BBC随身英语:Spain reign at Euro 2012 西班牙2012欧洲杯夺冠

The margin of victory was also record-breaking. The Spaniards routed their opponents Italy four-nil, which was the most one-sided result in the tournament's history. It was a masterclass in the passing style of football for which they have become known. Some experts are describing their scintillating performance as one of the greatest in history, comparing the team to such legendary sides of the past as Brazil in 1970 and France from 1998-2002.

So what makes this Spanish team so special? There is the individual brilliance of players such as man-of-the-match Andres Iniesta. But it's their artistry as a unit which has been most impressive. One statistic alone indicates why Spain have such a stranglehold on the world game: this team has not conceded a single goal in a knock-out game since 2006. That's over 17 hours of football. The fact of the matter is that their opponents simply can't get the ball long enough to play.

They also have the courage to follow their convictions. It might seem ridiculous now but the team were getting criticised for being 'boring' earlier in the competition. But the coach, Vicente del Bosque, stuck to his guns and continued to play in an unorthodox formation which contained no striker. The coach was vindicated by a display of such magnificence that one BBC expert claimed the match will still be talked about in 40 years' time.

Quiz 测验 1. Who won Euro 2008?

(Spain) are the first football team in history to retain their crown in the European Championships...

2. Has any country won three major international football competitions in a row before?

No... this makes Spain the only international team to win three major tournaments back-to-back.

3. What word is used to describe a demonstration given by an expert?

Masterclass. It was a masterclass in the passing style of football.

4. Do Spain use a normal formation?

No... an unorthodox formation which contained no striker.

5. According to a BBC expert, will the game be memorable?

Yes... the match will be talked about in 40 years' time.

 

Glossary 词汇表 superlatives最高级的 to retain their crown保住了皇冠 back-to-back连续，紧接 the margin of victory胜利的系数 record-breaking创纪录的 routed彻底击败 one-sided一边倒的 a masterclass大师级的表现 scintillating才气横溢的 legendary传奇的 brilliance才华，光辉 man-of-the-match场上最佳球员 artistry艺术技巧 stranglehold束缚 knock-out game淘汰赛 the courage to follow their convictions有追求他们信念的勇气 stuck to his guns坚持己见 striker前锋 vindicated证明正确的 magnificence宏伟，精彩