Viva Espana!

Skipper and goalkeeper Iker Casillas celebrates with the trophy

Casillas waving to the fans

Ole! La Seleccion are the new champions of Europe!

Managed to catch only the second half of the Euro Final this afternoon. The Spanish were magnifico, pulling all the strings in midfield with their crisp, sharp, incisive passing while Fernando Torres ran the German defence ragged with his quick pace and commanding aerial presence. La Furia Roja could have easily killed off the game much earlier, but Sergio Ramos, David Silva and Marcos Senna were all guilty of missing gilt-edged chances; leaving the balance perilously poised, as Spain went ruthlessly in search of that second goal and Germany huffed and puffed their way towards finding an equaliser that never materialised. Die Mannschaft had a few dangerous moments in the 2nd half, but never really tested Iker Casillas other than a Michael Ballack effort that went just wide of the near post. Spain on the other hand, looked dangerous everytime they pressed forward and Jens Lehmann had to make a few vital blocks in order to keep the Germans into the game.

However, a 33rd minute goal from 'Nando Torres was enough to end the Spaniards' 44 year long wait for a trophy in style; a defensive miscommunication between Philip Lahm and Lehmann enabled Torres to head home by chipping the ball over Lehmann's head and into the far post. Dissapointment and despondency was written all over the Germans' faces as the final whistle blew, and Michael Ballack cut a pitiable figure standing on the pitch with a cut above his right eye and blood streaming down his face. My most heartfelt sympathies to him, as time and again he has driven and inspired teams to the finals; never giving up, yet time and again he has failed to win any major international title with either club or country. First the penalty shootout Champions League nightmare against the Red Devils (where he wept after Chelsea lost) and now this. I just hope that he will put this chapter of his life behind him and come back all fired up to win trophies at Stamford Bridge next season. But credit to the Germans for playing with grit and resilience for the full 90 minutes eventhough they were eventually outclassed, outran and outplayed by their opponents. You just can't win ugly all the time.

The euphoria and the elation of the Spaniards on the other hand was unboundless, as they hugged one another excitedly and jumped up and down, screaming their lungs out. One of the funniest moments was when they hoisted elderly coach Luis Aragones into the air! But they were gracious even in victory, forming a line of honour for their opponents; which I have to agree with the commentator was a nice touch. However, the Germans regarded them with a mixture of suspicion and anger, which was understandable. As fireworks burst into the air, captain Iker Casillas made history by becoming the first goalkeeper to lift the trophy and one can only agree that it was a Spanish victory well deserved. Being the only team to remain unbeaten in the tournament is no mean feat, and it seems that a there dawns a new era for Spanish football after groping in the Dark Ages for 44 years.

PS If you're wondering why there are no pictures of the Spanish team, it's because I thought he looked the best out of the whole lot. xD