Match Report Spain 1-0 Germany It is very rare for a country to make it through a complete tournament final (6 games in the European championships or 7 at the World Cup) playing almost flawless and entertaining football and in the end still lift the trophy. This Spain has done just that and there can be little doubt that they were the best team at Euro 2008.
Spain may have sputtered sporadically in some of the six games but at no time did the overall quality of their play slip below the opposition’s for 90 minutes or anything close to it.
Germany settled into the final match more quickly and for the first 10 minutes looked to be the most dangerous side. An early slip from Ramos allowed Klose half a chance but his control let him down.
Germany targeted the right side of the Spanish defense trying to split right back Ramos and center back Puyol with passes played into the space between them. A similar tactic would eventually bear fruit although it would be Spain that would prosper rather than Germany.
After some early nerves Spain settled in to their familiar pattern of short quick passes and constant movement in midfield. Halfway through the first 45 minutes a Fabregas to Ramos move finished with Fernando Torres leaping high above the German defense only to see his downward header rebound off the base of the post. With no one to take advantage of the rebound the danger was cleared.
As the first half progressed it became obvious that Germany was carrying a number of players who were just not up to the occasion and could not match Spain’s play. Just after the half hour mark Spain scored what would ultimately be the only goal of the game.
A Xavi Hernandez pass split Metzelder and Lahm. Lahm was guilty of worrying too much about Fernando Torres and not making a great enough effort to get to the ball first. Torres brushed the full back aside and clipped the ball over an advancing Jens Lehmann.
The half time introduction of Marcell Jansen after half time was the catalyst for Germany’s best spell of the game. Even then there was little threat that Iker Casillas would be beaten.
The introduction of Alonso for Fabregas swung any territorial advantage back Spain’s way and although Germany threw more players forward Spain was the team most likely to score.
With expectations raised for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa it will be very interesting to see how Spain reacts.
Ratings
Spain Casillas 7 – Lifting the trophy caused him more problems than the German attack.
Ramos 7 – Improved as the game progressed but mental errors are never far away.
Puyol 8 – Strong in the air and along with Marchena (8) presented a formidable barrier.
Capdevilla 7 – Had little to do but what he did do was accomplished with great effectiveness and efficiency.
Senna 9 – Another outstanding display of defensive midfield play but also exhibited great mobility and could have even scored in the last few minutes as he appeared in Germany’s six yard box.
Iniesta 9 – Enjoyed his best performance of the competition. If he put a foot wrong then I missed it. He was at the centre of most of Spain’s moves constantly prompting, passing and supporting.
Xavi Hernandez 8 - Just a smidgen off a 9. Played the through ball that Torres latched onto and scored from.
Cesc Fabregas 7 - Struggled to stamp any authority on the match.
Silva 7 – One of his quietest games of the tournament and was not as influential as we’ve come to expect.
Torres 8 – His pace and power a constant threat to the German defense. But even scoring the winning goal wasn’t enough to stop Aragones from substituting him.
Substitutes Alonso 7 – Helped Spain through the vital last half an hour.
Cazorla 7 – Brought on to replace Silva after he went head-to-head with Podolski. Did what he was supposed without being flashy.
Guiza 7 – With 12 minutes to go he had little time to establish himself but still delivered 100% effort in that time.
Germany
Lehmann 8 – Some may criticize him for the goal that was conceded but I wouldn’t. He never looked comfortable but he still pulled off three very good saves.
Friedrich 7 – Spain rarely attacked down Germany’s right and and for large spells of the game he was hardly noticeable.
Mertesacker 8 – Battled bravely and without him the the destination of the trophy would have been decided long before 90 minutes was up.
Metzelder 5 – The doubts about Metzelder’s readiness for this tournament were widely discussed in the lead up. Any problems he had in the previous games had not proven costly. It was not the case tonight. Nervous, indecisive and off the pace of the game.
