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Sunday, July 1, 2012

Torres and Mata's Joy for Club and Country - Spanish Victory in UEFA

Fernando Torres and Juan Mata both came on to score in Spain's defeat of Italy and join a select group to have played in European Cup and EURO final wins in the same season.

Spain's UEFA EURO 2012 final defeat of Italy means Fernando Torres and Juan Mata have joined a select group of players to have played in European Champion Clubs' Cup and UEFA European Championship final victories in the same season.
The pair both featured in Chelsea FC's UEFA Champions League triumph against FC Bayern München in May and followed that up by collecting another winners' medal in Kyiv tonight. As in Munich, Torres came on as a second-half substitute in the final, but still had time to become the first player to score in two EURO finals as he struck the third in a 4-0 win.
Torres was also Spain's top scorer in Poland and Ukraine, registering three goals. "I have won my first titles at club level this season, the FA Cup and the Champions League," the 28-year-old said. "Now I have this EURO as well, which is beyond anything we could have imagined."
Mata came on in 87th minute and scored the fourth a minute later – the perfect way to mark his only participation in the tournament. The pair's success means three Spaniards have now achieved the feat, Luis Suárez having lifted the UEFA European Championship in 1964 shortly after helping FC Internazionale Milano to overcome Real Madrid CF in the European Cup final.
Twenty-four years later, the Netherlands triumphed, with Hans van Breukelen, Ronald Koeman, Barry van Aerle and Gerald Vanenburg all in their victorious side in the final against the USSR in Munich. The triumph marked a double celebration for the quartet, who were fresh from helping PSV Eindhoven to European Cup glory against SL Benfica.
Wim Kieft was a European Cup winner with PSV and an unused substitute in the Netherlands' EURO triumph, while Nicolas Anelka went through the same experience with France in 2000 after appearing in Real Madrid's UEFA Champions League final triumph. Anelka's Madrid team-mate Christian Karembeu holds the unique position of being an unused substitute in European Cup and UEFA European Championship final triumphs in the same year.
Ten players have played in European Cup final victories and EURO final defeats in the same year: Sepp Maier, Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck, Franz Beckenbauer and Uli Hoeness (1976, Bayern München and West Germany) and Ricardo Carvalho, Nuno Valente, Costinha, Maniche, Deco and Paulo Ferreira (2004, FC Porto and Portugal).

Spain Join Germany Atop the EURO Podium

Having become the first team to successfully defend the UEFA European Championship, Spain have joined Germany as the only three-time winners of the continent's greatest prize.

Spain's class of 2012 have etched their country's name on to the Henri Delaunay Cup for a third time with their record 4-0 victory against Italy in Kyiv.
Vicente del Bosque's men won the 14th edition of the UEFA European Championship at the Olympic Stadium, denying their opponents a second title in the process. Spain were previously crowned European champions on home soil in 1964 and in Austria/Switzerland four years ago and they now join Germany (1972 and 1980 as West Germany, 1996) as the only country with three titles.

France (1984, 2000) have claimed the cup twice; the Soviet Union (1960), Italy (1968), Czechoslovakia (1976), Netherlands (1988), Denmark (1992) and Greece (2004) complete the nine-strong list of former winners.
UEFA European Championship finals

01/07/2012 Spain 4-0 Italy – Kyiv
29/06/2008 Germany 0-1 Spain – Vienna
04/07/2004 Portugal 0-1 Greece – Lisbon
02/07/2000 France 2-1 Italy (aet) – Rotterdam
30/06/1996 Czech Republic 1-2 Germany (aet) – London
26/06/1992 Denmark 2-0 Germany – Gothenburg
25/06/1988 USSR 0-2 Netherlands – Munich
27/06/1984 France 2-0 Spain – Paris
22/06/1980 Belgium 1-2 West Germany – Rome
20/06/1976 Czechoslovakia 2-2 West Germany (aet, 5-3 pens) – Belgrade
18/06/1972 West Germany 3-0 USSR – Brussels
08/06/1968 Italy 1-1 Yugoslavia (aet) – Rome
10/06/1968 Italy 2-0 Yugoslavia (replay) – Rome
21/06/1964 Spain 2-1 USSR – Madrid
10/07/1960 USSR 2-1 Yugoslavia (aet) – Paris

Del Bosque's Spain won UEFA Champions League 2012

Vicente del Bosque spoke of a "great era for Spanish football" after his side retained the Henri Delaunay Cup with an emphatic win against a tired Italy team whose luck was out.

