Pirlo: Italy deserved to beat England

Italy midfielder Andrea Pirlo says his side fully deserved their Euro 2012 quarter-final triumph over England following a dramatic penalty shoot-out, Goal.com reported.

The 33-year-old expressed delight with the result and looked forward to a semi-final meeting with tournament favourites Germany.

"I'm very happy to get the man-of-the-match award, but the most important thing is the side have gone through to the semi-finals," Pirlo told Sky Sports. "We deserved to do so.

"Now we have a semi against Germany to come, and we're all hopeful of getting through right to the end of the tournament."