After some nervous pre-game moments when ABC's broadcast was freezing up on us, the game was presented smoothly to it's viewers (a number that ESPN/ABC had to be impressed with throughout the tournament, but I'll get into that more in a later post). Spain started the first few minutes strong, followed by a 10 minute stretch of better possession for the the Germans. After that, Spain took control for the remainder of the half. Fernando Torres came close on a header that had goalkeeper Jens Lehmann beaten, but the ball struck the post and was cleared from danger. The Spanish fans would not be forced to wait long, however, as Torres outhustled Philip Lahm and lifted the ball over an onrushing Lehmann to find the side netting just inside the far post in the 33rd minute. The 1 goal advantage would be all Spain would need to wrap up it's first European title in 44 years. Germany had a stretch where they looked dangerous in the second half, and came close when Casillas just beat Kuranyi to a high ball, but the final 20 minutes or so belonged to Spain as they killed the game comfortably. I think it would be fair to say Spain missed David Villa a bit, and Michael Ballack did not appear to be functioning at warp speed for Germany. After such an exciting tournament I'd venture to say the final was a bit of a letdown, however the excite was upheld by the fact that the score remained close and the trophy was on hand. I think Spain looked better and had a great tournament, so congratulations to a deserved champion. Germany too should be proud of their efforts, far surpassing the low expectations many had for them at the conclusion of the group stage.
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