The better team wins

I do fully intend to do the Sydney West Coast rivalry piece, but I thought today I'd stray away from the local form of football - and focus on the international one.

By all accounts Euro 2008 has been one of the most successful and captivating major soccer tournaments in decades. Lots of goals, free flowing games and dramatic finishes have dominated the second biggest round-ball tournament in the world. This is in stark contrast to the dull and abysmal Euro 2004 which saw Greece win the tournament by virtue of boring the opposition into defeat. The tournament has seen some remarkable goals and an amazing amount of last minute drama. I don't think it can be captured in words what the Turkish team accomplished in this tournament. I mean, THREE matches won in the final minute? That's incredible. The Turkish team really did personify the tournament. The Turks may have personified the tournament, but Euro 2008 will obviously be remembered for the Spanish, and the way they ended their title drought.

You talk about underachievers and chokers, and you've got to figure the Spanish national football team is going to be up the top. Major tournament after major tournament they bring in one of the elite talented squads, and time and time again they fall on their faces. It's become tradition. Fate seems to be against the Spaniards as well though. In the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup they had two perfectly legal goals disallowed, and went on to lose to South Korea on penalties. This could only happen to Spain. Or maybe England. Definitely England.

I think we reached the stage where expectations have to start at zero for Spain, and remain there until they actually hold the winners trophy above their heads. Not a moment sooner. I remember quite clearly after the group stage of the 2006 World Cup how people were labeling Argentina and Spain joint favourites for the Cup. The fact is, you can draw absolutely zero conclusions from the Group stage of a tournament. Rarely will a group stage match-up prepare you for what you're going to encounter in later rounds. It's a completely different ballgame. Spain were the ultimate 'Group-stage team'. They were simply too talented not to decimate weaker teams and progress, but when the going got tough, the Spaniards got going. (out the door).

In the past two World Cups Spain lost to a team buoyed by its crowd (South Korea) and a veteran team with a steely confidence about it (France). That's why it was such a shock to see Spain topple (maybe not the best word) Italy in the quarterfinals. Italy are one of the mentally toughest teams going around, and to see the young choke-happy Spaniards defeat them in a grinding match that went to penalty shootouts (!) was incredible. The moment they beat Italy there was simply no way that Spain was not going to win this tournament. They had conquered their demons. Not only were they the now the most talented team, they had the mental toughness to back it up. You can't beat that.

Russia never stood a chance. Spain simply waltzed past them in Group-stage mode. Germany were a threat though. They were the ultimate obstacle. They personified everything that Spain had not been through its history. Calm, cool under pressure, successful, and renowned for coming through in big moments. But aside from a shaky opening 15 minutes, Spain simply dominated their opponents all day. They played aggressive football, and created four scoring opportunities for every one that Germany had. 1-0 did not reflect Spain's dominance in any means. Fernando Torres hit the post with a header and the rebound didn't work to Spain's advantage, and Marcos Senna was a split second away from what would have been a magical goal in the 81st minute. The game could have just as easily been 3-0. Germany didn't have one genuine chance where they SHOULD have scored. Spain had 3 or 4.

A few notes about the game:

-How cool is Cesc Fabregas. He's a player that every time he gets the ball you know he's going to do something good with it. Can we call him the best passer in the game yet? He personifies Spain's free flowing passing game better than anyone else. I'm sure glad he plays for my team.

-Say what you want about Iniesta or Xavi, but Fernando Torres was hands down the player of the match. For impact, influence or sheer excitement, he was the best player on the ground. With David Villa out, Torres had to step up and he did. His blinding speed (and the way he backed it) was amazing. His goal was fantastic too.

-Poor effort Phillip Lahm. I'll never forget his goal to start the World Cup a couple of years ago, but that memory has been smeared by the pathetic manner in which he let Fernando Torres outmuscle him en route to the game-winning goal.

-Has Michael Ballack become losing's new poster boy?

-After the horribly depressing Italy vs. France World Cup final, where good faced evil and lost, it was refreshing to see the better team win today. Spain played better, more aggressive and ultimately more effective football and won. And for once in soccer, it was great to see the better team actually win.