（2008年欧洲杯总结）
It was only fitting that Euro 2008 signed off with a classic final after three weeks of consistently high-quality, attacking, entertaining football that helped make it one of the best tournaments for years.
2008年欧洲杯在过去三个星期内稳定的奉献出一场场高质量的、颇具观赏性的攻势足球，使本届赛事成为最近多年来最精彩的国际足球大赛之一，周日一场经典的决赛则避免了虎头蛇尾之嫌。Only a few games, most obviously the Spain v Italy quarter-final, were strangled by fear of failure and in Spain's case, having lost so regularly at that stage, that was understandable.
本届赛事中仅有少数几场比赛，尤其是四分之一决赛中西班牙对阵意大利一战，双方都因为担心失利而畏手畏脚。不过考虑到西班牙屡屡在八强战中折戟，他们的作法想必可以得到理解。
Otherwise there was a real commitment to attack, from all areas, and Spain's final triumph was a just reward for their superiority at some of the most basic aspects of the game -- accurate passing, instant control and sharp movement.
Much of the pre-tournament talk had been of the likely impact of the strikers but, David Villa's first-game hat-trick apart, it was midfielders who generally ruled the roost. Most of the teams who came to the tournament as 4-4-2 finished as 4-5-1, including both finalists.
赛前的很多预测往往是围绕锋线杀手可能制造的威力，但除了比利亚在西班牙首战中贡献帽子戏法外，本届欧锦赛最大的特点当属中场球员统治力的体现——多数球队在本届欧锦赛中都采用4-4-2或4-5-1阵型，其中两支决赛队伍也是如此。
Many of the most effective sides -- Spain, Russia and Netherlands in particular -- also employed fullbacks who were virtual wingers, often swamping the opposition.
进攻最具效率的球队，尤其是西班牙、俄罗斯和荷兰，其犀利攻势常常令对手溃不成军，他们都是把边後卫当作事实上的边锋来用。
You have the classic counter coming from the back but also from midfield areas, a kind of collective counter where they win it in midfield and a group of players break at speed, catching out defenders.
The best teams are now trying to exploit the space when it is there by playing a high intensity game, running at pace.
我们可以看到经典的後场快速反击，同时也有从中场发动的反击，他们在中场断球、多名球员高速甩开後卫，像一种团队式反击，最出色的几支队伍在目前全速奔跑的高强度比赛面前，试图充分利用空间。
The only real area of play that was sub-standard was the delivery of free kicks and corners, which far too often failed to clear the first defender, resulting in very few headed goals.
本届比赛中唯一不尽如人意的是任意球和角球的质量，常常被第一名防守球员挡出，造成比赛中较少出现头球破门。
Many teams, when awarded a free kick in what traditionally would have been a dangerous position, simply took a touch and resumed their patient build-up.
There was little patience about the Netherlands, who charged out of the blocks to give one of the best attacking performances of the group stage and were then on the receiving end of a similarly effervescent display by Russia in the quarter-finals.
荷兰队的表现给人感觉耐心不够，他们在小组赛中摧枯拉朽的攻击力令人震惊，但随後在四分之一比赛中在俄罗斯的类似表现面前没有还手之力。
There was talk of "Total Football" as the Dutch swept past world champions Italy 3-0, helped by Wesley Sneijder's contender for best goal of the tournament.
But they were undone by an even more adventurous show as Russia, who also sparkled against Sweden, ground them down with their Andrei Arshavin-inspired attacking for a deserved 3-1 win.
Then it was Russia's turn to chase shadows as Spain eventually passed them into exhaustion then picked them off with three well crafted second-half goals in a terrific semi-final where barely a backward pass was made.
荷兰队3-0完胜世界冠军意大利的比赛令人想起“全攻全守”的说法，但他们在俄罗斯更为冒险的打法面前败下阵来，阿尔沙文策动的精妙攻势助俄罗斯3-1赢得当之无愧的胜利。
接下来则是俄罗斯被打回原形，西班牙在一场美妙绝伦的半决赛中最终令俄罗斯人疲惫不堪，凭借下半时三粒充满创造力的进球结束战斗。
Germany's high point was the thrilling 3-2 quarter-final win over Portugal when the advanced midfield role of Michael Ballack inspired them to one of their best performances for years.
德国的最华丽乐章出现在四分之一决赛3-2力克葡萄牙的比赛中，当时巴拉克在突前前卫位置上率领日耳曼军团打出该队近年来最精彩的表现。
In the final it was Spain's cutting edge passing, and a top-notch finish by Fernando Torres, rather than Germany's powerful running, that fittingly secured the trophy.
而决赛当中，西班牙精准的传接配合，以及托雷斯的致命一击，令不知疲倦跑动的德国队败下阵来，西班牙人当之无愧的捧走冠军锦标。
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