KIEV (AP) ― Just like clockwork, Spain’s “tiki taka” passing game tore Italy apart.
The World Cup champions controlled the play Sunday in the European Championship final, as they usually do. They moved the ball up the field with short pass after short pass, as they usually do.
But, incredibly, they also managed to score a whopping four goals, something they don’t usually do.
It all added up to a 4-0 win over Italy and a third straight major soccer title for Spain.
“We won being true to our playing style, and by moving the ball the we way we moved it we knew how to take charge of the match,” said Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas, the team’s captain. “What we do is difficult but we make it look easy.”
Casillas and Spain striker Fernando Torres also made their own histories. Torres became the first man to score in two European Championship finals, and Casillas played in his record 100th victory in international soccer.
Spain’s other goals on Sunday at the Olympic Stadium came from David Silva, Jordi Alba and Juan Mata.
Spain’s Jordi Alba celebrates his side’s second goal. (AP-Yonhap News)
“We were superior to Italy,” said midfielder Xavi Hernandez, perhaps Spain’s most influential player over the last four years. “We played a complete game and perhaps the best of the entire European Championship. We made history.”
Four years ago at Euro 2008, Spain ended a 44-year drought of major titles, beating Germany 1-0 in the final to start a run that has been unmatched by any other team in history.
Although they lost to the United States in the semifinals of the Confederations Cup in 2009, snapping a record 15-game winning streak, the Spanish have been nearly impossible to beat in competitive matches.
A year after that game against the Americans, Spain opened the 2010 World Cup with a loss to Switzerland. But they then went on a tear, winning their next six games to finally claim a World Cup title and undoubtedly shed for good the “underachiever” tag.
In all that time since Euro 2008, Spain has won with flair, using its short passing game ― dubbed “tiki taka” by the Spanish media and adopted by the team ― to dazzle scrambling opponents.
“Tonight, there was no contest,” Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon said. “They were too superior, so the bitterness at losing this final is only relative.”
Against Italy, Spain was the favorite, but was also primed to be beaten after being held to a 1-1 draw by the Italians in their opening Group C match.
