Spain won EURO 2008 after a fully-deserved 1-0 victory over Germany on Sunday to lose their underachiever tag and claim their second European accolade in history. Fernando Torres, who played as a lone striker due to the injury of David Villa, notched the winner 12 minutes before the break. Luis Aragones' men secured their second European crown as they won the 1964 tournament at the expense of the Soviet Union. Germany dominated possession in the early stages of the game, but failed to threaten Spain keeper Iker Casillas. Spain then played their free-flowing football to launch raids on Jens Lehmann's goal. In the 22nd minute, Sergio Ramos' cross at the far post found Torres, who out-jumped Per Mertesacker to power a superb header against the post. Torres, who was criticized for his lack of cutting edge in the tournament, caused uproar in Germany's defense.
Torres scored the winner He repeatedly got the better of Germany's lethargic defensive duo, Christoph Metzelder and Mertesacker. Torres' efforts paid off in the 33rd minute when he ran onto Xavi's deft pass, outpaced and outmuscled Philipp Lahm before coolly lifting the ball over Lehmann and into the net. In the second half, Germany coach Joachim Loew introduced Marcell Jensen instead of Lahm to help cover the huge gaps behind the Bayern Munich full back. However, Spain maintained their domination and were unlucky not to extend their advantage on several occasions. A low drive by Andres Iniesta in the 68th minute was cleared off the line by Torsten Frings. Impressive defensive midfielder Marcos Senna almost doubled Spain's lead but he narrowly failed to get on the end of Santi Cazorla's flicked header in the six-yard box. Germany never looked like they would get the equalizer, to allow Spain claim an invaluable win.
