Caldirola is on the receiving end of a tough challenge and spends some valuable time on the ground in a bid to see out the semi-final, which has just four minutes of added time left.
88'
BARDI AGAIN!!!! Strootman's cross is driven into the middle of the box and Fer climbs highest to head the ball towards goal, but the Italy No.1 is at his country's beck and call once more!
86'
Bardi again comes off his line to restore order as Van Ginkel's cross is met by the head of Leroy Fer, and the shot-stopper bravely intervenes - but at the possible expense of the last five minutes!
85'
N. Sansone enters the game and replaces L. Insigne.
84'
L. Fer enters the game and replaces D. Blind.
83'
M. Gabbiadini gets yellow.
D. Blind gets yellow.
82'
BARDI TO THE RESCUE! A cross is sent deep into the Italy box, and the goalkeeper has to be on his toes to parry De Jong's glancing header away from danger!
78'
F. Borini has scored a goal for Italy U21! Assist by L. Insigne.
GOAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!! It's Borini who puts Italy on their way to a sixth Euro U21 final as Insigne picks out the Liverpool striker in the box with a low pass, and he turns on a sixpence before beautifully side-footing the finish into the bottom-right corner!
Minute
Description
76'
De Vrij was a doubt prior to tonight's last-four showdown in Petach-Tikva, and his evening is now over as Van der Hoorn trudges on as his replacement.
75'
M. van der Hoorn enters the game and replaces S. de Vrij.
72'
Depay wins a free kick on the edge of the box after being hacked down, but the set-piece fails to bear fruit. Meanwhile, Donati falls to his feet in the box after a collision with Wijnaldum but is soon upright once more.
70'
BEST CHANCE OF THE GAME! Strootman again immerses himself in the thick of the action as Van Ginkel leaves Bianchetti for dead, but the PSV man cannot get onto the end of De Jong's cut-back and chance goes to waste!
69'
M. Depay enters the game and replaces O. John.
68'
De Jong is penalised for hauling Caldirola to the ground, and it signals Netherlands' first change as Memphis Depay replaces the below-par Ola John. So much for my predictions, eh?!
66'
VICINOOO!!! Insigne shifts past Van Rhijn, and his lay-off rolls all the way to Borini who stabs the ball wide of the left-hand post!
65'
The first change of the match sees Gabbiadini replace Immobile in attack. The Juventus-owned hitman will surely inject more pace and guile into Italy's dysfunctional frontline.
62'
M. Gabbiadini enters the game and replaces C. Immobile.
UH OH! Could the risk to rush Insigne back into contention have fallen through? The attacker is robbed of the ball by Strootman, and he stays down for a period of time before getting back up again.
60'
A Dutch cross is flashed across goal but the referee awards possession back to Italy following an infringement inside the area.
56'
It's Van Ginkel's turn to show why Chelsea are closing in on his signature, but his speculative attempt is not nearly good enough to test Bardi's net.
52'
Netherlands go for the long ball over the top, and it almost comes off as De Jong is alert to the pass, but Bianchetti does just enough to outmuscle the Gladbach star in the nick of time.
48'
The two teams are still adjusting to the rigours of their semi-final it seems! Netherlands are pinging the ball about, albeit in their own half. The Italians, meanwhile, are plugging away high up the pitch in an attempt to win back possession.
45'
Scintillating play from Maher as he twists and turns his way past several Italy shirts before winning a free kick central to goal...
And we're back for the second half, courtesy of the Dutch! No changes for either side during the interval either.
43'
AAAH! And straight at the other end, Borini is played through on goal but can only aim his finish into the side-netting. Martins Indi again did particularly well to catch up in time and put pressure on the striker!
42'
OOOOH! Best strike of the half by far as Blind advances forward and unleashes a rocket of an attempt from some way out that Bardi must parry away!
41'
Insigne opts to cut inside this time around after being stationed on the left for most of the half, and his decision almost pays off as he finds space but drags a shot wide of the post!
38'
Maher is furious as he believes Donati felled him illegally in the box. The right-back was given a raw deal by Bianchetti, though, as his fellow stopper misjudged a clearance.
37'
Eight minutes until half-time is signalled now. Netherlands, meanwhile, are awarded a throw-in deep in the Italy half, and a blue shirt is required to blast the ball away as havoc erupts in their box!
