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GERMANY - SPAIN 0-1

Spain became European champions for the second time after Fernando Torres’s first-half goal in Vienna proved enough to defeat Germany in the final of UEFA EURO 2008™.

Team statistics

Spain will seek to end their 44-year wait for silverware when they take on Germany in the final of UEFA EURO 2008™ in Vienna.

• Spain’s sole previous success on the international stage came in 1964, when as hosts they defeated the USSR to win the UEFA European Championship.

• Standing in their way, however, are the most formidable opponents in the history of the competition. Germany are competing in a record sixth final – and aiming to lift the Henri Delaunay trophy for the fourth time after earlier triumphs in 1972, 1980 and 1996.

• Joachim Löw’s Germany reached the final by defeating Turkey 3-2 in a compelling semi-final contest in Basel on Wednesday. After falling behind to U?ur Boral’s 22nd-minute strike, Bastian Schweinsteiger drew Germany level four minutes later. Miroslav Klose’s 79th-minute header then sparked a frantic finale in which Semih ?entürk drew Turkey level again before Philipp Lahm’s last-minute winner.

• Spain followed Germany into the final 24 hours later with a resounding 3-0 victory against Russia in Vienna. Luis Aragonés’s men did not look back after Xavi Hernández had volleyed them in front five minutes into the second period, adding further goals through Daniel Güiza (73) and David Silva (82).

• If Spain can take the final step and defeat Germany, their coach Aragonés will become the oldest man to guide a team to UEFA European Championship glory. He will be 69 years and 338 days old on the day of the final.

• Spain are aiming to become the first team since France in 1984 to capture the UEFA European Championship following a clean sweep of wins in the group stage.

• They began impressively with David Villa scoring a hat-trick in a 4-1 defeat of Russia. With his three goals (20, 44, 75), Villa became the first player since 2000 to score a hat-trick on this illustrious stage before setting up the fourth goal for Cesc Fàbregas (90+1) after Roman Pavlyuchenko (86) had reduced the deficit.

• Spain then beat Sweden 2-1 in their second Group D outing, Villa scoring the winner two minutes into added time after Fernando Torres (15) and Zlatan Ibrahimovi? (34) had swapped goals. With that success, Spain secured first place in the section and maintained their momentum by then defeating Greece 2-1 through a Güiza strike two minutes from the end after Rubén de la Red (61) had cancelled out Angelos Charisteas’s first-half effort.

• Spain strengthened the feeling that this might be their year by overcoming world champions Italy in the quarter-finals. No Spanish team had beaten Italy in a competitive fixture since 1920 but Aragonés’s side laid to rest that hoodoo with a 4-2 penalty shoot-out victory after a goalless draw.

• After Iker Casillas had saved penalties from Daniele De Rossi and Antonio Di Natale, Fàbregas stepped up to send Spain into the last four. Of Spain’s four other takers, Villa, Santi Cazorla and Marcos Senna all scored before Güiza was foiled by Gianluigi Buffon.

• With four goals, Spain striker Villa leads the scorers’ chart ahead of the final and could become the first player since Marco van Basten in 1988 to celebrate winning the trophy and finish outright top scorer at the same time.

• Germany began their campaign in Group B by defeating Poland 2-0 through two goals from Lukas Podolski but they then suffered a hiccup when losing 2-1 to Croatia, Podolski’s 79th-minute effort scant consolation after Darijo Srna and Ivica Oli? had struck for the opposition.

• Löw’s men recovered sufficient composure to defeat co-hosts Austria 1-0 in Vienna, through Michael Ballack’s second-half free-kick, and claim second place in the section and they then raised their game to eliminate Portugal in the quarter-finals. Germany raced into a 2-0 lead through goals from Schweinsteiger and Klose and although Nuno Gomes pulled one back, Ballack’s headed third ensured a German victory despite Hélder Postiga’s late reply for Portugal.

• Germany have won three and lost two of their five previous UEFA European Championship finals. German supporters of a superstitious bent may want to avoid studying their sequence of results, given each final victory (1972, 1980, 1996) has so far been followed by a defeat (1976, 1992).

• As West Germany, the Mannschaft claimed the Henri Delaunay trophy for the first time by defeating the USSR 3-0 in Brussels in 1972, Gerd Müller (27, 58) and Herbert Wimmer (52) the scorers.

