Spain 4 Italy 0: Spain throw off the shackles to destroy Italy and retain crown

HOLDERS Spain trampled all over those ‘boring’ jibes and marched into the history books with a magnificent Euro 2012 final victory over Italy in Kiev.

First-half goals from David Silva and Jordi Alba and late efforts from substitutes Fernando Torres and Juan Mata confirmed La Roja as the first team to record three successive major tournament victories, including a World Cup, with the biggest win in a European Championship final.

And they did it with the most awesome display of passing power, which made a mockery of all those who had questioned them beforehand.

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It was all too much for Mario Balotelli, who marched straight down the tunnel at the end and angrily shrugged away efforts from Italian officials to get him to stay, before returning for the presentation ceremony.

Yet the thing was, Italy were not disgraced and would have held out hopes of a comeback until coach Cesare Prandelli’s final replacement Thiago Motta was stretchered off within four minutes of his arrival, leaving his team-mates to battle through the final half hour with 10 men against the reigning champions.

Ultimately though, Spain’s display was a fitting end to the best European Championships in almost three decades.

Four players in Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Andres Iniesta and Xavi deserve a special mention after starting all three finals, in Vienna, Johannesburg and now Ukraine.

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But, as ‘Ole’ rang around the magnificent Kiev stadium, it was a night to glory in tiki-taka – and the players who put it into practice.

Throughout the tournament, the argument for Spain being a dour outfit had been building.

It dominated the pre-match press conferences and was fuelled still further by Arsene Wenger, who accused the world champions of “betraying their philosophy” by turning their tiki-taka style into a negative.

After 15 minutes of the most majestic football imaginable, such utterances had been metaphorically rammed down throats.

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Coach Vicente del Bosque refused to bow to the demand for a regular centre-forward to be included in his starting line-up and was rewarded with an opening the quality of which was on a par with anything this group of players has produced.

Ramos had a couple of early efforts, so too Xavi. Andres Iniesta also had a shot blocked before Spain cut their opponents’ defence to shreds.

The move for the first goal was astounding in its simplicity.

Alvaro Arbeloa started it, Xavi was also involved, before Iniesta split the Italy defence with a pass Cesc Fabregas was able to cut-back from the by-line. David Silva, who had got free at the near post, powered the ball into the far corner off his forehead.

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By half-time, Spain had another goal and again five passes were involved. This time it went back to front. Iker Casillas, Fabregas and then Alba, who fed Xavi and kept motoring.

What unfolded can only make Barcelona thankful they had agreed to pay Valencia £13m for the full-back before the tournament started. His price would have gone up significantly.

Xavi has played that straight through ball thousands of times in his illustrious career. The pace on it was perfect and Alba, beyond Italy’s back-line, steadied himself before sliding a shot calmly past Gianluigi Buffon.

The half-time statistics showed Italy had played more passes and secured 53 per cent possession, almost unheard of against this Spain team.

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With Casillas not enjoying his most secure evening, the Azzurri would have expected to create something meaningful. But the bounce of the ball would not go their way. Casillas got in the way of a thunderous effort from Antonio Cassano and Balotelli fired over.

No one could accuse Prandelli of lacking guts. Within 11 minutes of the re-start he had used all his substitutes and seen one of them, Antonio di Natale, bring a decent save out of Casillas after collecting Riccardo Montolivo’s pass inside the area.

Unfortunately for Italy, the last replacement Motta was only on the field for four minutes before he pulled a hamstring and had to be stretchered off. It was dreadful luck for the Azzurri, whose task was now a hopeless one.

All that was left was to stave off humiliation but even that was beyond them as substitutes Torres and Mata struck in the final minutes.

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Italy did not deserve that. This was their first competitive defeat to Spain – penalties excepted – since the 1920 Olympics.

Spain, record breakers twice over, are unbeaten in this competition for 29 games, a run that stretches back to June 2004.

Spain: Casillas, Arbeloa, Pique, Sergio Ramos, Jordi Alba, Xavi, Busquets, Alonso, Silva (Pedro 59), Fabregas (Torres 75), Iniesta (Mata 87).

Italy: Buffon, Abate, Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini (Balzaretti 21), Pirlo, Marchisio, Montolivo (Thiago Motta 56), De Rossi, Balotelli, Cassano (Di Natale 46).

Referee: Pedro Proenca (Portugal).

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