Congrats Spain they have smashed Italy by a clear 4-0 margin on their way towards third major triumph inside 4 years

Final of UEFA EURO 2012

Spain-4(David Silva 14`, Jordi Alba 41`, Fernando Torres 84`, Juan Mata88`)      Italy-0          

        Congrats Spain they have smashed Italy by a clear 4-0 margin on their way towards third major triumph inside 4 years denying their opponents a second title in the process. Spain saved their best until last at UEFA EURO 2012, a final-record 4-0 victory at Olympic stadium in Kiev. They retained the trophy once again & established a new record of  winning two back to back continental championship in Europe, also achieved another record of winning three back to back to major titles including two EURO cup trophies of 2008 & 2012 & the FIFA world cup trophy of 2010. 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. Not the West Germany or Brazil sides of the 1970s, nor the France of Zinedine Zidane – no group of players have endured like those who started winning under Luis Aragones four years ago and have now sealed their status as all-time greats.

          The Azzuri side were thrilling & jubilant in the knockout stage against the great rivals like France in quarterfinal stage & Germany in semifinal but this time Spain were in full drivers seat from the moment David Silva broke the deadlock with a rare header on 14 minutes following a swift flick from right side courtsey Cesc Fabregas. A barnstorming second with half-time approaching from the indefatigable Jordi Alba in the 41^st minute of the game, 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  in the 59^th minute ended all hope, leaving Italy to play out the last 30 minutes with ten men – and Spain replacements Fernando Torres and Juan Mata fully capitalised.

           This was expected a battle between two midfield superstars Andrei Pirlo & Xavi Hernandez but finally it became one man show, Spain's No8 picked up the baton from the off, in harmony with Andres Iniesta, dictating La Roja's now familiar staccato movement as Italy were forced deeper and deeper. The oles had already begun among the sizeable Spanish contingent in the 65,400 crowd when, just before the quarter-hour, the pair combined to such devastating effect.
        The Azzuri side started to seek from muscle injury & could ill afford the double blow, but impressively they fought their way back into it. Pirlo, inevitably, trying to take the control of midfield once again, 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 – he tried his best once again but football is not a game of one man it was looking like the other players of entire Azzuri side was seeking of confidence. It makes the second half very easy for Spain, though. Standing on the touch line near halfway, Fabregas 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 might have looked all over for Italy but substitute Antonio Di Natale tried in few occasion to minimize the margin atleast but It seemed once again nothing could now deny Spain a first competitive victory against the Azzurris in 92 years.
           Italy's hopes of giving a memorable fightback completely 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.

SANDIP KARMAKAR_ONLINE FOOTBALL JOURNAL. FACEBOOK . TWITTER. LINKEDIN .

Current holders Spain will take on a heavily balanced Italian side in the final of EURO 2012 at Olympic stadium in Kiev tonight

       
        Current holders Spain will take on a heavily balanced Italian side in the final of EURO 2012 at Olympic stadium in Kiev tonight. Co-incidently both the side belong to the same group in the tournament, in their previous group C clash ended in a stalemate of 1-1 apart from that neither side have lost a single match in the tournament so far but it will be the Italians who enter the showpiece in better form.
         Spain have reached into this stage looking to become the first back-to-back winners of the European championship and the first side to win three straight majors (won Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup) and is on a major roll, winning 32 of its last 35 competitive games.But Italy proved it deserves to be here, ending Germany’s 15-game winning streak on two first-half Mario Balotelli goals in the semifinals. There would be a neat symmetry to the achievement if Vicente del Bosque's men were to leave Kyiv's Olympic Stadium having become the first team to retain the Henri Delaunay Cup.
          Cesare Prandelli’s side were excellent in their quarter-final win over England – which was only decided on penalties because of their poor finishing – and they backed it up with a superb 2-1 victory against an in-form Germany.

