Full-time: That is the harshest way to go out. Australia had done everything they could against the ten men of Italy and then were cheated at the death. It was brilliant play by Grosso to get into the box but an outrageous piece of cynical gamesmanship to flop to the ground over the strewn Neill. Golden boy Totti, loathed and loved in equal measure, did the rest.
95mins: GOAL! Cruel, very cruel on Australia. Totti is the hero as he blasts the spot-kick into the corner. The last kick of the game sends Italy through to the quarter-finals.
Click here for the goal animation.
93mins: PENALTY! Unbelievable. Australia concede a penalty ten seconds from time. It was Grosso who gets past Neill and then trips over the Aussie defender before taking a dive.
90mins: Bresciano chips in for Viduka who tries the acrobatic bicycle kick and misses it by a mile. His bicycle obviously has a puncture. However, the attempt puts off Zambrotta who sees the ball rear up off his chest and onto his arm. The Aussie appeals fall on deaf ears. Seconds later, Zambrotta is booked for kicking the ball away at a free-kick.
89mins: Gattuso is booked for a nothing kind of challenge on Chipperfield.
87mins: Australia are in panic stations inside their own box as they fail to clear a throw. Eventually the ball trickles to Iaquinta who snatches at his shot and finds it nestle in Schwarzer's arms.
86mins: Lucas Neill puts in a textbook sliding tackle to prevent Iaquinta getting his cross in.
84mins: Bresciano finds himself with time to cut in from the right and plant a shot with his left which drifts over the bar. The longer this goes on, the more it will suit Italy who just need to toil their way to penalties to get back on a level playing field.
82mins: Enter John Aloisi, already a hero for scoring the penalty that brought Australia to the World Cup. Sterjovski takes his place on the bench.
81mins: Sterjovski and Cahill force a corner which Bresciano takes. Cahill ghosts in around the back with a trademark late run but agonisingly plants his header inches over the bar.
78mins: Australia get in a rare shot on goal which Buffon is right behind. It came courtesy of Viduka bulldozing his way through, knocking off for Grella and he in turn finding Bresciano.
77mins: Twice Perrotta causes a threat, twice nothing comes of it. They still look dangerous on the break the Italians, they have used all their substitutions, though.
75mins: Francesco Totti enters the fray, with Del Piero going off. He gets a mixed reception from the Italian fans. The Azzurri need a big performance from him to make up for his disappointing displayss so far.
72mins: The first lull in the game but it has lost none of its intensity. I reckon this has got extra-time and penalties written all over it. The Italians are going to tire while Australia do not seem to have too much of an idea in the final third. It's not pretty but it is fascinating.
66mins: Del Piero wins a free-kick after being clipped by Sterjovski. Pirlo steps up and clips it towards Schwarzer who takes no chances and tips over. The corner is cleared by Bresciano.
64mins: Gennaro Gattuso destroys a terrific chance for Italy after Cahill let him go. Australia went to sleep in the area leaving Del Piero all alone but Gattuso's cross was appalling - way too strong.
63mins: Hiddink sends out a message to Cahill telling him to stretch Italy on the flanks. He believes width will win the day.
61mins: Wilkshire picks up a yellow after a crude challenge on Del Piero. There's not much in it but Del Piero goes down like a sack of spaghetti.
60mins: This is all Australia at the moment. Sterjovski gets in a great cross with both Viduka and Cahill waiting. Amazingly, they both handball it. Hasn't anyone told them this isn't Aussie rules.
59mins: A chance for Chipperfield - beaten away by Buffon. It was a great turn by the Aussie inside the area to take him into space but the Italian keeper stood firm.
57mins: Pirlo makes a right hash of a free-kick by curling it up and away. They can't afford to waste chances like that with a man short.
55mins: Lippi makes another change with Toni making way for Andrea Barzagli. That's great news for the Aussies, a forward off for a central defender.
