Pre tournament favourites Germany and Spain square off against eachother to be crowned European champions on Sunday evening.
After a rollercoaster Euro 2008, witnessing the fall of World Champions, unexpected defeats and exhilarating comebacks, it seems only fitting that two of the heavy tournament favorites should come face to face in the final.
Spain and Germany will battle it out on Sunday to see who will hold the European crown for the next four years. Both have looked impressive at times but have also shown areas of weakness; this match will be a matter of which team can put their mistakes aside and play to their best football on the day.
Germany overcame a resilient Turkish side in their semifinal, winning in breathtaking fashion courtesy of a Phillip Lahm stunner in the final minute of regular time, but the game was a close-fought affair in which either team could have prevailed. The Germans got off to a nervous start, and the Turks had the lion’s share of quality possession, which translated into a surprise lead in the 22nd minute. Bastian Sweinsteiger quickly responded to equalize and things looked good after they took the lead in 79th minute, but as usual Turkey scored a late goal to ensure a dramatic finish. Despite the victory, the Germans were not at their best.
Spain, in contrast, seem to have been at their peak throughout this tournament and- despite having some tentative moments- have not lost yet. They continued their run of formidable form with a stunning 3-0 demolishition of Russia, who toppled high-flying Netherlands in the previous round. Even if leading goal scorer David Villa is not fit to play, Spain will be a deadly threat. This will be a close fought game, but if Spain can carry their current form into this final, it may well be their year.
SoccerAdvise.com Free Soccer Pick The advantage has to be with Spain who have been a revelation in this tournament and have not bottled it when it matters as they have done so many times before. Spain have been sensational in this tournament, sweeping aside a good Russia side in the semi finals and seeing off Italy in the quarters. Germany, on the other hand, have stumbled their way to the final. After an easy group stage, they narrowly beat Portugal in the quarter finals and then crept past Turkey in the semis, both matches ended 3-2 to Joachin Low’s side. There should be goals in this match and it could finish 3-2 to either side, with a winner coming in the last minute, as has been the trend so far in this tournament.
