Euro 2000 quarter final - Italy 2 Romania 0

Italy coasted into the quarter finals of Euro 2000 with a 2-0 win in Brussels against Romania which was marred by a red card for veteran star Gheorghe Hagi.

The Romanian legend was playing his last competitive match for his country when he was booked in the 53rd minute for an horrendous stamping tackle on Italian midfielder Antonio Conte.

Conte was stretchered off the field after Hagi had stamped across his ankle and turned the foot over with the Romanian lucky not to be sent off immediately for his brutal challenge.

Five minutes later Hagi was sent off after he dived on a run into the penalty area after a challenge from Gianluca Zambrotta.

The Italian did seem to catch Hagi's arm but the midfielder dived to the turf and was dismissed. He was clearly angry and it was a shoddy end to his spectacular career with Romania.

Perhaps Hagi was frustrated as Romania had dominated this match only to see Italy score twice against the run on play to win the quarter final.

Romania made all the early running after Filippo Inzaghi had volleyed wide of the left hand post when put clear by Stefano Fiore in the 3rd minute. Hagi and his team mates impressed again with their passing and movement but created no clear chances of their own and Italy struck in the 32nd minute.

Romanian failed to clear a free kick with distance and it was headed away from the penalty area to Demetrio Albertini clipped the ball through to Francesco Totti who was clear on the left hand edge of the penalty area.

Totti chested the ball down into his stride and struck a shot across Bogdan Stelea into the far corner to stun the Romanian team.

Hagi almost drew his team level inside two minutes of the goal.

Inter Milan striker Adrian Mutu hit a long ball to the right that encouraged Hagi forward into space and the Galatasary star hit a shot beyond goalkeeper Francesco Toldo but his chip shot bounced and hit the post.

Constantin Galca hit a 38th minute volley wide but worse was to come for Romania as they again built up pressure with their patient passing moves.

Albertini knew little of his hopeful ball forward from the half way line in the 44th minute as he tried to evade a tackle but the pass whipped straight through the defence to Filippo Inzaghi who carried the ball up to Stelea and side footed it wide of the goalkeeper's dive for 2-0.

The second half was dictated by Romania's increasingly desperate attempts to get back into the game.

Ciobatariu saw a point blank shot headed away from the goal line by Zambrotta and Toldo needed to save at Mutu's feet in the 65th minute but Inzaghi had the two best chances of the session.

First he brought down a through pass from Albertini to power a volley at goal in the 66th minute but Stelea dived and touched the shot onto the post and in the 77th minute ran clear on the left but struck a hasty shot just wide.