• Four years later the Germans went down 5-3 on penalties to Czechoslovakia following a 2-2 draw in Belgrade but they bounced back in 1980 with a 2-1 final triumph against Belgium in Rome. Horst Hrubesch was the hero, getting the winner two minutes from time after René Vandereycken (75) had cancelled out his tenth-minute opener.

• After losing the 1992 final to Denmark in Gothenburg, Germany celebrated a third European crown at the next tournament in England. Oliver Bierhoff, now the Mannschaft’s team manager, was the hero at Wembley, cancelling out Patrik Berger’s penalty (59) with a 73rd-minute header before striking the winner five minutes into extra time with the first-ever golden goal.

• This is the third time Spain have contested the final of the UEFA European Championship.

• Spain lifted the Henri Delaunay trophy in 1964 when they beat reigning champions USSR 2-1 in Madrid. ‘Chus’ Pereda opened the scoring for Spain inside six minutes at the Santiago Bernabéu and although Galimzian Khusainov drew the Soviets level two minutes later, Marcelino made sure of a home triumph with Spain’s second goal after 84 minutes.

• Twenty years later they lost the 1984 final to hosts France, succumbing to goals from Michel Platini (57) and Bruno Bellone (90) at the Parc des Princes.

• Germany have had the better of the sides’ head-to-head meetings, recording eight wins to Spain’s five with six matches drawn.

• Spain won the most recent encounter 3-1 in Palma de Mallorca on 12 February 2003. Raúl González opened the scoring after 32 minutes and although Fredi Bobic (38) equalised for Germany, Raúl restored Spain’s advantage with a 77th-minute penalty before Guti (83) added a third.

• The teams that day were:

Spain: Iker Casillas (Santiago Cañizares 84), Míchel Salgado, Carles Puyol, César Martín (Iván Helguera 46), Agustín Aranzábal, Joaquín Sánchez (Jose María Etxeberría 69), David Albelda, Rubén Baraja (Guti 74), Vicente Rodríguez, Raúl González (José Mari 84), Diego Tristán (Xavi Hernández 74).

Germany: Oliver Kahn, Arne Friedrich, Christian Wörns, Christoph Metzelder, Tobias Rau (Frank Baumann 51, Hannko Balitsch 62), Bernd Schneider (Paul Freier 74), Jens Jeremies, Carsten Ramelow, Jorg Böhme, Fredi Bobic (Benjamin Lauth 59), Miroslav Klose (Oliver Neuville 82).

• Ballack is the only survivor from the last occasion Germany beat Spain, a 4-1 victory for the Mannschaft in Hannover in August 2000, when Alexander Zickler and Mehmet Scholl struck two goals apiece.

• Germany have won three of the rivals’ five previous encounters in major final tournaments.

• In UEFA European Championship final tournaments, though, it is honours even. Hosts West Germany defeated Spain 2-0 in the group stage in 1988 through two Rudi Völler goals, while four years previously Spain secured a last-gasp 1-0 victory against the Germans at the same stage of the competition. Antonio Maceda’s 90th-minute header in Paris sent the Spanish into the semi-finals at the expense of the eliminated holders.

• On the FIFA World Cup stage, Germany came from behind to send Spain home from the 1966 finals, winning 2-1 in their deciding group game. The Mannschaft also ended Spain’s interest in the 1982 World Cup after beating the hosts 2-1 in the second group stage. It finished 1-1 when the teams met for the third time in the World Cup in the first round at USA ‘94.

• As a player, Spain coach Aragonés did not enjoy good fortune against German opposition. He scored in extra time for Club Atlético de Madrid in the 1974 European Champion Clubs’ Cup final against FC Bayern München in Brussels but the German side snatched a 120th-minute equaliser and went on to win the replay 4-0.

• Aragonés had earlier played in the Atlético side defeated 2-1 on aggregate by BV Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-finals in 1965/66.

• His first engagement with German opposition as a coach came in the 1975/76 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup second round against Eintracht Frankfurt, Aragonés’s Atlético side going down 2-1 at home and 1-0 away. There was more disappointment in store against Hamburger SV in the semi-finals of the same competition the next season, when Atlético’s 3-1 first-leg win was undone by a 3-0 reverse in Germany.

• Aragonés also tasted defeat with Atlético against 1. FC Dynamo Dresden in 1979/80 UEFA Cup first round and it was not until 1996/97 that he enjoyed his first success against a German club, his Valencia CF side running out 3-1 aggregate winners against then holders Bayern in the UEFA Cup first round. More disappointment was just around the corner, however, FC Schalke 04 defeating Valencia 3-1 over two legs in the quarter-finals en route to lifting the trophy.

