AS Roma star Daniele de Rossi defended Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli after his amazing miss against Spain.

Italy could have taken more than their one point from the game if Balotelli hadn't been so wasteful.

But De Rossi argued: "Balotelli did very well to win back the ball, then perhaps he thought the defender had stopped running and rather fell asleep. He may well have also been tired, as he ran a great deal."