Euro 2008 - Final: Spain Ends 44-Year Cup Drought with 1-0 Win Against Germany
June 30th 2008 12:37
In a game which pitted a hot Spanish team against a German team that wasn't quite firing on all cylinders, Spain were the logical winners with a great team performance from front to to back. Despite Villa's absence in the final match, the Spaniards didn't miss a beat as Fernando Torres and their attacking midfielders took advantage over a slow German defense which didn't get the proper support from holding midfielders Torsten Frings and Thomas Hitzlsperger.
Germany started well though. They were the first to show their teeth in the opening fifteen minutes while the Spaniards were still processing the perspective of playing with a five-man midfield including two playmakers (Xavi Hernandez and Cesc Fabregas), one of them (Fabregas) playing as a 2/3 striker. They quickly got over that hurdle when both Andres Iniesta and David Silva were assigned to their off-wing (Iniesta on the left, Silva on the right) while Fabregas and Xavi switched up their position every so often with one of them always in a more attacking position than the other. Iniesta and Silva's switch allowed the wingers to cut to the inside instead of trying to cross the ball and the results were immediate. At the 14th minute, Jens Lehmann was forced to make a reflex save as Iniesta cut to the inside and delivered a pass (the intending target being Silva) which bounced off Christoph Metzelder and made its way to the net. It was all Spain after that as Torres became more and more dangerous, his header hitting the post at the 23rd minute. The striker finally scored at the 33st minute after receiving Xavi's pass and holding off Philipp Lahm while he lifted his striker over a sliding Lehmann.
At halftime, Germany substituted Lahm by Marcell Janssen in an effort to bring more physical strength in the backline. Since Lahm didn't have a lot of opportunities going forward in the first half, his speed and skill weren't used to their full potential while his diminutive size was a liability against Torres. Still, it was Spain who dominated the second half with the Germans having no shots on goal until the 60th minute. Joachim Löw used his second substitution at the 58th minute, replacing Hitzlsperger by Kevin Kuranyi. With that change, the Germans were back to the 4-4-2 formation used in the group stage. Spain responded by replacing Fabregas by Xabi Alonso at the 63th minute, the Spaniards would play with two holding midfielders from then on. Three minutes later, Silva was replaced by Santi Cazorla as the young midfielder was on the brink of getting sent off from the game after a run-in with Lukas Podolski. At this point, Spain reverted back to the slick passing used against Russia, forcing the Germans to run after the ball. Both coaches proceeded to their final substitution at the 78th and 79th minute, Daniel Güiza replacing Torres in a straight swap while Mario Gómez replaced Miroslav Klose for Germany. The last two substitutions for Germany didn't have any impact as the ball was mostly played in the Germans' half of the field during the second period. Lehmann had his work cut out for him as Spain started to shoot from every angle and distance. Germany didn't have a shot on goal from the 63rd minute to the final whistle and the three minutes of extra-time where punctuated by a desperate German team committing several fouls while trying to get the ball away from Spanish feet.
In the end, Germany simply didn't have a chance. One only has to look at the statistics to realize that. Spain had thirteen shots on goal, seven on target, while Germany only had four shots – two wide of the goal, one on target, and a Ballack volley selflessly blocked by Sergio Ramos. Spain are the champions while Germany and Ballack are left to wonder when will they finally win.
My man of the match: Fernando Torres. He scored only one goal but was a constant thorn in the side of the Germans.
Honorable mentions:
- Jens Lehmann. If it wasn't for him, Spain would've probably won 5-0.
- Marcos Senna. He did an impressive job in midfield especially if you consider that he was the only true defensive midfielder in his team for most of the game.
Germany started well though. They were the first to show their teeth in the opening fifteen minutes while the Spaniards were still processing the perspective of playing with a five-man midfield including two playmakers (Xavi Hernandez and Cesc Fabregas), one of them (Fabregas) playing as a 2/3 striker. They quickly got over that hurdle when both Andres Iniesta and David Silva were assigned to their off-wing (Iniesta on the left, Silva on the right) while Fabregas and Xavi switched up their position every so often with one of them always in a more attacking position than the other. Iniesta and Silva's switch allowed the wingers to cut to the inside instead of trying to cross the ball and the results were immediate. At the 14th minute, Jens Lehmann was forced to make a reflex save as Iniesta cut to the inside and delivered a pass (the intending target being Silva) which bounced off Christoph Metzelder and made its way to the net. It was all Spain after that as Torres became more and more dangerous, his header hitting the post at the 23rd minute. The striker finally scored at the 33st minute after receiving Xavi's pass and holding off Philipp Lahm while he lifted his striker over a sliding Lehmann.
At halftime, Germany substituted Lahm by Marcell Janssen in an effort to bring more physical strength in the backline. Since Lahm didn't have a lot of opportunities going forward in the first half, his speed and skill weren't used to their full potential while his diminutive size was a liability against Torres. Still, it was Spain who dominated the second half with the Germans having no shots on goal until the 60th minute. Joachim Löw used his second substitution at the 58th minute, replacing Hitzlsperger by Kevin Kuranyi. With that change, the Germans were back to the 4-4-2 formation used in the group stage. Spain responded by replacing Fabregas by Xabi Alonso at the 63th minute, the Spaniards would play with two holding midfielders from then on. Three minutes later, Silva was replaced by Santi Cazorla as the young midfielder was on the brink of getting sent off from the game after a run-in with Lukas Podolski. At this point, Spain reverted back to the slick passing used against Russia, forcing the Germans to run after the ball. Both coaches proceeded to their final substitution at the 78th and 79th minute, Daniel Güiza replacing Torres in a straight swap while Mario Gómez replaced Miroslav Klose for Germany. The last two substitutions for Germany didn't have any impact as the ball was mostly played in the Germans' half of the field during the second period. Lehmann had his work cut out for him as Spain started to shoot from every angle and distance. Germany didn't have a shot on goal from the 63rd minute to the final whistle and the three minutes of extra-time where punctuated by a desperate German team committing several fouls while trying to get the ball away from Spanish feet.
In the end, Germany simply didn't have a chance. One only has to look at the statistics to realize that. Spain had thirteen shots on goal, seven on target, while Germany only had four shots – two wide of the goal, one on target, and a Ballack volley selflessly blocked by Sergio Ramos. Spain are the champions while Germany and Ballack are left to wonder when will they finally win.
My man of the match: Fernando Torres. He scored only one goal but was a constant thorn in the side of the Germans.
Honorable mentions:
- Jens Lehmann. If it wasn't for him, Spain would've probably won 5-0.
- Marcos Senna. He did an impressive job in midfield especially if you consider that he was the only true defensive midfielder in his team for most of the game.
| 26 |
| Vote |
Shared on
Add To: 
Subscribe to this blog
