Italian soccer fans were set to party into the night after Italy's 2-1 victory over Germany in the Euro 2012 semi-final.
Central Piazza del Popolo erupted into one spontaneous roar at the end of the match and fans jumped into the square's fountain and hugged each other.
"Beautiful, beautiful. A little bit of a mess maybe. But if the economy was going like tonight's match there would be no more crisis," a soaked fan Ginevra Basoli said.
The victory took on an even sweeter flavour as EU leaders meet in Brussels to discuss the euro zone crisis. Italy is set to suffer for German Chancellor Angela Merkel's tough stance on eurobonds and Italians certainly took delight in celebrating their victory over Germany following the semi-final.
"It was a great match, they played very well, Germany managed to score once in the end but they did not play well. I'm pleased," priest James said.
The best players on the field, Pirlo, Balotelli and Cassano. That's all. That's all I can tell you, Italy is great," added Giovanni Buzzanca, as his friend chanted "Super Mario" behind him.
Italy will now take on Spain in the finals.
Reuters