And in the end, it was Spain who came out victorious. That was how the UEFA EURO 2008 ended last Sunday. The finals saw Spain going up against Germany and it only needed just one goal to separate the two teams. Fernando Torres scored the only goal of the game on 33 minutes and that was enough to give him and Spain the victory they much deserved. The win also means that Spain have ended their 44-year wait for international glory.
Despite having only one goal in the game, it was an entertaining match to watch with both team creating some good chances at both ends but there is only one room for the winner in football and it was Spain's night. Looking back at the tournament, I have got to say that they deserve it more than the Germans. In the group stage, they were impressive, picking up maximum points. They then went on to defeat Italy in the quarter-final by a penalty shoot-out and then defeating Russia once again in a convincing manner at the semis. Germany didnt do too badly either. They only lost once in the group stage which was against Croatia but they manage to bounce back in the quarter-final against Group A leader, Portugal and then of course beating Turkey in that entertaining semi-final match. Everything is over now. I don't really care who was going to be the winner yesterday because I dont like both team so it is completely irrelevant to me whichever team wins. But because of my personal differences with some of my friends who are supporting Germany, I was rooting for Spain to win and I believe they were going to win, so I am happy in some way.
Overall I think it has been a very good and successful tournament apart from watching Italy going out of course. I give it 10/10 for its entertainment value. There has been a lot of surprises, great goals, great saves, great football, everything that you want to see in a football tournament and it has certainly not disappoint. I dont know if I am going to miss waking up early in the morning anymore, maybe I will but it also mean that I can now sleep peacefully. It's been a while since I last manage to do that. I am going to miss the tournament for sure so I can't wait for the next one to start in 4 years time but before that, we will have the World Cup of course in 2010. That should be another great tournament to watch, afterall Italy is the defending champion. As for what is coming soon, its going to be the 2008/09 Barclays Premier League of course which will start in mid-August. But right now, I am going to share some of my favourite moments of EURO 2008.
Save of the tournament: Buffon penalty save against Romania. Not because I am bias but it was a great save and an important one too.
Goalkeeper of the tournament: Iker Casillas. I hate him for saving the penalties against Italy in the quater-final, but still, he has been one of the main reason why Spain won the tournament.
Match of the tournament: I have to say the semi final match between Germany and Turkey. It was end to end stuff but it was unfortunate that Germany got that late late goal. Still, it was very entertaining.
Comeback of the tournament: I definitely have to say the match between Turkey and Czech. I honestly thought that it would be over for the Turks, but they was brilliant in the comeback.
Flop of the tournament: France. They was just poor in the group stage. They only manage to get 1 points in the group stage which was against Romania and finished last. But with the Netherlands and Italy in the group as well, you cant blame them.
Manager of the tournament: Guus Hiddink. Everyone knows what a great coach and tactician he is and he has prove it once again in the tournament guiding Russia to the semis and beating the Dutch in the quarter-finals on the way. He is just brilliant.
Goal of the tournament: Tough one. There are so many great goals to choose from but I have to say Nihat's goal against Czech. Ibrahimovic goal was nice too against Greece.
Fans of the tournament: It has to be the Dutch. The stadium will always be filled with the orange colour when the Dutch are playing and I love their makeups and their orange hairs.
Player of the tournament: Andrei Arshavin. When he was suspended, Russia didnt look very convincing going forward but when he came back, Russia look like a completely different team. He was one of the reason why Russia made it to the semis, but against Spain, he didnt play very well.
That's about it from me. I thoroughly enjoyed the tournament. Congratulation to Spain once again. They deserve it. They beat the world champs afterall so they must be good but not necessarily better. And it was a good way for their coach Aragones to leave as well. He will be managing Turkish club Fenerbahce next season so all the best of luck to him. See you guys again at the next Euro championship!
No comments:
Post a Comment