UEFA Euro 2012 in October 2011, the nine group winners qualified automatically, along with the highest ranked second placed team. The remaining eight-second placed teams contested two-legged play-offs, and the four winners qualified for the finals. Twelve of the sixteen finalists participated at the previous tournament in 2008. England and Denmark made their return to the Euro, having last participated in 2004, while Republic of Ireland returned after a twenty-four-year absence to make their second appearance at a European Championship. One of the co-hosts, Ukraine, made their debut as an independent nation (before 1992 Ukraine participated as part of the Soviet Union). With
Antonio Di Natale F at the finals, drawing their first two group stage matches by a score of 1–1 to Paraguay and New Zealand, respectively. In their final group match on 24 June, he scored a goal in the 3–2 defeat against Slovakia, which resulted in Italy finishing bottom of its group. In 2012, Di Natale was included in the Italy squad for Euro 2012, under manager Cesare Prandelli, making five appearances throughout the tournament, appearing in every match save the quarter-final against England. After coming on as a substitute in the first match against defending champions Spain, on 10 June 2012, he