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Minute by Minute: Germany - Spain
| Written by: Stephen Sharp |
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| 2008-06-29 19:07:00 | ![]() |
VIENNA, Jun 29 (SW) - Euro 2008 culminates with today's final between Germany and Spain. SoccerWay keeps you up to date with the latest.
Final score: 0-1 More match information: Here. Feel free to register or log in and start using the 'discuss' option below to give your opinion on this match! FULL-TIME: It's all over! Spain win their first major tournament in 44 years and were the better side in doing it. Valiant effort from Germany, but Torres was the difference and Spain are the kings of Europe in 2008! Minute 90+2: Spain still going for goal. The ball is played in for Xabi Alonso, but Lehmann thwarts him at the last second. Minute 90+1: Cross comes in from the right, but it's too long for Gomez. Throw to Spain. Minute 90: Germany finally manage to get in the area, but Gomez goes into the back of Capdevila. Three minutes added on by Rosetti. Minute 88: Kuranyi again slides in on Senna, this time earning the striker a booking. Minute 87: Germany caught offside, but they are playing more side to side, rather than ahead. Minute 86: Xavi takes it, but it's well over the top. Germany need to launch an attack quickly. Minute 85: Kuranyi concedes a free kick in the center of the pitch 25 yards out against Senna. Minute 84: Spain are on the attack. Needing an equalizer, Germany are spending a lot of time in their own half. Minute 81: Senna nearly puts the game away! Cazorla's cross is played back to center by a Güiza header, but the holding midfielder couldn't quite reach to it. Minute 80: Capdevila tries a tough shot from a tight angle, but Lehmann has it. Minute 79: Also a third change for Germany as Mario Gómez comes for Klose. Two identical switches for Germany and Spain. Minute 78: It's the third and final switch for Spain, the goalscorer Torres replaced by Dani Güiza. Minute 77: Torres tries to cross it to the center, but it's blocked out for a corner, which amounts to a Cazorla cross going untouched across goal. Minute 76: Torres puts a good move to put Mertesacker on his backside, but the touch is heavy and Lehmann takes it. Minute 74: Torres is booked by Rosetti for an aerial challenge on Mertesacker. Minute 74: Germany trying to push forward, but Ballack is offside and Spain can clear their lines. Minute 71: Frings takes it, but a powerful punch for Casillas clears the threat. Minute 70: Free kick won by Jansen as Ramos impeded his run. Minute 69: Iniesta again gets a shot off in the area, but it's right at Lehmann. Minute 68: The corner kick is played short to Iniesta, but his laser shot is cleared off the line by Frings. Minute 67: Poor German defending almost lets Ramos in! Free kick comes in to the far post and Ramos' header is a free one getting in behind Jansen, but it's right at Lehmann. Minute 66: Silva now comes off with Santi Cazorla replacing him. Another defensive-minded switch by Aragonés. Minute 64: Some players are steaming as David Silva and Podolski looked to try to be headbutting each other. In any event, the referee didn't see it, and Schweinsteiger's free kick again sails over the top. Minute 63: First switch for Spain as Fabregas comes off to be replaced by Xabi Alonso. Minute 62: Schweinsteiger puts in a good ball that only narrowly misses finding Klose on the doorstep. Better spell from Germany and their best period of sustained pressure in the match. Minute 61: Great cross from the left by Ballack almost finds the head of a charging Kuranyi, but Casillas just gets to it. Minute 60: More good play for Germany as Schweinsteiger flicks forward in the center for Kuranyi, but the flag went up on the Schalke forward. Minute 60: Jansen recovers from losing the ball and crosses in for Schweinsteiger. The midfielder plays it back for Ballack, but his half-volley goes just wide. That's the closest Germany have been for awhile. Minute 59: Great service in from Ramos on the right side of the area, but it goes out for a goal kick with Lehmann diving at it. Minute 58: Kevin Kuranyi replaces Hitzlsperger, giving Germany two strikers up front. This will also likely bring Frings forward a bit more into a tradition 4-4-2. Minute 55: Xavi's ball finds Torres who tries to slide in and poke past Lehmann, but the keeper gets there first and is able to avert the threat. Minute 54: Silva sends in a shot to the far post from the corner, but Ramos fails to re-direct it, and the ball goes out for a goal kick. Minute 54: Xavi tees one up from outside the area, but Lehmann just touches it out for the corner kick. Minute 53: Jansen tries to play in Podolski, but he is swarmed by the red shirts of Spain, and there is no danger. Minute 47: Ball coming over the top finds Klose, but the striker is offside. Minute 46: One change for Germany as left-back Marcell Jansen has replaced Philipp Lahm, who had a disappointing first half. HALF-TIME: It's the midway point of the Euro 2008 final and Spain are in control. They have the goal from Torres, and have looked the more likely to score for most of the opening period. Germany will need to push forward in greater frequency in the second half. Minute 45: Counter by the Spanish ends with a cross from Iniesta being blocked out for a corner by Mertesacker. Minute 43: Double booking for Ballack and Casillas. The two captains were jawing back and forth as Ballack committed a foul as Spain broke. Minute 41: Hitzlsperger's corner is punched out by Casillas, but Germany get another one. Minute 40: Ballack is finally back on. Hitzlsperger takes a free kick from the right side, but it's headed away by Senna. Goes out for a corner, though. Minute 39: Iniesta slides a pass through into the area for Silva, but he can't handle it. Minute 37: Schweinsteiger takes it and uncharacteristically skies it over the top. Minute 37: Free kick for Germany about 25 yards out in the left channel. No Ballack for it. He's getting stitched up after a clash in the air with Marcos Senna. Minute 35: Silva squanders a