Spain won Euro 2008, beating Germany 1-0 in the final in Vienna on Monday morning (Brisbane time). Fernando Torres, arguably Europe's best forward, scored the goal via Xavi's pass & outpaced Philip Lahm before slotting the ball into the net. This allowed the Spaniards to win their first trophy in 44 years.The win was fully deserved. In fact, Spain, after overcoming a nervour opening 10 minutes, could have scored more goals as they controlled most of the rest of the match. Germany was comprehensively outplayed & outclassed by the technically superior Spaniards. Spain's midfield, in particular, was dominant & showed much more creativity than their German counterparts. This allowed Spain to display their classy, passing, attacking football, making Germany look ordinary in the process.
To be fair, Germany did play very well in their quarter-final win against Portugal. However, the Germans never again scaled those heights. They only managed to squeak narrowly past an injury-ravaged Turkish side in the semi-final. Turkey exposed Germany's fallibility, & Spain did the rest in the final. That Germany only lost by a single goal said as much for their fighting spirit as for Spain's lack of luck at scoring more goals.
But back to the Spanish. They have been the best & most stylish side at the tournament, not losing a single game & are thoroughly deserving European champions. Their triumph is a huge achievement, given their reputation for underachievement heading into the tournament. Spain's success is a triumph for attacking football. Many, including myself, would have enjoyed watching them. Viva Espana!
Spain's players celebrate their victory in Euro 2008 final
Iker Casillas lifts the trophy, signalling Spain as the best team in Europe!
And the richly deserved celebrations continue
Spanish fans in Madrid in party mode, awaiting the arrival of their beloved footballers
The Spain squad arrive in open-top bus, parading the Henri Delaunay trophy
The Spanish air force pay colourful tribute to the European championsSource of photos: various
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