Spain became the first national side to ever win three straight major tournaments, following up on their Euro 2008 and World Cup 2010 triumphs with a comprehensive blowout of Italy to win Euro 2012 at Kyiv’s Olympic Stadium.
Spain 4 – Italy 0
– A historic
performance to mark a historic occasion. Many had tabbed this final as
a tossup. Spain could boast of superior talent, but Italy seemed to have the
momentum. Those expecting a tight affair, though, were surprised from the
opening whistle. Spain carved Italy apart the entire night and the only
question was how many goals they would score. Three straight major tournament
titles put the Spanish in rarefied air, and they deserve their place in the
discussion of the best sides ever. This performance was an exclamation point on
their credentials.
– Is Spain’s style
boring? Emphatically not. The quantity and quality of the Spanish
goals should put that question to bed forever. Criticism of Spain’s play is
mostly an effect of the negative tactics that opponents are forced into, and
there should be no doubt as to this team’s class. Even without their
first-choice striker (David Villa) and defensive anchor (Carles Puyol), the
Spanish again conquered what many consider to be the world’s toughest
tournament. The road to Kyiv may not have been smooth but, once they got here,
La Furia Roja put on a show for the ages.
– Italy’s new
approach cannot cope with adversity. The Italians have drawn plenty of
praise for their shift away from over-negative football toward more attacking
tactics. The most important force behind Italy’s run, however, was an imposing
defensive backbone. The Azzurri still defended first and picked their spots,
but were ill-equipped to handle giving up the first goal. The second
traditional Italian virtue, perseverance, was sorely lacking in the final.
Italy must correct this flaw if they hope to contend at the 2014 World Cup.
