner, Toni Kroos tested Buffon again but, this time, the Italian was equal to his task, diving a full-length to keep out a really decent effort.
The Azzurri, though, seemingly had a serious problem. Their slow start against England had been repeated in Warsaw again.
However, the presence of Antonio Cassano and Balotelli up front was enough to keep the Cesare Prandelli's men hopeful, and the pair combined on 20 minutes to make it 1-0.
Picking the ball up on the left, Cassano turned past Hummels all too easily and, in the gap left in the middle, Balotelli out-jumped his marker Holger Badstuber to power home a header from six yards.
Suddenly, the whole course of the game had changed. Germany were behind for the first time in the tournament and had to chase, while Italy could settle into a traditional defensive formation.
Except that they did not. Sensing an unusual vulnerability in the Germans, the Azzurri kept going and, just a couple of minutes later, messed up a three-on-two opportunity.
Sami Khedira tried to turn the tide back in the favour of the Nationalmannschaft but Buffon was again equal to his long-range effort, tipping the ball over for a corner.
Germany then wasted the corner and, within 30 seconds, were 2-0 down.
For, immediately after the corner, Riccardo Montolivo sent a 40-yard diagonal through-ball from inside his own half in the direction of Balotelli.
Germany's defence had, unforgivably, been caught out by this one pass with Balotelli out-pacing captain Philipp Lahm.
Sensing the chance of a brace, the Man City forward then unleashed a swerving Geoff Hurst-style strike right into the corner.
It was absolutely unstoppable, and simply brilliant from Balotelli who was booked for removing his shirt in celebration.
Balotelli's reaction quite summed up Italy perfectly. They would not have imagined in their wildest dreams to be 2-0 at half-time.
For Germany - who had never beaten the Italians in seven previous competitive attempts - it was the latest chapter of a recurring nightmare.
Nevertheless, Loew's men were not going to go down without a fight, and it was no surprise to see the Germans start the second half strongly.
A double change at the interval had brought the introduction of Marko Reus and Miroslav Klose in favour of Mario Gomez and Lukas Podolski.
The prodigious Reus did not take long to get into the action but he could only scuff a poor effort having got past Leonardo Bonucci.
Reus did rather better just a couple of minutes later, combining with Khedira to set up Lahm.
But, while the Bayern Munich full-back had scored a memorable opener against Greece in the quarter finals, he could not repeat the feat on this occasion, sending the ball wildly over the bar.
Germany continued to push and Kroos brought another fine save out of Buffon with a 25-yard free-kick. The corner, however, came to nothing, and time was beginning to run out.
The Germans were having to become ever-more adventurous in their attempts to pull back their deficit, at times leaving just two at the back against Balotelli's replacement Antonio Di Natale, and Cassano's sub Alessandro Diamanti.
Unsurprisingly then, in the closing stages, the Italians became a real threat on the break, looking likelier indeed than the Germans to score.
Claudio Marchisio had the first big chance to make it 3-0 but, one-on-one against keeper Manuel Neuer, he dragged his effort woefully wide.
Di Natale was next to be sent into the clear but, looking himself for a Hurst-style climax, he got his technique all wrong and sliced horribly across the ball.
The last big chance for a game-killing goal came to Federico Balzaretti, the defender somehow finding himself in acres of space down the right.
Too much space, as it happened - for, while the pony-tailed Balzaretti did indeed find the net, he had foolishly strayed offside.
It was almost as if the fate had decided that the Italians were not going to score a third - but, with five minutes left, it seemed unlikely that they would need it.
Germany were not going to let Italy get away that easily, however, with Neuer playing as a sweeper on the half-way line for the last five minutes.
Unfortunately for the Germans, Kroos could only fire over from range again before Hummels ended the match in the same way as he started it - unable to get a proper shot away from six yards out.
In the second minute of stoppage time, Germany finally got some joy as Balzaretti was adjudged to have handled after leaning into the ball with his arm under pressure from Klose.
Mesut Oezil stepped up and scored, leaving Germany with perhaps one last chance to salvage an amazing draw.
The chance was wasted, though, with Bastian Schweinsteiger choosing to pass a free-kick short rather than launch it into the box.
The match was over, and Germany - finalists four years ago and twice semi-finalists in the World Cups of 2006 and 2010 - had fallen painfully just short again. Euro 96 remains their last major international success.
Of course, Italy only have to go back six years for their World Cup win when, as an unfancied side at the height of a domestic match-fixing scandal, they triumphed against the odds.
Those exact same stars have aligned this time again, so Spain better watch out.