         And although Spain will enter the final as favourites, Prandelli is confident his side can cause problems for their opponents.“We only have one day to prepare for this game but we will try to find Spain’s weaknesses,” Prandelli said.“They are the world and European champions and they are an example to everyone. But we have grown and we should not fear them. We have to have the strength to face them with ideas, determination and quality.”
         Manchester City forward Mario Balotelli scored a well-taken brace in the win over the Germans, while Andrea Pirlo’s outstanding form in this tournament continued as the veteran put in another marvellous performance in the centre of midfield.
          Pirlo’s skill on the ball has perhaps been the highlight of the championships with his passing, movement and eye for a through-ball all pivotal to Italy’s success in Poland and Ukraine.
         Spanish defender Sergio Ramos is well-aware of Pirlo’s talent and knows that he needs to be stopped if they are to triumph.“They are very quick and dangerous on the break and Pirlo is unique,” Ramos said.
         “With a single pass he can open you up and leave a man one on one. Pirlo is their reference point. He dominates the game and controls the match. He’s the player that makes the difference.”
       Spain enter the final on the back of a penalty shootout success against Portugal, which came after the two sides played out a stalemate in 120 minutes.Spain and Italy met each other earlier in the group stages of the tournament, with Cesc Fabregas’ equaliser earning the former a 1-1 draw in an exciting match in Gdansk.
        Prandelli opted for a 3-5-2 formation against the Spaniards and it paid dividends as Vicente Del Bosque’s side were crowded in midfield and struggled to move the ball forward with their usual crispness.
       The match was also notable for Del Bosque’s refusal to play a recognised striker from the start, with Fabregas playing in an unusual ‘false nine’ role, while they also started with the same set-up in a 2-0 quarter-final win against France.

         Spanish coach have shown the world a new & innovative formation of playing with five midfield players & without a single positive striker, currently he is playing with the formation of  5-5-0. Sometimes he is introducing his genuine strikers in second half but most of the time Spain is trying to obtain the numerical superiority in the opponent penetrative zone. And the issue has plagued Spain all throughout the tournament is with Cesc Fabregas & Fernando Torres  who would be in the first eleven. Del Bosque’s failure to settle on a line-up has cost Spain the chance to build continuity and as a result they have not been able to play the kind of football that saw them win Euro 2008 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
            While Torres and Fabregas have scored two goals each, the bulk of Spain’s good play in the attacking third has come from midfielders Andres Iniesta and David Silva and the pair will need to be at their best again to cause Italy problems.Barcelona midfielder Xavi will play a similar role to Pirlo, setting up attacks and acting as the pivot in midfield, and the battle between the pair will be crucial.
          The Spanish defence has been resolute all tournament, conceding just once – which was against Italy – while Prandelli’s side have shipped just three goals in five matches.
          The match is unlikely to be a shootout and just the one goal might be enough to claim victory.
          Spain are attempting to create history, with no country ever having won the European Championship twice in a row. For Italy, they are looking to win the title for the first time since 1968, where they have won by toss against the former USSR in the final.

          With the amount of quality on the pitch and so much on the line, Sunday’s final is sure to be a special occasion.

Key battles:
Ramos v Balotelli
With Carles Puyol ruled out by injury, Ramos has cemented his place as Gerard Pique's partner at the heart of Spain's defence. His replica of Andre Pirlo's penalty in the semi-final shootout win over Portugal demonstrated his confidence. Balotelli appears to be maturing before our very eyes at Euro 2012. His form and attitude were questioned in Italy's first two games but he has been almost unplayable since scoring as a substitute against Republic of Ireland.

Xavi v Pirlo
A mouthwatering showdown between two of the best passers ever to grace the game. Xavi's status as an all-time great has already been assured but he has yet to hit the heights in Poland and Ukraine and will be desperate to do so on Sunday. Pirlo has been peerless for Italy and almost has the Player of the Tournament award wrapped up ahead of the final.

Iniesta v Balzaretti
If Spain decide not to play a striker, their midfield will have to fill the void and no-one is more capable of doing so than Iniesta, whose goal settled the 2010 World Cup. The 28-year-old also likes to drift out wide, where he will doubtless come up against Balzaretti. The Juventus defender has excelled going forward at both left-back and right-back at Euro 2012.

Head-to-head record
Spain's record in 30 games against Italy is W8 D12 L10, but seven of those victories have come in friendly games.
EURO pedigree
Spain
Winners:  1964, 1968
Runners-up: 1984
Italy
Winners: 1968
Runners-up: 2000
Semi-finalists: 1988

SANDIP KARMAKAR_ONLINE FOOTBALL JOURNAL. FACEBOOK . TWITTER. LINKEDIN .