34'
A correction there as Van Rhijn is actually shown trailing behind Immobile, and the Genoa striker latterly forces a save off Zoet! Wijnaldum tries his luck at the other end, but his cross-cum-shot does not prove threatening.
32'
Italy's best move of the match so far sees Immobile lead a sweeping counterattack, but Van Rhijn puts in a vital challenge to concede only a throw!
30'
The free kick is bent into the middle of the box, and Borini can only steer his header wayward! Important pressure from Martins Indi to see off the attacker.
28'
Strootman clatters into the back of Borini and Italy are awarded a free kick in a dangerous position on the right-hand corner of the penalty area...
26'
John is flagged offside as the Italians expertly keep a high line. Meanwhile, @spatsika9 on Twitter - in response to my earlier question - writes: "Verratti is the better prospect!!"
24'
Netherlands are finding the most joy out on the flanks, while Italy seem increasingly narrow, although they are defending resolutely thus far. Florenzi, a central midfielder by trade, has been deployed on the right wing and is continually looking inside for an opening.
22'
The Dutch are beginning to take control of possession here as Italy are forced further and further back. I predicted a 2-1 victory to the Azzurri prior to tonight, but who are you backing? Tweet me your thoughts @livmc!
20'
Innovative play from Netherlands as John, out wide on the left, opts to bypass Donati with a clever pass which finds the onrushing Strootman on the edge of the box, but the PSV ace skews his shot wide of the target.
18'
Insigne looks lively down the left-hand side, and again he tests Blind before beating his man, but his touch is too strong and the ball goes out for a goal kick.
17'
You guessed it, it was Verratti who needlessly left a trailing leg to break down play in the middle of the park. It will require an awful lot of discipline for the diminutive performer to see out the remaining 73 minutes now!
16'
M. Verratti gets yellow.
15'
Flares are threatening to catch fire here! The Roma midfielder is the latest man to face the wrath of the referee as he clamours into the fleet-footed John. Oh, and yet another yellow to report on...
13'
Florenzi goes for the Hollywood pass as he swipes at the ball with the outside of his foot near the byline, but Blind easily intercepts.
10'
Verratti needs to control his temperament. The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder was again spotted complaining to the referee following a slight foul on Strootman. Who do you think is a better prospect out of the two? Send your answers via Twitter @livmc!
9'
Insigne floats in a cross but De Vrij climbs highest to nod the ball away. A very intriguing battle is in the pipelines, with both sides showing clear attacking intent already!
6'
Maher whips in the set-piece but it is dealt with by the Liverpool forward. There were suspicions of handball, although they were quickly shot down as replays clearly show the use of a shoulder.
5'
F. Borini gets yellow.
Maher steps up... AND HITS THE POST WITH A FABULOUS CURLING EFFORT! Moments later, Borini foolishly hacks down Strootman to the right of goal and collects the first yellow card of the game.
4'
Danger signs for Italy as Verratti handballs on the edge of the box. Insigne tries to defend his team-mate, but Strootman - twice the size of the Napoli starlet - emerges to bring calm to the situation!
1'
And we're under way, with Italy going right-to-left and Netherlands vice-versa! The biggest news pre-match is the inclusion of Lorenzo Insigne for the Azzurri. The forward managed to fight off a knock in time to feature from the offset.
Hi there and welcome to Goal's LIVE commentary of the European U21 Championship semi-final between Italy and Netherlands. I'm Livio Caferoglu and I'll be guiding you through all the action as it happens! Team news is coming next, so stay tuned...
First up, here's how Italy will line up: Bardi; Donati, Caldirola, Bianchetti, Regini; Florenzi, Verratti, Rossi, Insigne; Immobile, Borini.
And last but not least, Netherlands: Zoet; Van Rhijn, De Vrij, Martins Indi, Blind; Strootman, Maher, Van Ginkel; Wijnaldum, De Jong, John.
Maher can only fire his free kick wide of goal and it's half-time in Petach-Tikva! We'll be resuming our coverage in 15 minutes so don't go anywhere...
And that's that! Italy reach the Euro U21 final for a seventh time thanks to Fabio Borini's strike midway through the second half and set up a clash with Spain in the final. I've been Livio Caferoglu and it's arriverderci from me on Goal this evening, but be sure to stick around for more breaking coverage and reaction!
Commentary
More…