Written by Angela Asante

Congratulations to Luis Aragones ’ side! They came a long way to be crowned as the new Champions of Europe.

On Sunday night in Vienna , it took 90 minutes for Spain to defeat history.

A single goal by Torres and a defensive resistance were all what the team needed to write a new page in their country’s football history.

24 years have past since Spain appeared in a European Championship final and 44 since it last lifted the trophy.

Yesterday was the perfect moment to end this lack of success’s curse and the Spaniards did not fail to do so.

In the first quarter of the match, they struggled to play their fluid passing game due to Germany ’s aggressive attacking style.

But they did not take long to claim their superiority; with a country like Spain that plays tactical soccer, loosing possession as the Germans did always turns out as a punishment.

In the whole of the match, Spain had several chances which they could not convert. And among them all, only one proved to be decisive.

The Golden Goal

In this tournament, Fernando Torres looked very calm and was left in the shadow of the competition’s top scorer David Villa . However, the Valencia striker’s fate was to miss Sunday’s grand finale which give Torres the opportunity of playing as a lone forward in Spain ’s 5-1-4-1 formation.

He certainly wasn’t as good as he can be but the 33^rd minute of the game was the golden moment of his life:

Fernando Torres combined pace and skill to strike the ball past Lehman and score probably the most important goal of his career.

He might have got only two goals in this tournament, but the nominated man of the match showed up when it was needed the most – which makes him a true number 9 player.

Iglesias with the official Euro 2008 song, a coincidence?

One can think that Spain ’s victory is also due to the fact that Spanish Pop Star Enrique Iglesias sang the official Euro 2008 track before the match.

Perhaps did it help the Spanish crowd to feel in the mood of a premature party but on the other hand, this could have nothing to do with the support Spanish fans generated behind their team. 4 years ago, Nelly Furtado – of Portuguese origins – sang the official Euro 2004 song “Forza” at the final but it surely had no effect on the Portuguese squad as over anxiety contributed to their 1 – 0 loss to Greece.

Either way, it looks like the final was made for Spain to win it.

Iglesias seemed to have started the party with his dynamic soundtrack and celebrations indeed continued as Spain triumphed over Germany.

Like Enrique, many of the Spanish fans had to wait a lifetime for a moment like this.

Spain has won the European Championship for only the second time in their entire history.

Angela Asante

Euro2008TV.com

By Tom Cremins.

Spain could be on the brink of shedding their ‘perennial underachievers’ tag in tomorrow’s Euro 2008 final in Vienna (Kick-off 8.45 pm, 2.45 pm EST). After breaking their quarter final curse against Italy – they had been eliminated at that stage in tournaments 5 times in a row – they charged past highly fancied Russia by a 3-0 scoreline. The last time they won the continental title was 1964. And amazingly it is so far their only honour in international soccer, despite their strong tradition in the game.

Germany on the other hand are in familiar territory. They will be playing in their 6th European final and are chasing their 4th title. Despite this record,  Germany haven’t been overly convincing during this tournament, but they always seem to do enough to get the job done. They were anything but convincing against injury ravaged Turkey. They only managed to beat them 3-2, despite the fact that coach Fatih Terim’s squad was reduced to 14 fit players.

 It should be a fascinating contest, with Spain’s attacking prowess pitted against Germany’s organization and efficiency. The Spaniards will need to be very wary of Germany’s ability to attack on the break. But after the way they handled the threats posed by Italy and Russia, there is every reason to think that they can also contain the Germans.

The key to this game could be whether Michael Ballack overcomes a calf muscle complaint and plays. He has been Germany’s most inspirational player by far. He was somewhat disappointing against Turkey but is definitely the sort of player who will rise to the occasion when called upon. If he can’t play then either Tim Borowski or Bastian Schweinsteiger could slot into his position, but it would be a huge loss to the team. It may also mar the game as a spectacle, as the Germans may lack confidence and play more defensively in his absence.

In the centre of the Spanish midfield, Cesc Fabregas has been in outstanding form, and put in a devastating performance against Russia. He was ably assisted by Xabi Alonso and Andres Iniesta. Between them they may have enough to fashion a famous victory against the Germans.

In defence, players such as Carles Puyol, Carlos Marchena and Sergio Ramos have made the Spanish defence resemble a brick wall. And if their opponents should somehow get past them, they have the magnificent goalkeeper Iker Casillas to contend with.

The German defence is muscular and will yield little to attackers. Christoph Metzelder and Philipp Lahm have been very solid indeed. Goalkeeper Jens Lehmann has had a good tournament for the most part, with the exception of the semi-final against Turkey when he was far from convincing. He will have to improve considerably on that display.

The teams will both probably start with just one striker, Miroslav Klose for Germany and Fernando Torres for Spain. They have worked tirelessly during the tournament without hitting the headlines, with Klose netting 2 goals so far, and Torres just 1. Spain’s top scorer in the competition, David Villa, is sidelined through injury.

Both teams clearly clearly have quality players throughout, and coaches Joachim Löw and Luis Aragonés are both known for their thorough preparation and attention to detail. In all likelihood this will be a very tight game with both sides working hard to keep possession and avoid mistakes, so we may not see some of the free-flowing soccer that has so far characterised the tournament up to now. But this has been a tournament full of surprises.

The safe money will be on Germany winning their 4th European title. But this Spanish team could have the guile, creativity and above all self-belief to bring to an end 44 barren years.

Written by Angela Asante

What a pity for Russia! Spain was just too good last night.

