Euro 2012 Schedule: Spain vs. Italy - History in the Making
The Euro 2012 final takes place today as Spain and Italy both look to make history by taking the championship. Spain have the chance to win an unprecedented third major tournament in a row, something no team has ever done. The match kicks off at 2.45 p.m. EST, details about how to watch the game are below.
Spain's Xavi has come out in the build up to the match saying his side have a "great opportunity to make history."
"We have achieved great things with the national team," said Xavi. "We're in a great generation of players and we have a great opportunity to make history. This is our chance."
No team has ever retained the European Championship in the history of the tournament, but Spain can do exactly that if they can overcome Italy in today's match up. In Euro 2008 Spain defeated Germany in the final, and many had predicted the same final again this year. However, Italy upset the odds by beating a highly favored German side in the semi finals, and will be looking to silence their doubters again in the final.
Xavi has said, "We really want to do well and show people that this team is still hungry to win and that our football is good."
Xavi has admitted that the Spanish players are generally weaker and smaller than most sides they play against, but says they make up for it with their greater technical abilities. However, he has singled out Italy's playmaker Andrea Pirlo for praise saying, "Players like Pirlo are playing in a similar way, so I'm very happy that the tendency in football now is to try to play and try to attack."
Ironically Spain's first game in Euro 2012 was against Italy, and they will now end their tournament playing against the same team in the final. That first game ended in a 1-1 draw, showing that Italy refuse to be swept aside by the slick passing from the Spanish players - something that most other teams have found hard to cope with. Since then both sides have remained unbeaten in the tournament, and both have had to resort to winning penalty shoot outs to make it through to today's final.
That match will be an intriguing one, and will kick off at 2.45 p.m. EST. It can be watched live on ESPN or online through live stream on ESPN3 by clicking HERE.
