(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-06-18 10:38

ZURICH - World champions Italy fought their way back from the Euro 2008 exit door by beating 10-man France 2-0 on Tuesday to line up a quarter-final with Spain.

Italy's Gianluigi Buffon, left, and Fabio Cannavaro, right, celebrate their side's 2-0 win at the end of the group C match between France and Italy in Zurich, Switzerland, Tuesday, June 17, 2008, at the Euro 2008 European Soccer Championships in Austria and Switzerland. [Agencies]

While Italy breathed a sigh of relief at surviving what would have been an inglorious early departure from Group C, the game became a nightmare for France.

Eager to keep their chances of survival alive and avenge a penalty shootout defeat by Italy in the 2006 World Cup final, nothing went right for them and they finished bottom of the group.

They not only lost inspirational playmaker Franck Ribery to a knee injury after only nine minutes but also had defender Eric Abidal sent off for hauling down Luca Toni in the area.

Andrea Pirlo converted the resulting penalty in the 25th minute and a goal by Daniele De Rossi after 62 minutes gave Italy their first win over France in normal time without the need of extra time or penalties since the 1978 World Cup finals.

The victory, coupled with Romania's 2-0 defeat by Netherlands in Berne, secured Italy's place in the last eight.

The only setback on the night was that midfielders Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso were both booked and will miss the game against Spain in Vienna on Sunday.

Italy coach Roberto Donadoni said: "It was a good performance. Perhaps we were playing better 11 against 11.

"After that, a bit of fear and nerves came in but today it was a great response from all the lads."

France coach Raymond Domenech said: "I am proud of my players. But the circumstances made it tough. Playing with 10 men for an hour, Franck being injured after 10 minutes, just one substitution possible after half an hour, that's tough."

Striker Thierry Henry was on the same wavelength, saying: "Nothing went our way. Franck gets injured, we concede the goal and are shown a red card. Everything went against us. We tried to fight until the end but luck was just not on our side."

Italy made the breakthrough when Pirlo lashed home his penalty after Abidal was red carded for bringing down Toni as he prepared to shoot.

The gap left by Ribery's absence allowed Italy to largely dominate in midfield and between them Pirlo, De Rossi, Gattuso and Antonio Cassano created three good chances for Toni to score before halftime.

Defender Fabio Grosso also went close when he thumped in a 43rd minute free kick which France keeper Gregory Coupet touched onto his right-hand post.

De Rossi made it 2-0 when he smashed in a shot following a rehearsed free-kick routine, with his drive taking a deflection off Henry to leave Coupet wrong-footed.