• Germany coach Löw, by contrast, has never before met Spanish opposition as a head coach or player in official competition.

• Germany captain Ballack is aiming to avoid an unwanted double having finished on the losing side with Chelsea FC in last month’s UEFA Champions League final.

• Only four players previously have made up for defeat in a European Cup final by winning the continental title in the same year with their country: Ignacio Zoco and Amancio Amaro (1964, Real Madrid CF and Spain) and Manny Kaltz and Hörst Hrubesch (1980, Hamburg and West Germany).

• Ballack has also experienced losing a final against Spanish opposition when Bayer 04 Leverkusen went down 2-1 to Real Madrid at the conclusion of the 2001/02 UEFA Champions League campaign. Spain goalkeeper Casillas finished on the opposing side that day after taking the field as a 68th-minute substitute.

• Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann suffered the same fate as Ballack with Arsenal FC in the 2005/06 UEFA Champions League final against an FC Barcelona side featuring Spanish internationals Carles Puyol and Andrés Iniesta. Xavi was an unused Barcelona substitute that night, while his Spain midfield colleague Fàbregas featured in the Arsenal team.

• Lehmann and Fàbregas are not the only rivals in Vienna with a club connection. Germany defender Christoph Metzelder is a team-mate of Spain duo Casillas and Sergio Ramos at Real Madrid CF, while Germany winger David Odonkor plays in the same Real Betis Balompié side as Spain centre-back Juanito.

• Germany have been involved in six penalty shoot-outs down the years. They lost the first against Czechoslovakia in the 1976 UEFA European Championship final but won the next five, beating France (1982 World Cup), Mexico (1986 World Cup), England (1990 World Cup), England (EURO ‘96™) and Argentina (2006 World Cup).

• Spain’s shoot-out win against Italy was their third in six attempts. They beat Denmark 5-4 on penalties in the 1984 UEFA European Championship semi-finals but lost to Belgium in the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals and to England at the same stage of EURO ‘96™. After beating the Republic of Ireland on spot-kicks in the last 16 of the 2002 World Cup, in the next round they succumbed 5-3 in a shoot-out against Korea Republic.

• Xavi, Puyol, Joan Capdevila and Carlos Marchena were part of the Spain team beaten on penalties by Cameroon in the final of the 2000 Men’s Olympic Football Tournament. Xavi and Capdevila scored the first two kicks for a Spain side beaten 5-3 in the shoot-out after a 2-2 draw.

• Torres scored the only goal of the 2002 UEFA European Under-19 Championship final against Germany in Oslo. Iniesta was also in the Spain team while Germany’s side included Piotr Trochowski, Lahm and Odonkor. Twelve months earlier, Torres had struck the winner for Spain’s U16s when they beat France 1-0 to claim the European title.

• Pepe Reina was in the Spain team that prevailed 4-0 against Germany in the semi-finals of the UEFA European U16 Championship in 1999. Thomas Hitzlsperger was on the losing team and the Spanish went on to beat Poland 4-1 in the final.

• Casillas helped Spain to a 2-1 win against Germany in the U16 semi-finals in 1997 before they subsequently defeated Austria on penalties in the final.

• At U17 level, Fàbregas was in the Spain side that lost 2-1 to France in the 2004 final, while Silva was in the team beaten by Portugal by the same scoreline a year earlier.

• This is the 13th edition of the UEFA European Championship. The rundown of previous finals is:

1960 USSR 2-1 Yugoslavia

1964 Spain 2-1 USSR

1968 Italy 2-0 Yugoslavia (replay after 1-1 draw)

1972 West Germany 3-0 USSR

1976 Czechoslovakia 2-2 West Germany (5-3 on penalties)

1980 West Germany 2-1 Belgium

1984 France 2-0 Spain

1988 Netherlands 2-0 USSR

1992 Denmark 2-0 Germany

1996 Germany 2-1 Czech Republic

2000 France 2-1 Italy

2004 Greece 1-0 Portugal

• Poland and Ukraine will stage the UEFA EURO 2012™ finals.

Ernst Happel, Vienna
Sunday 29 June 2008 - 20.45CET (20.45 local time)

Germany coach Joachim Löw and his Spain counterpart Luis Aragonés are both hoping UEFA EURO 2008™ will come to a suitably exciting conclusion as their sides prepare to meet in the final on Sunday evening.

