The defense was impenetrable. The offense was unstoppable. Simply put, it was another Spanish party on the international stage. Spain won its third straight major soccer title Sunday, routing Italy 4-0 in the European Championship final and making it look all too easy. ”We were superior to Italy,” said midfielder Xavi Hernandez, perhaps Spain’s most influential player over the last four years. ”We played a complete game and perhaps the best of the entire European Championship. We made history.”
David Silva and Jordi Alba scored first-half goals, and substitutesFernando Torres and Juan Mata added two more in the final minutes as the Spanish passing game worked its magic against the Italians at the Olympic Stadium.
Silva headed in a high shot in the 14th minute off a pass from Cesc Fabregas. And Alba added another in the 41st, picking up a beautiful through ball from Xavi and shooting past Italy goalkeeperGianluigi Buffon.
”The game was ours after the first goal, but the truth is that we played one heck of a game,” Fabregas said.
Torres, who came on for Fabregas in the 75th minute, added the third goal with an easy finish and Mata really put the game away in the 88th, knocking in a pass from Torres.