HAMBURG, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Gennaro Gattuso was named Man of the Match during their 3-0 World Cup quarter-final win over Ukraine here on Friday.

    Repeatedly taking heavy knocks and getting up to battle again, Gattuso was the heart and soul of an Italian team that strode confidently to the victory to book a semifinal date with Germany.

    Gattuso's ability to win possession and change defence to attack in an instant was just as crucial.

    "Gattuso made everything and he made it right," said FIFA Technical Study Group member Teofilo Cubillas. "He recovered many balls, made good passes - he was everywhere. He's always like that in every game, but tonight he was even better than usual. He was the playmaker of the team." Enditem