EURO 2012 LIVE: Spain 4, Italy 0
Sunday - 7/1/2012, 4:52pm ET
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) - Spain beat Italy 4-0 in the final of the European Championship on Sunday. Here's the best of the action and pre-match buildup. All times are Ukrainian.
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2352: Spanish captain Casillas, surrounded by his teammates, lifts the trophy; Italy's Andrea Pirlo looks on in tears.
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2345: The Spanish came under a lot of criticism before Sunday's match, with many saying they were too defensive. Well, the record's been put straight tonight. When it most mattered, they put in a stunning performance. The Italians were completely unable to keep up with their passing and movement. The victory lifts Spain to a record third straight major title, after winning Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup.
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2339: PaulLogoAP: Balotelli storms off field to locker room as Italy coach Prandelli yells at him to stay out, assistant tries to keep him out. No chance.
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2337: FULL-TIME: Spain 4, Italy 0.
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2333: Torres is through again but taps a reverse pass into the path of Juan Mata who makes no mistake. 4-0 now, the Spanish are champions and they're still coming forward for more. Three minutes of extra-time left.
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2332: GOAL! Spain 4, Italy 0 (Mata).
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2331: PaulLogoAP: Fernando Torres is 1st player to score in 2 European Championship finals after rolling past Buffon in 84th minute for 3-0 Spain (via Twitter.)
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2330: Torres latches onto a through pass from Xavi to slip it past Buffon who just gets a hand to it but it's not enough to stop a third. Great finish.
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2327: GOAL! Spain 3, Italy 0 (Torres).
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2323: Italy manages an attack but it lacks any punch or numbers. Spain, on the other hand, immediately breaks forward and really should have scored. The Italians look as though they've done 10 rounds with Mike Tyson, not the silky Spanish.
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2321: Great move from Spain, Torres is in the middle in a goal-scoring position. But, no, they pass it back into midfield! He must wonder why he's out there.
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2317: It's now looking easy for Spain. The Italians have been passed into submission. They look exhausted and the Spanish are playing at a walking pace. Fabregas, who's had a great game, is replaced by Fernando Torres. Time to show that strikers aren't a thing of the past, Fernando?
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2312: PhillipsIan: Damage limitation for Italy at Euro 2012. They were adventurous early on but with 10 men look like they're trying to keep the score down (via Twitter)
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2306: Big blow for Italy. Thiago Motta, just minutes after coming on, goes off with what looks like a hamstring injury. That means Italy is now down to 10 men because all substitutes have been used.
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2300: Credit to the Italians. They're taking the game to Spain but they're just not finding the final pass or shot. Silva replaced by Rodriguez for Spain.
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2253: Another chance for Di Natale but his shot goes straight at Casillas. Just before that, Italian defender Abate made a last-gasp interception to deny Spain a third. Iniesta was there to pounce but the Italian managed to stab it clear. Exciting game!
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2248: Di Natale on for Cassano and has an immediate chance seconds after the re-start but he heads over the bar. The Italians are going to need to do something really special to get back into this game.
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2232: HALF-TIME: Spain 2, Italy 0. A great opening 45 minutes from Spain. Beautiful, slick passing and a far more attacking attitude than in previous matches. They've still got no recognized striker out there, but does it matter? They find themselves 2-0 up and with one hand on the cup.
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2230: A goal kick leads to the second goal as fullback Alba makes a 40-yard run into the box to take a pass from Xavi Hernandez and calmly slide the ball home for his first goal for Spain.
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2228: GOAL! Spain 2, Italy 0 (Alba).
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2223: Spain's intricate passing game is being loudly booed _ either by anxious Italian fans or Ukrainians who don't appreciate the subtlety. But the Spanish are gradually dominating possession as they have in previous games. But don't forget it takes just one goal to change everything. 35 mins gone.
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2214: The midfield is packed with bodies but both teams are managing to break away with piercing attacks. Spain having the better chances but Casillas just gets fingertips to a cross to prevent Balotelli from adding another to his tally.
