Master of the beautiful game
3 July 2012 8:19 AM IST
Spain sealed its place as arguably the greatest team of all time on Sunday night after crushing Italy 4-0 to become the first side to retain Euro Cup – and the first to win three major tournaments in a row, including the 2010 World Cup.
Though some may cite the World Cup winning Brazil teams of 1970 and 2002 as best ever sides to play the beautiful game, no team has ever dominated the world football in the way Spain have done for the past four years. The sublime manner in which La Roja toyed with a strong Azzurri outfit in the final at Kiev only shows how strong they are when on song.
No team has ever won a World Cup final by four clear goals. Even Pele's Brazil only managed a three-goal margin a couple of times.
Despite their much-admired 'tiki-tika' football being criticised as boring in some quarters, manager Vicente Del Bosque was rewarded for keeping faith in his team’s style and the new strikerless formation. The one-touch passing, defence-splitting through balls and cool finishes make their game a treat for those watching. Those missing the much-talked about Brazilian flare in recent years will no longer complain after watching the creative, free-flowing and fast-paced style displayed by Spain over and over again.
In the final at Kiev, Spain allowed Italy the majority of first-half possession but its trademark quick passing game was lethal when required, as was the finishing in front of goal. The second half was almost entirely one-way traffic. Italy's veteran skipper Gigi Buffon correctly summed up after the match by saying, 'Tonight, there was no contest, they were too superior. So the bitterness at losing this final is only relative.'
Though some may cite the World Cup winning Brazil teams of 1970 and 2002 as best ever sides to play the beautiful game, no team has ever dominated the world football in the way Spain have done for the past four years. The sublime manner in which La Roja toyed with a strong Azzurri outfit in the final at Kiev only shows how strong they are when on song.
No team has ever won a World Cup final by four clear goals. Even Pele's Brazil only managed a three-goal margin a couple of times.
Despite their much-admired 'tiki-tika' football being criticised as boring in some quarters, manager Vicente Del Bosque was rewarded for keeping faith in his team’s style and the new strikerless formation. The one-touch passing, defence-splitting through balls and cool finishes make their game a treat for those watching. Those missing the much-talked about Brazilian flare in recent years will no longer complain after watching the creative, free-flowing and fast-paced style displayed by Spain over and over again.
In the final at Kiev, Spain allowed Italy the majority of first-half possession but its trademark quick passing game was lethal when required, as was the finishing in front of goal. The second half was almost entirely one-way traffic. Italy's veteran skipper Gigi Buffon correctly summed up after the match by saying, 'Tonight, there was no contest, they were too superior. So the bitterness at losing this final is only relative.'
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