Euro 2012 | featured news

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.

Despite an embarrassment of rested riches, Germany came up short against Italy, who moves on to the final in Kiev against Spain.

Spain and Portugal were locked in a scoreless tie through regulation and overtime, but when it came down to penalty kicks La Furia Roja prevailed.

The Euro 2012 match went to a shootout that Spain won, 4-2, heading to Kiev for the final against the winner of Germany’s match against Italy on Thursday.

Italy is restoring pride in a tarnished national game while England is shaking off past inhibitions. The European Championship is turning out better than expected for the English and Italians, who meet on Sunday in the quarterfinals. The Italians are providing a welcome distraction from another match-fixing scandal at home after setting out in the tournament under siege from fans - and the police.

Amid the gloom of a political and economic crisis, Greece's gutsy 1-0 win over heavily-favored Russia to advance to the Euro 2012 quarterfinals has at last given the country's crisis-weary citizens something to cheer about.