Despite the heavy rain, Luis Aragones’ side managed to display a mature and excellent performance. The first half was goalless, which left the Spanish coach anxious about what could happen. Torres struggled to find the net and really wasn’t as his best. As for Villa, he was hit by a foot injury and had to be substituted for Fabregas.

As things went right at the back for Spain with Sergio Ramos who defended outstandingly, they concentrated on breaking the dead lock.

At the 50th minute, Iniesta’s cross found Xavi who fired the ball through the Russian goal keeper’s legs to give his side a deserved lead.

With Silva being creative in midfield and playmaker Fabregas, it seemed like Spain had found the keys to open the doors of the Russian defence.

Substitute D. Guiza doubled the lead with less than 20 minutes to go when he looped the ball into the net after Fabregas had made a clever pass. The Russian keeper thought the goal was offside but he was wrong. Russian fans understood it was certainly all over for them but they kept praying for a miracle. But Spain’s game plan tired their opponents and even Arshavin could not make a revolution.

Russia’s hopes were completely destroyed when Silva, at last, got his first goal of the tournament.

3 – 0 to Spain and they will meet Germany in their first final of a major tournament since 1964.

Angela Asante
Euro2008TV Writer

Written by Angela Assante

At last, Spain has won victory over Italy!

They had never beaten the Azzuris since 1920 but on Sunday, they defeated them in style.

June 22nd is said to be cursed for the Spanish who have never won on that date, and breaking this fate required as much strength as wonders.

Unbreakable doors

90 minutes of football meant 90 minutes of beauty and emotion. Spain had the better of the game: their power lied in their possession and their tactical display. Ramos and Puyol were fabulous at the back along side keeper I. Casillas, Silva and Senna were dynamic in midfield while Villa’s pace and tricks helped Spain attack from every angle.

The Spanish could have broken the deadlock but Buffon was sharp and striker Fernando Torres was well contained by the Italian defence.

At the other end of the pitch, Italy’s number 9 Luca Toni suffered another miserable night.

For the third time in a row in the Euro 2008 quarterfinals, extra time was needed to separate the two sides; still, the doors of both goalkeepers’ post were closed.
Spain had a clear appeal on penalty early in the first half of extra time but the German referee denied them; Luis Aragones was furious while Italian fans felt redeemed.

The Spanish team showed signs of fatigue in the late stages of the 30 minutes and substituted D. Guiza who struggled to deal with the ball upfront. Italy tried to capitalize on these weaknesses as they then controlled the game but Casillas was too good to disappoint the Spanish supporters.

As time was running out, Spain’s hunger for snatching a very last minute victory growed bigger.

In the remaining seconds of the 120 minutes, they launched the last attack of the game but Santi’s effort was between a shot on goal and a pass and Villa could not reach the ball.

The heroic leader

The moment of penalty shootout saw the two captains – Buffon and Casillas – clash in a fierce duel.

The Italian keeper had previously saved a penalty in the group stage, which prevented his team from an early exit.

So could he save this other time?

Unfortunately for the World Cup Champions, the answer is no.

Real Madrid veteran I. Casillas spectacularly punched away Italy’s second spot kick, which put the Azzuris under pressure as Spain had converted two out of two at that stage.

Buffon tried his luck and rekindled his team’s chances of carrying the day when he saved Daniel Guiza’s low strike.

Stress reached its climax for both sides and Spain was suddenly in an uncomfortable position.

But Casillas again came to the rescue as he brilliantly put away another penalty kick – meaning that the Spanish were one kick away from reaching their first semifinals of a major tournament in 24 years.

Young player Fabregas had the opportunity to score his first ever penalty in professional football and he scored indeed

Italians are out and perhaps they will explain their loss by the fact that big players like Gattuso and Pirlo were suspended.

As for Spain, they will meet Russia in the semis and it promises to be a game of class as Russia will seek for revenge.

written by Angela Asante

by Hasan Saiyid

Eighty-eight years and Luis Enrique have been the two main themes of nearly all previews of the potentially scintillating quarterfinal between Italy and Spain. Commentators have not been remiss in pointing out that Spanish heartache extends back to 1920, the last time they beat Italy in an official game and 1994, the last time they were beaten by Italy in an official game.

The latter memory is what continues to rankle the Spanish. The World Cup 1994 quarterfinal has now been etched into Spanish football’s consciousness for the typical injustice that seems to perpetually hold Spanish football back. Then, it was Mauro Tassotti’s elbow that disfigured Luis Enrique’s face, an offence that the referee did not see and one that deserved a red card and a penalty.

The Spanish firmly believe that that one instance defines what is wrong with Italian football: it is grossly cynical. Yet, the Spanish also have a grudging admiration for calcio, something they will only admit quietly or rarely. I still remember the graciousness of Ivan Helguera, then of Real Madrid, in saying that “Italy have won three World Cups, while Spain…well you know.” Helguera was speaking before the titanic tussle between Juventus and Real Madrid in the semi-final of the 2003 Champions League. The Spanish media had built that game up as a quintessential encounter between the forces of light versus the forces of darkness. Helguera had no problem in admitting that Italian football was more successful than the Spanish brand, and it had nothing to with representing evil, and everything to do with the ability of knuckling down and getting a result.

Few are as kind as Helguera, however. Picking up a Spanish sports daily these days must feel like handling a high-strung kitten. All the headlines have been roaring (meowing, if you are not Spanish) their team on to vanquish their age-old nemesis, but this bravado will barely register on Italian minds. Italy know how to negotiate the business end of tournaments perhaps better than any country in the world, and as Germany, Turkey, and Russia have proven in the last few days, the groups stage is no reliable indicator of success down the road.

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