54mins: Iaquinta is fed down the channel by Gianluca Zambrotta and rather than crossing he selfishly blasts over from a tight angle.
52mins: Bresciano fires in the free-kick with Buffon rooted to the spot. It fizzes wide but surely this is Australia's best chance of reaching the quarters up against tenm men.
51mins: OFF! Italy are in all sorts now with Marterazzi given a straight red card for hacking down Bresciano on the burst. He wasn't clean through, so perhaps a harsh one. Definitely warranted a yellow but you won't hear too many antipodeans complaining.
50mins: Cahill and Materazzi contest an aerial ball, both feel the force of it but a shaken Cahill picks himself up to be greeted by a yellow card, apparentlt for leading with the arm.
48mins: Moore blocks Simone Perrotta's effort only for the ball to bounce back to Toni who leans back and hoofs over. How many chances does this fella need?
Second half: Italy have made one change with Vincenzo Iaquinta on for Gilardino. Australia stay the same.
Half-time: An enthralling first half comes to an end and Australia have been far from outclassed. Italy have had the better chances but the Aussies have seen more of the ball. Can't wait for the second period.
45mins: Italy fall asleep at a throw-in allowing Wilkshire to cross an inch too high for Cahill to get on the end of.
42mins: Now that's more like it. Moore puts in a bone-crunching challenge on Toni which takes the ball first then goes straight through the player with his momentum. The best bit is Toni got up, a little groggily, but made no fuss at all.
40mins: Italy free-kick causes all sorts of problems in the box. Toni rises unhindered and flicks on to Gilardino who just doesn't read it. He probably thought Cahill would come in for the clearance but he stood statuesque.
37mins: Grosso can count himself very unlucky to have a free-kick awarded against him. Sterjovski came in with a shoulder charge on the left flank and bounced off the Italian. Luis Medina Cantalejo, the Spanish ref, went with the man that took a tumble. As a forward player myself, albeit a rubbish one, I hate that.
34mins: Del Piero's ball in finds Toni but he's caught in striker's limbo - does he go for goal or knock it back to Gilardino? Being an Italian forward, he obviously went for the harder shot which was blocked by Moore. As the ball came back in though, Toni again had a free header from six yards out which he got right underneath.
33mins: A measure of how well Australia are doing at the moment is they have had 57 per cent of the ball so far.
30mins: That's the closest we've come. Italy fail to deal with an Australian free-kick and in comes Chipperfield at the far post with a blistering hit that Buffon spills at the first attempt. He recovers well to snatch the scraps as big Viduka moves in for the rebound.
29mins: Ooh cynical. Mile Sterjovski turns Fabio Grosso on the touchline and is hacked to the floor. The Italian gets a yellow card for his trouble.
25mins: It turns out Italy have pulled a cheeky one today. Fifa ordered them to wear white shirts and blue shorts which they did in the warm-up. Then they came out for kick-off in their traditional blue. Could this cause problems before the quarter-finals if they get that far?
24mins: Marco Bresciano puts in a decent free-kick which Viduka gets to. He can't get any power on the header, though, and nods down to a relieved Buffon.
22mins: Schwarzer makes a tremendous save from Toni. The lanky Italian spun on a sixpence, or possibly a euro, and fired in low which Schwarzer managed to readjust quickly for and saved with his legs.
20mins: Toni chests back for Gilardino who finds the ball just won't drop quick enough. He still gets off his volley though which Shcwarzer tips over for a corner.
20mins: Wilkshire has a blast from 20 yards which travels about two- yards before Gennaro Gattuso bravely throws himself in the way to block.
18mins: Viduka holds the ball up to feed Cahill on the right flank. It was a bit of a hospital ball but he won the throw. It goes long towards Vuiduka but the Italians have done their homework and there's no problem here for them.
16mins: Materazzi, the former Everton man, is pulling the strings despite being a centre back. Jim Beglin reckons one of Australia's five midfield men should do a man-to-man job on him. I would tend to agree.
