Ancelotti says England 'did nothing' during Euro QF defeat against Italy

London, June 27(ANI): Former Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has criticized England's performance during their penalty shootout loss to Italy in the Euro 2012 quarterfinal, saying that the Three Lions did nothing throughout the match.

The Italian said he was surprised by how easily the Azzurri claimed their semi-final spot, and added that the England never created any problems for Italy throughout the match.

"We deserved to win in 90 minutes. They didn't do anything. We always had the ball. We attacked. We had shots. We were unlucky, certainly. Italy were great at taking away the spaces for their counter-attacks," The Sun quoted Ancelotti, as saying.

"They were playing that way, in a 4-4-2, defensive and counter-attacking. They were almost never dangerous against Italy. What impressed me was Italy's personality. They were always the boss in the middle of the park - they always had possession and clear ideas," he added.

Ancelotti believes Juventus midfielder Andrea Pirlo tipped the balance in Italy's favour during the shootout with his brilliant, chipped spot-kick.

The Paris St Germain coach added: "Pirlo sorted it. I'm dead sure about it. When you do something like that, the opponents get depressed. And your teammates celebrate. That's why Pirlo was decisive." (ANI)