Madrid: Spaniards seized on their European Championship triumph as a source of restored national pride after months of economic anxieties, as celebrations reached fever pitch on Monday with a victory parade in the capital. Across the country many were looking forward to another night of revelry after Spain thrashed Italy 4-0 on Sunday, becoming the first team to win two Euro titles in a row, with a World Cup in...
11:18 AM, Jul 03, 2012
Kiev: Andres Iniesta, who helped Spain to a second successive European Championship triumph in Poland and Ukraine, was named the best player at the tournament by UEFA on Monday. Iniesta played a central role for Spain in Sunday's 4-0 win over Italy as they became the first country to retain the title. Andy Roxburgh, the head of UEFA's technical group, told reporters: "Andrea Pirlo was magnificent for Italy, Xavi won...
04:32 PM, Jul 02, 2012
Kiev: Spain's talented midfielders answered weeks of criticism over boring play with a masterclass performance of attacking football that led it to a second straight European Championship. Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez, Cesc Fabregas and David Silva repaid coach Vicente del Bosque's trust in fielding a starting lineup without a traditional striker by pulling the strings in Sunday's 4-0 victory over Italy. The four players were involved in nearly all four...
09:34 AM, Jul 02, 2012
Kiev: Faced with his best scoring chance, Mario Balotelli never even touched the ball. That's how little of an impact Italy's most talented striker had on Sunday's European Championship final. Spain did such a great job of shutting down Italy's attack in a 4-0 rout that Balotelli rarely even got the ball in a scoring position. At the final whistle, Balotelli stormed off the pitch in frustration " shoving aside...
09:21 AM, Jul 02, 2012
Kiev: Though a team triumph, Iker Casillas managed his own personal milestone when Spain beat Italy 4-0 to win the European Championship on Sunday. The 31-year-old goalkeeper became the first player to ever record 100 wins for his national team. Instead of embracing his fiance journalist as he did after Spain's 2010 World Cup victory in South Africa, Casillas celebrated by giving her a peck on each cheek before running...
09:02 AM, Jul 02, 2012
Kiev, Ukraine: Spain trounced Italy 4-0 in the European Championship final on Sunday, retaining their title and extending their reign as the best team in world football. Goals from David Silva and Jordi Alba in the first half gave Spain a convincing lead. Fernando Torres and fellow substitute Juan Mata added goals in the last six minutes. Italy's task was tough enough with 11 players, and it became impossible with...
02:16 AM, Jul 02, 2012
Full Time: Spain 4-0 Italy Spain are Euro 2012 Champions! 90th minute: Three minutes of added time to the second half. 87th min: GOAL! It's four nil. Mata scores! 84th min: GOAL! Fernando Torres makes it 3-0. The Spaniard striker makes it look so simple. Claudio Marchisio loses the ball in midfield, and Xavi's decisive pass leaves Torres to slide it past Buffon. So ten minutes and a bit before...
11:44 PM, Jul 01, 2012
CNN-IBN experts discuss the possible permutations and combinations of Euro final between Italy and Spain. ...
09:15 PM, Jul 01, 2012
Kiev: Spain's triumphs at Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup and their ability to make winning matches the routine rather than the exception has not dimmed the players' hunger for success, coach Vicente del Bosque said on Saturday. Just over 24 hours before Spain defend their continental title against Italy in the Euro 2012 final in Kiev, Del Bosque said he and his team were determined to crown years...
06:23 PM, Jul 01, 2012
Kiev: Italy have the quality in central midfield to take on Spain and challenge their usual domination of possession in Sunday's Euro 2012 final, coach Cesare Prandelli said. "I hope we can be positive and take the game to them," he told a news conference on Saturday ahead of the game at the Olympic Stadium. "Our first aim will be to shut down space and win the ball. Where we...
06:15 PM, Jul 01, 2012
Kiev: David Villa and Carles Puyol will attend Spain's European Championship final against Italy as spectators after missing the tournament because of injury. The Spanish federation said Saturday the two players who helped Spain win Euro 2008 and the World Cup two years later will be at the match Sunday at Kiev's Olympic Stadium. Villa is Spain's all-time leading scorer and was top scorer at the European Championship four years...
10:11 AM, Jul 01, 2012
Kiev: Spain aims for a third straight major tournament title on Sunday when it plays Italy in the European Championship final, an unprecedented feat for a World Cup winner. In 13 previous Euro finals, no defending champion has retained the trophy. The match at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev, pairing the past two World Cup winners, promises to continue a tradition of tense finals that have delivered late drama, shock...
10:05 AM, Jul 01, 2012
Kiev: Stingy as it may be, Spain's defenders are still a little worried about their rematch with Mario Balotelli and Italy in the European Championship final. Spain's bid to win a third straight major title comes Sunday at Kiev's Olympic Stadium, where the Mediterranean rivals meet for a second time, after starting Euro 2012 with a 1-1 draw. Spain haven't conceded since then and have reached the final with the...
03:08 PM, Jun 30, 2012
Kiev: They meet again at Euro 2012. This time, however, Spain and Italy are playing for the European Championship and a place in the history books. The Mediterranean rivals meet on Sunday in Kiev's Olympic Stadium, three weeks after they drew 1-1 in their opening match of the tournament's group stage. As the defending champion and World Cup holder, Spain are bidding to win a third straight major title and...
10:28 AM, Jun 30, 2012
Warsaw: Italy will head into Sunday's European Championship final with one significant advantage over a Spain side that have dominated world football for the last four years. They can score goals. While Spain have tried to pass their opponents to death at Euro 2012, Italy have stuck to what's almost a quaintly old-fashioned approach of making the net bulge with pinpoint headers and blistering shots. Mario Balotelli's two goals against...
09:44 AM, Jun 30, 2012
Krakow: Italy coach Cesare Prandelli said he will hone in on Spain's weaknesses in the short time he has to prepare his team for Sunday's Euro 2012 final. The Italians beat Germany 2-1 on Thursday and have a day less than the Spaniards, who beat Portugal on Wednesday, to get ready for the clash at Kiev's Olympic Stadium. "I hope to be able to prepare in the best way possible...
10:33 PM, Jun 29, 2012
CNN-IBN's football experts Novy Kapadia and Karim Bencherifa preview the Euro 2012 final between Spain and Italy on Sunday. ...
08:55 PM, Jun 29, 2012
CNN-IBN's panel of experts said that German defence failed to rise to the occasion in the Euro semifinal against Italy. ...
01:56 PM, Jun 29, 2012
On Tuesday afternoon, Mario Balotelli's agent Mino Raiola was asked during an interview with an Italian radio station for his thoughts on the upcoming Euro 2012 semi-final clash with Germany. "Italy will win with a treble from Balotelli," he replied. The forward's representative might have been one goal out, but his faith in his client was proven 100 per cent correct. The Manchester City striker had netted just once in...
10:59 AM, Jun 29, 2012
Warshaw: A spectacular goal followed by a shirtless show of defiance to the world at the European Championship. It could only be Mario Balotelli. The sequence of events in Italy's 2-1 semi-final victory over Germany on Thursday summed up everything about the mercurial striker " hugely talented, and highly volatile. Having just scored his second goal of the night, Balotelli tore off his Italy jersey and stood motionless as his...
09:47 AM, Jun 29, 2012
