Ballack's silverware heartache continues

Having lost May's Champions League final with Chelsea, Michael Ballack again suffered silverware heartbreak on Sunday as Germany lost the UEFA EURO 2008 final 1-0 to Spain.

After the Blues missed out to Manchester United in Moscow, Germany captain Ballack tasted bitter defeat for the second time in as many months in Vienna as a first-half strike by Liverpool's Fernando Torres broke German hearts.

"It is very sad to lose when one has come such a long way," said the 31-year-old.

"All the team battled away. This tournament has come at the end of the season and physically it has been tough. However, today (Sunday) we have made too many errors.

Sunday's defeat was not the first time in his career Ballack has lost a European final to Spanish opposition.

In 2002, he was in the Bayer Leverkusen team which went down 2-1 to Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League final. Spanish captain Iker Casillas was also a winner on that occasion, having come off the bench.

But Ballack's performance against Spain made a mockery of the calf injury which had threatened to deny him another appearance in a major tournament final on the eve of the match.

Having missed Germany's FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan 2002