Portugal were valiant, they were brave, they were Ronaldo-led but they came up second best to the defending world and European Champions. A changed Spanish side who decide to play a striker prevailed! Ronaldo missed a sitter and Paolo Bento can be proud of his efforts but Xavi, Iniesta and Co. march on.
Who ever believed that off-field drama affects performance should be silenced and sent back to the era of Greek tragedies. Italy keep on doing it, the more of an off-field mess they are in the better they perform. I'm not saying match fixing and corruption are required to get the Italian's to a major finals but just like in 2006 it seems to gel them as a unit and they deliver.
Two great teams have left this tournamet, A fluid and energetic Portugal and the powerful German's who could not silence Mario Balotelli, but then who can? whether it is football related or non.
The man keeps going and going and two goals in sixteen minutes took the Italians past the Germans shattering their 15 game record of games won in a row.
Germany have ironically not beaten Italy in a major finals in over half a century but this is the beauty and mystery of football!
It is strange to see or imagine it but the Group of Death did not provide a finalist with Holland, Portugal, Denmark and Germany all bowing out and it's ironically the humorously termed Group of Debt has given us the tournaments finalists.
Both teams drew with each other in their exhilarating group opener and this game is too close to call, when 90 minutes decides your fate, your hopes, your dreams and the chance to carve your name in history anything can happen.
The SAS motto of Who Dares Wins may come into play and both of these teams know what it's like to be immortalised in the annals of footballing history at club and national level, now let the football gods, fate and destiny combine to bring us the final of the European Football Championships 2012.