Ebullient, Energetic, Espana

Michael Schumacher, Harrison Ford, Enrique Iglesias, Jurgen Klinsmann Franz Beckenbauer, Joseph Sepp Blatter, Henry Kissinger, Juan Carlos........ the list went on at the VIP stand of a full-house 55000-holder Ernst-Happel Stadion at Vienna, the capital city of Austria. Gentlemen from sports, politics, culture and royalty had all arrived to watch Germany take on Spain in the grand finale to what was a spectacular UEFA Euro 2008 Championships.

UEFA Euro 2008 made an estimated two million soccer fans visit Vienna and cops had to fly in from France, Germany and Switzerland to ensure that the tournament was free of any shameful incident. It really is difficult to contain the ardent proponents who cheer for their respective nations. As many as 650 volunteers on job saw to it that the city streets were litter-free. Austria made every single effort to neatly carry out the task they had agreed upon to. Incredible effort!!

Lacking the usual pace during the initial stage of the championships, Germany finally came into its own with a host of performances which saw them outplay Portugal in the quarter-finals and then surprise Turkey in the semis with that glorious penultimate minute scorcher from Phillip Lahm which enraptured the Germans to no end. That’ll be an unforgettable moment for Lahm, as that atoned for his casual approach for the good part of the game. Germany were fortunate to squeeze through a spot to finals, something which even Joaquim Loew agreed. Schwiensteiger, Klose, Ballack and Podolski ended as the prominent goal scorers for Germany.

Spain on the other hand produced some consistent good performance right from the beginning of the tournament. David Villa’s hat-trick against Russia was one of the highlights of their impressive display in the league stages. In the quarter-finals, Spain outclassed Italy in the penalties, with their goal-keeper Iker Casillas being the hero of the evening following his two match-winning saves from Daniele de Rossi and Antonio de Natale. Guus Hiddink’s Russia, which managed to string together a bunch of victories to advance into the round of final 4, were again defeated by Spain, which also managed to maintain a clean sheet. Xavi, Guiza and Silva piled on goals to see Spain 3-0 home.

For the title clash, Germany received a boost when skipper Michael Ballack was included despite nursing a calf strain. Loew’s side did not take much time to settle. They were the side which looked more comfortable in the first half as the passing looked better than at any previous stage of the tournament. However, Miroslav Klose and Thomas Hitzlsperger could not convert any glimpses into a goal. Spain, minus the tournament-leading scorer David Villa, took a while to get accustomed to a new 4-5-1 formation.

Three minutes past the half hour mark, Torres sent one striking down the inside-right channel after Xavi sent a smooth ball into the German area. With a goal as lead, Spain increased the spirit of play and capitalized as Germany looked less potent with Ballack getting injured his left eye at an inopportune moment.

Spain leading the first half 1-0 held its nerve despite Shwiensteiger and Klose trying hard to make it all even. The scoreline would have read 2-0 if not for some intelligent defending and low crosses being cut short by Germans. And finally, as the game drew towards close, Spain had every reason to cheer for they were advancing towards a first major victory since 1964. They deserved the victory and the tournament for being consistent and performing throughout.

Meanwhile, Raul would have been as disappointed as Germany, for he opted to stay out of the competition. Torres, the man for Spain, was all joy as any Spanish on earth for putting an end to the famous tag which Spain had managed to achieve, ‘Perennial Hapless Comedy Under-Achievers Of International Football’.