Lahm 5 – At fault for the goal he only lasted 45 minutes.
Frings 7 – He fought the good fight and perhaps if he had better support in midfield the outcome might have been different.
Hitzlsperger 5 – Out of his depth. Lucky to last as long as he did.
Schweinsteiger 6 – A big disappointment. His set pieces were very poor and his hesitation to deliver early passes when the opportunity arose stifled a number of promising opportunities.
Ballack 7 – He was too occupied trying to contain the Spanish midfield and had little time to get forward and to support Klose.
Podolski 6 - Accomplished little and was never a threat.
Klose 6 – He never look comfortable, his touch was off and he strayed into off-site positions too often and too easily.
Substitutes Jansen 7 – He showed some of the form that was on display in the first game against Poland. A willingness to get stuck in and win some tackles provided a platform for some early German attacks in the second half.
Kuranyi 5 - He was given over 30 minutes to make an impact and he didn’t.
Gomez 5 – He spent as much time on the field has Guiza and delivered about 80% less.
Nothing in the way of articles caught my eye this weekend.
Liverpool's performance against Arsenal has just poured more fuel on the fire that is "Should Steven Gerrard be playing in central midfield?" With Sissoko out for up to three months it was surprising to see Zenden lining up in midfield along side Xabi Alonso at Emirates Stadium. It seems to me that there are a lot of parallels with the ongoing debate surrounding Gerrard and Lampard in the England set up. Alonso generally plays deeper than Lampard but both play better with a defensive midfield player beside them – as does Gerrard. Cast your mind back to the Champions League Final in 2005 when Milan cut through a Alonso/Gerrard central midfield in the first half. It was the introduction of Hamann at half time that helped turn the tide.
Perhaps the debate is better framed around Gerrard or Lampard (England) and Gerrard or Alonso (Liverpool). If you look at it from that prospective then I think you can see how Gerrard is often played on the right side of midfield.
The Liverpool situation is magnified because I don’t think Gerrard or Alonso has played particularly well this season. I think the assumption is being made in many quarters that Gerrard is playing badly because he is supposedly being played out of position. Maybe he is just playing poorly period. In past seasons he has been very productive from the right side and he has been given latitude to roam as well.
And some other thoughts on yesterday’s game from a Liverpool perspective. When Benitez took off Sami Hyypia it was an act of mercy. Poor Sami just could not handle the pace and movement from Arsenal.
Mark Gonzalez – has Jose Antonio Reyes just changed his name and place of business? Gonzalez seems to have pace to burn but he seems to be content to slow the game down when he gets the ball.
Ukraine must feel like they've been invited to a mugging. The first one was a poor goal to lose - bad marking and the keeper didn't look overly smart. The second goal was a wicked deflection that left Shovkovski without much of a hope.
Senna is solid in midfield while I don't think Alonso and Xavi have misplayed a pass yet. Garcia is doing what he does - flitting between midfiled and attack. Villa is a fire-plug up front.
Ukraine is seriously shell-shocked and need a quick break at the start of the second half if they are to get back into this one. They're tentative on the ball and can't match the Spanish speed and movement.
As expected there is no spot in the starting 11 for Raul.
This one is off at a cracking pace.
Spain draws first blood as the Ukrainian defense allows Alonso to stoop for a header from a corner. Poor goal to give-up. But this game looks as if it could be a cracker. Apparently this is Alonso's first goal for Spain.
Jings - Spain two up. A free kick is given away just outside the box and David Villa's shot takes a wicked deflection off the wall and changes direction to beat Shovkovski.
Needless to say the Ukraine has a big job on their hands.
I am the soccer analyst for the Fox Soccer Report and appear twice a week - every Monday and Friday at 10:00 EST. I have also been a regular contributor to the Fox Soccer Channel website since the summer of 2004. Over the last twenty years I have contributed to various radio and television programs throughout North America as well writing about the game for newspapers, magazines and websites.
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