Spain are the champions of Europe after defeating Germany 1-0 in the final of the European Championships in Vienna. The Spanish, so long the perennial underachievers, thoroughly deserved their victory after dominating the final from start to finish.
Simply put, Spain were far too good for the Germans and no one would begrudge them their victory. They were so much better technically, tactically and physically that it was amazing the score was only 1-0. They carved through the German defence time and time again and against a better team you would think that this might cost them. Not against opposition like this though.
German captain Michael Ballack was a doubt before the game and it was obvious in his lack of mobility that he was not fit and he struggled to link up with Miroslav Klose, who looked isolated in attack. Hitzelsperger and Frings tried hard but were left chasing shadows at times as the Spanish passed the ball around with the kind of intelligence and precision we have come to expect.
Its rare that the most attractive, entertaining team go on to win the major trophies but this Spanish team has added steal to go along with the flair that has always been there. 
Marcos Senna has marshalled the midfield excellently and Marchena at the back has been there to clear up the few mistakes made by Carlos Puyol. All this has allowed the likes of Xavi, Fabregas, Iniesta and Silva to attack with the confidence that they have a solid defensive base and in Fernando Torres and David Villa they have two of the worlds deadliest strikers.
Huge credit must go to the coach Luis Aragones. It’s easy to say that when you have so many talented players that you just tell them to go out and play but not only has he made bold tactical decisions, his use of substitutes has been vital. The introduction of Fabregas into games gave them another dimension and Carzola and Güiza have played important roles in closing out games.
After superb performances from Holland, Croatia, Russia and even Turkey, it was a travesty that Germany got to the final. Defensively they have been shocking and apart from Ballack and glimpses from Podolski and Schweinsteiger they have never looked like possible winners. It is a testament to the spirit of Joachim Löw and his players that they reached the final but it also highlights the poor decision by Uefa to separate the competition into two uneven halves.
Two years ago Germany were praised for their attacking play under Jurgen Klinsmann but despite the same players this has looked a totally different side. However enough about the losers lets rejoice in the winners.
This Spanish squad is young and has the potential to go on and dominate the top-level of international football like it has done at youth level for many years to come and it is justice that such a great tournament should end with such great champions.

SPAIN CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE!

SPAIN CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE! - World Soccer Talk

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When it was announced that Sven-Göran Eriksson was to leave his post as England manager after the 2006 World Cup Guus Hiddink was seen by many as the man to finally galvanise the so-called ‘golden generation’. England chose Steve McClaren, Russia chose Hiddink and we all know what happened next.&nbsp;Despite losing their opening game to Spain, Russia got back on track by defeating the defending champions Greece and, inspired by the return of Andrei Arshavin, cruised past Sweden in the decisive group D game to set up a mouth-watering tie with Holland in Basel on Saturday.
This will be the first time that Russia will have graced the latter stages of a major international tournament since the break up of the Soviet Union and the impact made by Arshavin should not be underestimated. While Russia showed patches of their quality against Spain and were the dominate side against Greece on both occasions they seemed to be one player short of a team who could have a genuine shot at winning the competition.
Playing just off Pavlychenko, scorer of the opening goal, Arshavin was a constant menace to the Swedish defence and his movement and awareness of his teammates was a joy to watch.It was his ball that started the move for Pavlychenko’s goal and he was on the end of Zhirkov’s pass to score Russia’s second. It will be interesting to see if he is allowed the same amount of time and space against Holland who have been fielding two defensive midfielders in Nigel De Jong and Orlando Engelaar.
Regular watchers of Europe’s club competitions will know that Russia’s appearance in the last eight is no fluke. The image of Russian football being based on big brutes is long gone, the Berezutskiy twins apart, and the slick passing and pace with which the Russians attacked tonight was as good as any seen so far in this tournament.
Sweden were outclassed tonight and with the oldest squad in the tournament it is time for a rethink. However the apparent lack of young talent coming through means that the majority of this side will be present when the World Cup qualifying campaign starts in the fall. Coach Lars Lagerbäck has been in charge since 2000 (sole charge since 2004) and must take some of the blame for the team’s poor showing. His defensive tactics have meant that arguably the countries most creative midfielder, Lyons Kim Källström, has been replaced by Anders Svensson and placing even more pressure on the brilliant but erratic Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
With Holland in imperious form the chances of Russia getting to the semi-finals is slim. But if anyone knows how to conquer the Dutch it is Hiddink and with Arshavin back pulling the strings anything could happen.

Russia Progress Thanks To The Brilliant Arshavin

Russia Progress Thanks To The Brilliant Arshavin - World Soccer Talk

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SPAIN CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE!

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Russia Progress Thanks To The Brilliant Arshavin