‘Intensive match’

The first 30 games of the tournament have yielded 76 goals, and the coaches are optimistic that pattern will continue at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion. Germany’s Joachim Löw – whose side won 3-2 in both the quarter- and semi-finals against Portugal and Turkey respectively and are looking for their fourth European title – is anticipating an open encounter. “It’s going to be a very intensive match,” he said. “Both Spain and Germany have good players and like to go forward so it’s going to be very interesting. We tried to make certain corrections after we lost to Croatia [in the group stage], but when we’re against a team who play attacking football we can reach that level and keep up. Technically speaking, both teams have strong offensive players. It will be a fast, flexible and variable match.”

‘Long hard road’

German hopes would be damaged by the absence of Michael Ballack, who has missed training for the last two days due to a calf problem, while Thorsten Frings should replace Simon Rolfes in midfield. Despite the doubts surrounding the participation of his captain, Löw is in bullish mood, confidently proclaiming: “I expect to win, of course. We have a long, hard road behind us over the past few weeks. This tournament was tough for all players and all teams, it took up a lot of strength but now we’re in the final and we’re going to gather all our efforts to win and take the cup back to Germany.”

Contrasting fortunes

While Germany are familiar faces at this level – this is their sixth European showpiece and four of Löw’s squad appeared in the 2002 FIFA World Cup final – for Spain this is unchartered territory. La Furia Roja’s last appearance in a major final was 24 years ago, a 2-0 EURO defeat by France, and their sole silverware came in the 1964 UEFA European Championship, yet if their coach is feeling weighed down by history he was not inclined to admit as much. “I’m fine, the players are fine,” said Aragonés. “My greatest concern is my team. Germany are very strong, and their set-pieces are very dangerous. We know they don’t have such a flowing game as us but they counterattack with speed and we need to learn how to stop that. It might be of concern to me, but I’m sure Germany are concerned the football we play with the ball on the ground could cause them problems.”

Winning farewell

In the absence of the tournament’s four-goal top scorer David Villa due to a thigh injury, Aragonés – who will step down after the match – is expected to stick with the five-man midfield that functioned so effectively in Thursday’s 3-0 semi-final win, against Russia, deploying Cesc Fàbregas behind lone striker Fernando Torres. “We’ll be able to get into the area less but will be stronger in midfield,” he explained. “I haven’t decided anything yet, perhaps we’ll have two forwards. Every team needs a good atmosphere. I’ve seen great teams with great players and if you don’t have a good atmosphere you can’t win. This is what’s brought us to the final. Let’s just hope we play well and win.”

Casillas ready to step into unknown

Spain captain Iker Casillas said he feels responsible for “44 million people” as he and his team-mates prepare to enter the uncharted territory of a UEFA European Championship final.

‘Nervous’

The Real Madrid CF goalkeeper has claimed a veritable bounty of silverware since being crowned as a European champion with Spain Under-15s in 1995, including two UEFA Champions League titles, yet he insists he will break new ground when he leads La Furia Roja out to take on Germany in the UEFA EURO 2008™ final. “It’s very different,” he said. “Reaching a Champions League final with Real Madrid has no bearing on reaching this final. Many of us are used to playing against other important club teams in Europe but this tournament is every four years. It’s very difficult to reach a final and that gives you an added responsibility; it makes you more nervous. Speaking for myself, I’m looking forward to it very much. But I feel responsible for my team-mates and 44 million people.”

‘Horrible statistic’

That is a sizeable burden to place on the shoulders of a man who, less we forget, is still only 27. He will become the first goalkeeper to captain a side to UEFA European Championship final victory if Spain prevail at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion, and admits the thought has crossed his mind. “Everybody has five minutes of dreaming before they go to sleep which is free of charge, but the most important thing is that when the moment arrives we’re aware that only one team can win and only one man can lift the cup,” he said. “Hopefully Spain can be that team. We have the chance to break this horrible statistic for Spain. We haven’t won an international title for a long time. We were very near 24 years ago but didn’t manage to win.”

