Palermo fullback Federico Balzaretti was delighted to be part of Italy's 1-0 victory over Slovenia.

He was on the bench against the Faroe Islands, but stepped in for the 1-0 victory over Slovenia that secured their Euro 2012 ticket.

"I'm happy, above all that we qualified, as individual performances are not as important as what we achieved in this campaign.

"It's my first year with the Nazionale, so it was already wonderful to earn a ticket to Euro 2012. There's a whole year ahead to earn my place in the squad.

"We're doing great teamwork at the moment and everyone has the right spirit during training, as we have fun, so that all contributes to the result.

"However, this is a small step and we mustn't think we have finished the job. There's a whole year before the tournament."