12mins: A sweet move involving Marco Materazzi and Del Piero ends with Scott Chipperfield putting in a fabulous block to stop Gilardino's goalbound shot.
12mins: Marcello Lippi, the Italian coach, says he will shave his head if Italy win the World Cup. That's preferable to Bernie Slaven who promised to bare his buttocks if Middlesbrough stayed up a few years ago.
10mins: With Viduka up on his own, Cahill is getting far more forward in support. Twice already he's been the last man vying for a header.
9mins: Haven't seen anything of Mark Viduka yet, he's obviously getting some close attention from the Italian defenders. But he only needs once slight chance ...
7mins: Del Piero plays in Alberto Gilardino who turns once, then again, the goal gapes open - but he turns back once more and wastes the shooting opportunity.
5mins: This has been a cracking start. Despite the sweltering heat both sides are having a go and getting forward as much as possible. Not like the cautious Italy we are so used to.
3mins: At the other end Alessandro Del Piero does fantastically well to steer in a cross from way out on the left flank. Luca Toni towers over Scott Chipperfield to get in his header from six yards which drops inches wide of Mark Schwarzer's post.
3mins: Tim Cahill gets the first header in on goal but it was never a threat to Gianluigi Buffon.
2mins: That's better, I can see the action now. So far, Italy have not touched the ball.
1min: Great start - the German TV cameras have broken so I'm watching from the one ITV camera which appears to be on a roof somewhere behind the Italian goal.
Kick-off: Australia get the game off and underway.
3.57pm: That's it, the national anthems have been sung and now it's down to business.
3.54pm: The teams make their way onto the pitch to a tumultuous reception.
3.43pm: If you thought England had bad luck, check out Italy's history. 1990, lost to Argentina in a shootout. 1994, who can forget Roberto Baggio's penalty howler in the final against Brazil? 1998, penalties again. 2002, lost by a Golden Goal to South Korea. How I laughed when that happened - one of my colleagues had stuck £500 on an Italy victory. "Money in the bank", he said. "Pig sick", I said afterwards.
3.32pm: Jim Rosenthal picks out a quality stat - Australia have played over four hours of football in this tournament so far, and they've only been ahead for three minutes! Keep watching the clock Jim.
3.05pm: I'm already getting excited about this one. The Aussies have never been this far and are surfing, er riding, on the crest of a wave. The thought of Mark Viduka's not unsubstantial girth being harnessed by the brilliant Fabio Cannavaro is mouthwatering. Italy have been less than convincing so far and the scandal back home must have ruffled a few feathers. Do you know what ... I fancy a shock. Prepare yourselves for a topsy-turvy afternoon.
The teams are in and there's one glaring omission from the Italy side - Francesco Totti has been dropped. Alessandro Del Piero takes his place in a three-pronged attack.
Harry Kewell, the Australia winger, arrived at the ground in Kaiserslautern on crutches due to a dodgy groin but Mark Schwarzer returns.
Italy (4-3-3):
1-Gianluigi Buffon; 19-Gianluca Zambrotta, 23-Marco Materazzi, 5-Fabio Cannavaro, 3-Fabio Grosso; 20-Simone Perrotta, 21-Andrea Pirlo, 8-Gennaro Gattuso; 7-Alessandro Del Piero, 9-Luca Toni, 11-Alberto Gilardino
Australia (4-5-1):
1-Mark Schwarzer; 23-Marco Bresciano, 2-Lucas Neill, 3-Craig Moore, 14-Scott Chipperfield; 13-Vince Grella, 5-Jason Culina, 4-Tim Cahill, 21-Mile Sterjovski, 20-Luke Wilkshire; 9-Mark Viduka
Referee: Luis Medina Cantalejo (Spain)
Linesmen: Giraldez Carrasco and Medina Hernandez (Spain)
Live text commentary of Italy v Australia will begin at 4pm BST.