Vicente del Bosque became the first coach to complete the hat-trick of UEFA Champions League, FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Championship on Sunday but he refused to linger on personal achievements.
"This is a great era for Spanish football," said Del Bosque, who paid tribute to his players after an "extraordinary" performance but also praised opponents Italy, a side he said had everything but luck. His counterpart Cesare Prandelli, looking as tired as his players, admitted he would have "pangs of disappointment" departing Ukraine, but he leaves satisfied with a tournament where his Azzurri squad warranted an 8/10 mark.
Vicente del Bosque, Spain coach
Before I start to analyse anything I'd like to say that everyone loses sometimes. Italy had a great tournament but had that injury with Thiago Motta [which left them to play the last 28 minutes with ten men] and the game effectively ended then. We played well, got the first goal and though Italy responded well we reacted and got a second. Our success is historic but we have to begin looking to the future and qualifying for Brazil.
This is a great generation of players. They have roots and know how to play because they come from a country that knows how to. We have a great bunch of lads, some playing abroad – they never used to. This is a great era for Spanish football. After Vienna [and the UEFA EURO 2008 final] Luis Aragonés, the then coach, showed us the way, the direction to go. But there are challenges ahead with World Cup qualification,and then the Confederations Cup where, representing Europe, we want to do well.
We had an extraordinary match but don't underestimate Italy – they just had no luck. Everything went our way tonight. Italy had one fewer player, one less day of rest and they tried throughout but couldn't get into the game. We played our own game and were faithful to what we've done over the years. I have spoken to the King [Juan Carlos] and his son and they told us they will see us tomorrow. This is a great time for all the Spanish people.
Cesare Prandelli, Italy coach
Our only regret is that we were so tired. We were up against a great side, the world champions, and as soon as we went down to ten men it was game over. We had a couple of chances at the start of the second half but didn't take them and when Thiago Motta went off we had nothing left in the tank. When we did attack, we struggled to get back to cover.
I think we've had a terrific European Championship and our only regret is that we didn't have a few more days to rest before this game. We played against Spain in the group stage and I thought we were excellent then – because we were 100% fit. Against a team like Spain you need to be at your best, going into tackles, and tonight we simply weren't. You have to pay credit to Spain. They have made history tonight and deservedly so. They may not play with a recognised striker but they still cause a hell of a lot of problems.
I'd give us an eight out of ten for the tournament. We had a difficult group and played some good games; we just struggled to recover our fitness. Italy have shown terrific team spirit, they've shown you can play attacking football, they've shown you don't have to kick people, they've shown you can lose with dignity and that they can react to hard situations.
You can never be happy after defeat; you always want to win. But the longer the game went on the more I came to reflect on how well we've played. When we fly over Kyiv and see the stadium lights I will have pangs of disappointment but I leave proud.

Spain Won the UEFA Euro Cup 2012 Final Against Italy

UEFA Euro Cup Final Result: Spain 4-0 Italy
Vicente del Bosque's side saved their best until last at UEFA EURO 2012 as they overwhelmed an Italy outfit that ran out of steam.

Spain saved their best until last at UEFA EURO 2012, a final-record 4-0 victory in Kyiv completing an unprecedented hat-trick of major tournament wins.
Against a flagging Italy side whose thrilling knockout campaign looked to have caught up with them, Spain were in control from the moment David Silva broke the deadlock with a rare header on 14 minutes. A barnstorming second with half-time approaching from the indefatigable Jordi Alba, his first international goal, left the Azzurri with a mountain to climb. The sight of Thiago Motta, their third substitute, being carried off on a stretcher ended all hope, leaving Italy to play out the last 28 minutes with ten men – and Spain replacements Fernando Torres and Juan Mata fully capitalized.
This was billed as a meeting of great creative minds, of conductors in their prime, of Xavi Hernández against Andrea Pirlo; but for much of the opening stages it was a one-man show. Spain's No8 picked up the baton from the off, in harmony with Andrés Iniesta, dictating La Roja's now familiar staccato movement as Italy were forced deeper and deeper. The olés had already begun among the sizeable Spanish contingent in the 63,170 crowd when, just before the quarter-hour, the pair combined to such devastating effect.
Xavi, who had fired just over moments earlier, fed Iniesta and his finely weighted ball allowed Cesc Fàbregas to easily outstrip Giorgio Chiellini on the inside-right channel. There was still plenty to do but how easily Spain made it look as Fàbregas pulled a sharp ball back for Silva, all 170cm of him, to glance his header in. It proved a disappointed Chiellini's last real action as he soon succumbed to the thigh problem that has hampered him throughout his time in Poland and Ukraine.
A heavy-legged Italy could ill afford the double blow, but impressively they fought their way back into it. Pirlo, inevitably, was their driving force, the beating drum that pulled the strings at the back and sounded the horn to attack. Not that there was much of that. In fact, Pirlo's most telling contribution of the first half was a superb last-ditch block on Iniesta. Yet try as he might – and he did try – the 33-year-old could not be everywhere.
Spain's second was a little too easy, though. Standing on the touch line near halfway, Fàbregas headed Iker Casillas's clearance to Alba who turned the ball into Xavi before haring forward. The Azzurri back line did not seem to notice but the erudite Xavi did, advancing forward before slotting his new FC Barcelona club-mate in. The composed left-footed finish that followed would have pleased even David Villa, watching in the stands with Carles Puyol.
It seemed nothing could now deny Spain a first competitive victory against the Azzurri in 92 years – at least over 90 minutes – but Italy were not done yet. Antonio Di Natale, scorer in the 1-1 draw between these sides three weeks ago, came on for Antonio Cassano and within six minutes he could have scored twice. His first chance, a header, was far from simple but the striker could have done better when Riccardo Montolivo's pass found him in space. He snatched at the chance, though, and the advancing Casillas blocked.
Yet Italy's slender hopes of mounting a comeback disappeared when Thiago Motta did likewise down the tunnel. It was left for Xavi to resume his conducting, slowing things down until, with six minutes remaining, he upped the tempo for a rousing crescendo. First he robbed Pirlo in midfield and set up Torres for a goal to add to his UEFA EURO 2008 showpiece effort – a feat no one has managed before – then he combined with Torres to release Mata, just on, to set seal on an emphatic win. It has been an emphatic four years.