‘Break the mould’

In 1984 a mistake from Spain keeper Luis Arconada proved the decisive moment as Michel Platini capitalised to put France ahead, Bruno Bellone’s last-minute strike ending Spanish hopes of a first title since 1964. Yet Casillas is determined that there will be no repeat. “There are good and bad things about reaching a final; if you lose the journey is not worth it, but if you win it certainly is,” he said. “Spanish players have come a long way and we can now break the mould as we’re one step away from winning. We have everything it takes to put in a great performance. ” Having helped end a run of three penalty shoot-out losses – all on 23 June –in the quarter-finals and in doing so claim a first competitive victory in 88 years against Italy, Casillas more than any other seems capable of casting aside the shackles of history.

Hitzlsperger plots route to glory

As Thomas Hitzlsperger prepares for what he describes as the “biggest game of my career” in Vienna on Sunday he underlined that, with or without Michael Ballack, Germany’s hopes rest on not allowing Spain room to play their own game.

‘First final’

“I feel good about this,” said the VfB Stuttgart midfielder as he savoured the atmosphere ahead of the UEFA EURO 2008™ final. “We’re all focused now and are aware how big it is, even if for most of us it will be our first final at this level.” That is certainly true of Hitzlsperger, among a host of younger players in Joachim Löw’s squad, though having played a key role as Stuttgart claimed the Bundesliga title the season before last, he has a fair idea of how to bring about success. “We have shown that we’re strong,” he said of Germany’s progress in Austria and Switzerland. “The Croatia match was not too good, but we have continued on our course since then, and focused on our objective which was to reach final.”

Close quarters

Hitzlsperger did not feature in the 2-1 loss to Croatia, but after coming on after the hour in the victory against Austria which booked a spot in the knockout rounds he has earned his place in Löw’s starting XI. Germany impressed in the 3-2 triumph over Portugal, though it took a last-minute Philipp Lahm goal to see off Turkey in the last four and Hitzlsperger sees problems that need addressing. “We’ve got to improve several things from the Turkey game, most importantly closing opponents down early,” he said. “When they [Spain] have the ball they make you run, and you can get tired early on; that shouldn’t happen. We need to close them down from the first minute and if we’re successful in that we have a good chance.

Ballack loss?

“We’ve been talking about Spain a lot; they are much improved, the best team in the finals,” the 26-year-old continued. “For us there have been difficulties; the Spaniards did not have these problems but we hope we can cause them problems and they won’t find an answer in 90 minutes.” Spain will be without the injured David Villa in Vienna though Hitzlsperger believes that they “are such a good side that they can compensate even if he’s not playing”. He was less circumspect about the prospect of Germany losing Michael Ballack to a calf knock, saying: “He’s such an important player. His main strength is his ability to score so many goals, his presence and his leadership on the pitch for the young players to look up to – that’s what we need tomorrow.”

Whichever captain climbs the stairs at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion to accept the winning trophy from UEFA President Michel Platini after the UEFA EURO 2008™ final, they will be achieving a notable first.

Modern design

The new UEFA European Championship trophy is 18cm higher and 2kg heavier than the original designed by Arthus Bertrand in 1960 and named after Henri Delaunay, the former president of the French Football Federation. The upper part of the trophy is based on the original and is also made out of sterling silver. The new trophy, created by Asprey London, has retained its historical name. It has been brought up to date to reflect the scale and size of Europe’s most prestigious international tournament.

Minor changes

It is almost an exact replica, though not quite. A small figure juggling a ball on the back of the original has been removed, as has the marble plinth. The silver base of the trophy also had to be enlarged to make it stable. The names of the winning countries that had appeared on the plinth have now been engraved on the back of the trophy, which is made of sterling silver, weighs 8kg and is 60cm tall.

Classic style

The responsibility for creating the original went to Pierre Delaunay, son of Henri, the visionary behind the competition. Henri Delaunay died in 1955 before seeing his idea come to fruition, but the new prize is testament to his enduring legacy. Unlike other designs for UEFA trophies, the new-look Henri Delaunay trophy has maintained its classic style.

‘Focal point’

Unlike the original, which was the work of the Chobillon goldsmith and was later bought by Arthus Bertrand in Paris, the making of the modern equivalent was entrusted to Asprey London. Asprey, renowned silversmiths, jewellers and goldsmiths, have a long history of trophy-making stretching back to the America’s Cup, which their sister company Garrard made in 1848. UEFA wanted to improve on the quality but also the scale of the trophy, and have a focal point for the event – it was felt that the original trophy was too small to do this.

Substantial reward

Greece’s Theodoros Zagorakis was the last captain to lift the old trophy in Lisbon in July 2004. Whoever follows his lead will be getting his hands on an even more substantial reward.