By DPA,
Vienna : Spain goalkeeper and captain Iker Casillas was happy Sunday, after breaking “the curse of the quarters” in major tournaments, and he remembered those who did not have faith in the team after Spain beat Germany 1-0 in the final of Euro 2008.
“I was already tired of the curse of the quarters. I think there are some smart guys who are going to have to shut their mouths for a long time,” Casillas said in Vienna in reference to Spain’s previous failures to get past the quarter-final stages at major tournaments.
“I have fulfilled one of my dreams: achieving something with my country’s national team,” he added.
Striker Fernando Torres, who scored the winning goal for Spain in the final, was exultant as he described how he outpaced German defender Philipp Lahm before lifting the ball over goalkeeper Jens Lehmann.
“It was a great pass from Xavi (Hernandez) and the defender was overconfident. Very often it is not the best one who wins, but I think that in this tournament it was the one who played the best football that won,” Torres said.
Midfielder Cesc Fabregas said he and his team-mates were not yet fully “conscious” of their achievement, and he called upon the whole of Spain to celebrate.
“We have shown all the people who did not have faith in us that they should have had faith. Thank you very much for being there. Today (Sunday), all of us are getting drunk,” Fabregas noted.