The defence was impenetrable. The offense was unstoppable. Simply put, it was another Spanish party on the international stage.
Spain won its third straight major soccer title
Sunday, routing Italy 4-0 in the European Championship final and making
it look all too easy.
David Silva and Jordi Alba scored first-half goals,
and substitutes Fernando Torres and Juan Mata added two more in the
final minutes as the Spanish passing game worked its magic against the
Italians at the Olympic Stadium.
Silva headed in a high shot in the 14th minute off a
pass from Cesc Fabregas. And Alba added another in the 41st, picking up a
beautiful through ball from Xavi Hernandez and shooting past Italy
goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.
Torres, who came on for Fabregas in the 75th minute,
added the third goal with an easy finish and Mata really put the game
away in the 88th, knocking in a pass from Torres.
Spain won the Euro 2008 title four years ago in
Vienna and followed that up with the World Cup title in Johannesburg two
years ago.
Not only has Spain won every knockout game since
losing to France in the second round of the 2006 World Cup, but
goalkeeper Iker Casillas hasn’t allowed a goal in that 10-game span. The
last player to beat him is such an important match was Zinedine Zidane,
and he retired after that tournament.
Spain was the favorite heading into the match, but
also seemed primed for a loss after being held to a 1-1 draw by the
Italians in their opening Group C match. Spain, which has been
experimenting with a lineup that excludes a recognized striker, needed a
penalty shootout to reach the final after a 0-0 tie with Portugal in
the semifinals.
The controversial lineup, which Spain coach Vicente
del Bosque again employed on Sunday, is akin to playing in the Super
Bowl without a running back. Sure, you can still score touchdowns, but
you give up on the chance for a game-breaking play.
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