chance. Iniesta crosses into plenty of open space, but the Valencia man's volley is ballooned. He could have done much more with it. Minute 33: GOAL SPAIN (0-1) FERNANDO TORRES looked like he had been bested by the German defense, but he manages to poke it past Lehmann! Xavi's ball was out in front of him, but the striker brushed Lahm aside and poked past a charging Lehmann. Minute 31: Fabregas takes a low effort form 25 yards out, but Lehmann is able to trap it after it came through several sets of legs. Minute 29: Appeals for handball against Marchena, but Rosetti ignores their pleas. Minute 26: Capdevila, who is playing well so far, crosses low to the near post, but Lehmann confidently snags it. Minute 25: It comes back into the area for Ballack on the half-volley, but it hits a leaping Ramos in the ribcage. Minute 25: Podolski tries to cross in from the left for Schweinsteiger, but it deflects for a corner kick. Schweinsteiger's inswinger is headed down by Puyol. Minute 23: Torres hits the post! Cross comes in from the right from Ramos, and the striker rises over Mertesacker, but heads onto the upright. Capdevila follows with a blast, but it swerves wide of the target. Minute 20: The set piece is crossed in, but headed over the top. Minute 19: Torres' move for the ball is impeded on the right touchline by Metzelder. Free kick to Spain. Minute 16: Torres crosses into open space, but to no one in particular and Spain concede possession to the Germans. Minute 14: Iniesta crosses back to the center, but it goes off an unsuspecting Metzelder, forcing Lehmann into a diving save. Minute 12: Schweinsteiger's ball in for Klose is touched out for a corner kick that is taken by Schweini, but punched away by Casillas. Minute 9: Klose lays it off for Hitzlsperger to crack at from the top of the area, but the midfielder's shot lacks power and Casillas comfortably gathers. Minute 8: A nice touch on the left by Ballack slips his marker, but the ensuing cross goes across the face of goal with no one on the end to put it home. Minute 7: Silva's throughball finds Capdevila heading for the left corner, but the full-back is a good four yards offside. Minute 5: Germany build nicely up the left side, but the cross of Lahm is wayward and lands on top of the goal. Goal kick for Casillas. Minute 4: Xavi plays it over the top for Torres, but the Liverpool striker drifts narrowly offside. Minute 4: Horrible giveaway by Sergio Ramos whose errant pass finds Miroslav Klose, but his touch lets him down and the chance goes begging. Minute 3: Spain have held it since the beginning but have failed to advance the ball much as of yet. Kickoff: They've shaken hands, the coin's been flipped and the whistle sounds. Game on in Vienna! PRE-GAME: It's anthem time. Spain's "Marcha Real" will play first, followed by Germany's "Deutschlandlied". PRE-GAME: For those of you in support of referees during football matches, time to dig out your Roberto Rosetti kit for today's final. The Italian will be assisted by Alessandro Griselli and Paolo Calcagno. The man designated with the task of putting up with the constant bickering of Aragonés and Löw is Sweden's Peter Fröjdfeldt, today's fourth official. PRE-GAME: The closing ceremony is taking place right now. Lots of balloons. It's colorful and entertaining, but it's football all the people want to see. About 12 minutes from kickoff. SPAIN TEAM NEWS: A big blow for Luis Aragonés and Spain, as striker and tournament top scorer David Villa is out with a groin injury. Therefore, Spain will revert to their former one-striker system. Cesc Fabregas goes from the start in an advanced midfield role. GERMANY TEAM NEWS: Germany captain Michael Ballack was a serious doubt leading up to the match with a calf strain, but he has been passed fit and starts for Joachim Löw, who goes with just one change from the side that beat Russia 3-0 on Thursday as Torsten Frings re-enters the starting XI for Simon Rolfes. History: Despite the long history between these two nations, this will be the first time they have ever contested the final of a major tournament against one another. Their most recent meeting was in February 2003, a 3-1 friendly win for Spain in Mallorca. History: Spain were beaten by West Germany in the 1982 World Cup, the Germans ousting the hosts at the second group phase before going on to lose the final to Italy. They also previous met in 1966 in England, and 1994 in the USA. History: This is the 20th all-time meeting between Spain and Germany/West Germany. Germany have won eight times, Spain five times, and six times they have played to a draw. Competitively, they have faced off seven times before: three times in a World Cup finals, twice in European qualifying, and twice in a European finals. TEAMS Germany (4-2-3-1): Jens Lehmann; Arne Friedrich, Per Mertesacker, Christoph Metzelder, Philipp Lahm; Torsten Frings, Thomas Hitzlsperger; Bastian Schweinsteiger, Michael Ballack, Lukas Podolski; Miroslav Klose. Spain (4-1-4-1): Iker Casillas; Sergio Ramos, Carlos Marchena, Carles Puyol, Joan Capdevila; Marcos Senna; Andrés Iniesta, Xavi, Cesc Fabregas, David Silva; Fernando Torres. |
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Discuss- Add comment
Tontodonati June 29th, 2008 23:01
Spain was brilliant. Germany was weak in all department. Ballak, Klose and Podolsky were only taking up space. They should have been replaced. Congratulations to Spain even though they could not score a goal against the mighty Italians! I know Ajax 72 will like my last sentence!scanner June 29th, 2008 23:02
yess... ole...ajax72 June 30th, 2008 01:30
Tonto I have an idea. I'll give you the games I'm going to bet on. You send me your predictions. I bet the exact opposite. We end up millionaires before Xmas.Tontodonati June 30th, 2008 01:56
Ajax72. that's not a bad idea! However, don't forget that I have always claimed to be wrong in order to be right. Either way you have a deal! I don't know how helpful it's going to be to me, considering my age, but if it helps you I'm all for it! Of course, provided that Giorgio agrees with our mutual arrangement!