Italy suffered a serious blow ahead of next month's World Cup when midfielder Riccardo Montolivo broke his leg during a warm-up game against Ireland at Craven Cottage on Saturday.
Italy manager Antonio Conte named his provisional squad for the European Championship on Monday, and his selection was notable as much for the player he left off as for those he chose.
Fiorentina, two goals down and reduced to 10 men, converted two penalties in seven minutes to draw 2-2 with AC Milan on Sunday in a match between two direct rivals for a Champions League place.
Italy extended their remarkable stranglehold on Germany when two superb first-half goals by Mario Balotelli gave them a 2-1 win in an excellent Euro 2012 semi-final on Thursday and a place in Sunday's final against Spain.
AC Milan have strengthened their midfield with the signing of Italy's Riccardo Montolivo and Mali's Bakaye Traore who were both free agents, the Serie A runners-up said on Thursday.
The world champions face Belgium in a friendly in Florence on Friday ahead of their Euro 2008 Group C matches against the Netherlands, Romania and France.
Adrian Mutu netted twice to push Fiorentina up to fifth in Serie A with a 3-1 win at Bologna on Monday.
Mario Balotelli rifled in a second-half free kick to help troubled AC Milan to a 3-1 win at bottom club Catania in Serie A on Sunday, ending a chaotic week for the seven-times European champions.
Midfielder Riccardo Montolivo missed out on his second straight major tournament due to injury on Tuesday while Daniele De Rossi was included in Italy's 23-man squad for next month's European Championship in France.
AC Milan beat visitors Lazio 2-0 to claim consecutive Serie A wins for the first time since February thanks to Carlos Bacca's fifth goal of the season and an M'Baye Niang penalty on Tuesday.
Troubled AC Milan were held to a goalless draw by AEK Athens
Nineteen-year-old forward Domenico Berardi scored four quickfire goals to give Sassuolo a 4-3 win over AC Milan on Sunday after they overturned an early two-goal deficit against the seven-times European champions.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
AC Milan have made a habit of muddling through under coach Massimiliano Allegri and they did it again on Wednesday by scraping into the Champions League knockout stage with a performance which left opponents Ajax Amsterdam fuming.
Paris St Germain's Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored his first Ligue 1 goal this season before missing a penalty as they beat En Avant Guingamp 3-0 to extend their lead to four points on Tuesday.
Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon saved a penalty and Andrea Pirlo curled in a trademark free kick late in the game to give the Serie A leaders a dramatic 1-0 win at Genoa on Sunday.
Lionel Messi marked his first start after injury with a goal in Barcelona's 1-1 draw at AC Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday while Fernando Torres got two as Chelsea thumped Schalke and Atletico Madrid's charge continued.
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