14 years ago on the 1st of July, Spain produced one of the most dominant performances in European Championship history, beating Italy 4-0 in the final at the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv to become the first nation ever to win three consecutive major international tournaments.
Vicente del Bosque’s side had already won Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup, and they delivered a masterclass to complete the treble.
David Silva opened the scoring in the 14th minute with a precise header before Jordi Alba swept in a second just before half-time, capitalising on a brilliant through ball from Xavi.
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Italy, who had been impressive throughout the tournament, were overwhelmed in the second half. Fernando Torres added a third in the 84th minute and Juan Mata completed the rout four minutes later to seal a historic 4-0 victory.
The result remains the largest margin of victory in a European Championship final. Spain also became the first team to win three consecutive major tournaments without conceding a single goal in the knockout stage.
🇪🇸 Spain 4-0 Italy 🇮🇹
14 years ago today, Spain won EURO 2012! Goals by David Silva, Jordi Alba, Fernando Torres and Juan Mata! 🏆✨ https://t.co/xn7GIh9N28
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) July 1, 2026
The victory was the crowning moment for a generation of Spanish players who had transformed their nation into the dominant force in world football, built around the tiki-taka philosophy perfected at club level by Barcelona.
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Xavi, Iniesta and Villa had become household names across the globe, and this final was their finest collective hour on the international stage.
Photo: Action Images / Carl Recine Livepic
