 Balotelli had been dropped to the bench by Cesare Prandelli prior to the match due to his lack of ability shown in his previous group matches, so when he was substituted on against Ireland, fans did not expect him to have much of an impact and his celebration of his goal may have originally been directed towards the naysayers who believe he is bad for the team.Balotelli went on to start against England in the quarter-finals.His performance was described as "wasteful", but his effort was rated highly in a match where he missed multiple chances.