SEMI FINAL 1: PORTUGAL 0-0 SPAIN (2-4 on penalties)
Portugal Patricio - Pereira, Pepe, Alves, Coentrao - Meireles (Varela 113), Veloso (Custodio 106), Moutinho - Nani, Almeida (Oliveira 81), Ronaldo (c)
Spain Casillas (c) - Arbeloa, Pique, Sergio Ramos, Jordi Alba - Xavi (Pedro 87), Busquets, Alonso, Silva (Navas 60), Iniesta - Negredo (Fabregas 54)Attendance 51,500 at the Donbass Arena, Donetsk Referee Cuneyt Cakir (Turkey)
Penalties 0-0 Alonso saved, 0-0 Moutinho saved, 0-1 Iniesta scores, 1-1 Pepe scores, 1-2 Pique scores, 2-2 Nani scores, 2-3 Ramos scores, 2-3 Alves missed, 2-4 Fabregas scores
THE FIRST semi final had a more predictable result but the ultimately victorious Spanish went the long way around securing a third successive final appearance.
Cesc Fabregas thumped the winning penalty in-off the post, leaving Cristiano Ronaldo stranded as the unused fifth Portuguese taker.
It was a bad end to a night which had begun well for Portugal. Early on, they were able to disrupt Spain's usual passing rhythm, and it paid dividends with the Portuguese enjoying the better chances.
In particular, Ronaldo was getting a lot of joy down the left. He made a couple of bursts in the first 15 minutes, though they came to very little.
Nevertheless, the Portuguese continued throughout the first half with these tactics and prevented Spain from fashioning a clear opening themselves.
Portugal were quieter in the second half but Spain were little better as the match descended into a disappointing scrap punctuated by bookings.
There were six yellow cards in that second period, and nine overall including the entirety of the Portuguese defence.
And so, as the 90th minute approached, it had to be concluded that this Iberian derby had been a let-down.
Would extra time be any better? Well, it did not look like it when, farcically, Spain ended up passing their corner back to goalkeeper Iker Casillas.
In fairness, though, the Spanish did have the best chance of the match in this period with Casillas's opposite number Rui Patricio just turning Andres Iniesta's close range effort around the post.
Spain also had the best chance in the second half of extra time through Jesus Navas but again Patricio palmed the effort away.
This match had, for a long while, seemed destined for penalties and that fate was confirmed when - in the last minute - Pedro opted to find a team-mate rather than shoot, only to see his pass intercepted.
So, after 27 matches without a 0-0 draw, Euro 2012 had produced two in a row. At least, though, the shoot-outs were exciting with the eventual winners missing first again.
Xabi Alonso was responsible for the first failure - though, in fairness to him, his low shot drew a fine save from Patricio.
The former Liverpool man was reprieved immediately anyway as captain Casillas saved a similar effort from Joao Moutinho.
Still at 0-0, Iniesta finally scored the first goal of the contest by wrong-footing Patricio and rolling his penalty down the middle.
Pepe and Gerald Pique traded respective thumps into the bottom corner for a 2-1 lead to Spain. But then came the decisive moment in the shoot-out.
For once, it was not a miss as Nani scored to make it 2-2. However, the fact that the Manchester United winger had ordered Bruno Alves back for almost taking out of turn would have a profound effect on the Zenit St Petersburg defender.
For, by the time Alves stepped forward for his proper turn, Spain were 3-2 up as Sergio Ramos audaciously followed Pirlo's Panenka from the Italy-England quarter final with one himself.
Alves's thoughts must have been all over the place and - while he came close to scoring - he could only smash the ball against the bar.
So, while Ramos had emulated Pirlo, Alves had the misfortune of aping Ashley Young. At 3-2, Spain had match point.
Fabregas converted the golden opportunity - but only just as the woodwork worked against Portugal yet again.
Ronaldo was responsible for most of the efforts which had seen Portugal hit the bar or the post more than any other side in the championship.
The Real Madrid winger, as stranded fifth taker, claimed it had been his coach Paulo Bento who had decided the order.
But, even then, Ronaldo - as captain - should have insisted on being higher up the 'batting order', rather than accept this dereliction of duty.
Ultimately, the mistake means Portugal must wait to break their duck, having failed to win a single major trophy in history.
And while Spain, themselves, were previously known as the perennial under-achievers, wins at Euro 2008 and World Cup 2010 have well and truly shredded that tag.
A unique third consecutive win could be achieved on Sunday but the Spanish know of Italy's threat after a 1-1 draw between the sides in the Group C opener.
In that match, the Italians even took the lead after Di Natale out-paced the defence and curled a wonderful effort past Casillas.
However, that was the last goal Spain have conceded at this tournament and - in the true style of champions - they even responded to that instantly through Fabregas.
Spain's passing style - possession for the sake of it - has irritated some viewers, including myself, as has Vincente del Bosque's refusal to field a striker.
However, it cannot be denied that Spain will be justifiable history-makers if they can nullify the threat of Balotelli and Cassano - and carry off a third championship in a row.
