The margin of victory was also record-breaking. The Spaniards routed their opponents Italy four-nil, which was the most one-sided result in the tournament's history. It was a masterclass in the passing style of football for which they have become known. Some experts are describing their scintillating performance as one of the greatest in history, comparing the team to such legendary sides of the past as Brazil in 1970 and France from 1998-2002.
So what makes this Spanish team so special? There is the individual brilliance of players such as man-of-the-match Andres Iniesta. But it's their artistry as a unit which has been most impressive. One statistic alone indicates why Spain have such a stranglehold on the world game: this team has not conceded a single goal in a knock-out game since 2006. That's over 17 hours of football. The fact of the matter is that their opponents simply can't get the ball long enough to play.
They also have the courage to follow their convictions. It might seem ridiculous now but the team were getting criticised for being 'boring' earlier in the competition. But the coach, Vicente del Bosque, stuck to his guns and continued to play in an unorthodox formation which contained no striker. The coach was vindicated by a display of such magnificence that one BBC expert claimed the match will still be talked about in 40 years' time.
Quiz 測驗 1. Who won Euro 2008?
(Spain) are the first football team in history to retain their crown in the European Championships...
2. Has any country won three major international football competitions in a row before?
No... this makes Spain the only international team to win three major tournaments back-to-back.
3. What word is used to describe a demonstration given by an expert?
Masterclass. It was a masterclass in the passing style of football.
4. Do Spain use a normal formation?
No... an unorthodox formation which contained no striker.
5. According to a BBC expert, will the game be memorable?
Yes... the match will be talked about in 40 years' time.
Glossary 词汇表 superlatives最高級的 to retain their crown保住了皇冠 back-to-back連續，緊接 the margin of victory勝利的係數 record-breaking創紀錄的 routed徹底擊敗 one-sided一邊倒的 a masterclass大師級的表現 scintillating才氣橫溢的 legendary傳奇的 brilliance才華，光輝 man-of-the-match場上最佳球員 artistry藝術技巧 stranglehold束縛 knock-out game淘汰賽 the courage to follow their convictions有追求他們信念的勇氣 stuck to his guns堅持己見 striker前鋒 vindicated證明正確的 magnificence宏偉，精彩
