Spain sealed their place in history as the first side to win three successive major international football tournaments with a quite stunning victory over Italy in Kiev at the final of Euro 2012. The Spanish were at their scintillating best to make a mockery of some recent - ludicrous - suggestions they are not entertaining to watch. Like this nonsense, for instance. A David Silva header and neat finishes from Jordi Alba and substitutes Fernando Torres and Juan Mata gave La Rojas the win. 
But the whole team played their part to seal the largest winning margin in a European Championship final. The scoreline was, perhaps, a shade cruel on Italy, who were forced to play the last thirty minutes with ten men following an injury to Thiago Motta shortly after they had made their third and final substitution. However, even when the teams were equal in number, reigning World and European champions Spain dominated and never looked like relinquishing their grip on the Henri Delaunay trophy which they won in Vienna four years ago. Their play sparkled with intelligence, imagination, guile and flair as they wove intricate triangles in and around the Italian box whilst effectively cancelling out the Italian's playmaker, Andrea Pirlo. Their goals owed as much to wonderfully constructed build-ups - in which midfielder's Fabregas, Iniesta and Xavi played prominent parts - as they did to clinical finishing. And, remember, they did all this without Carles Puyol and David Villa. Scary. Albeit, the BBC panel's ludicrous arse-licking superlatives at the end of the game felt a bit over-the-top. As good as Brazil 1970? My arse!
More than thirteen million viewers watched Spain win Euro 2012 on BBC1 – six times the number that watched the tournament climax on ITV. Spain's crushing 4-0 win over Italy averaged 12.3 million viewers on BBC1, with a fifteen-minute peak of 13.3 million on Sunday night. ITV's - genuinely pathetic - coverage of the same match, fronted by odious breakfast TV flop and greed bucket Adrian Chiles, averaged a risible two million viewers, with a fifteen-minute peak of 2.2 million. Overall BBC1's Match of the Day Live: Euro 2012 Final, hosted by yer actual Gary Lineker, pulled in an average audience of 10.2 million viewers across the entire broadcast, a 41.3 per cent share, between 7pm and 10.15pm. ITV's Euro 2012 Final Live, averaged 1.7 million viewers, seven per cent of the audience, between 7pm and 10.15pm.
I'll repeat that, seven per cent. The advertising-free BBC traditionally outguns ITV on big sporting occasions such as this but the corporation's six-to-one win over its commercial rival – the BBC had an eight six per cent share of the audience during the game itself – was even more comprehensive than usual. The last time ITV broadcast live coverage of a European Championships final – Greece's win in Euro 2004 – the BBC had just over three times as many viewers as ITV, with 10.9 million viewers against 3.4 million. Such is the BBC's traditional ratings lead that ITV decided not to broadcast live coverage of the Euro 2008 final, also won by Spain. The BBC had a five-to-one lead in the 2010 World Cup final, when it drew fifteen million viewers compared with ITV's 3.3 million. The total audience for live match coverage of the final, at 14.3 million viewers, was up on the 10.6 million who watched in 2008 when it was only broadcast on BBC1, and identical to the 14.3 million who watched Greece's win in Euro 2004. But it was down on the 18.4 million who saw Spain's World Cup win, broadcast live by both channels, two years ago. 
England's Euro 2012 exit to Italy remained the most-watched match of Euro 2012, with a live match average of 20.34 million viewers on BBC1 on 24 June, with full coverage including pre- and post-match analysis averaging 17.4 million. The quarter final, which England lost on penalties - as usual - had a five-minute peak of 23.2 million viewers, the highest for any programme on any channel since England versus Portugal in Euro 2004. The first hour of ITV's Euro 2012 final coverage also lost out to BBC2's Secrets of our Living Planet. The Chris Packham natural history series picked up 2.1 million viewers between 7pm and 8pm, including BBC HD. Mock the Week's delayed episode - rescheduled from last Thursday - took 1.52m at 10.10pm. The BBC also offered an alternative CBBC commentary of the Euro 2012 final on the Red Button service, featuring channel hosts Chris Johnson and Hacker T Dog in Salford. Their 'offbeat' version, which included unwittingly comparing the Spanish Crown Prince to a member of the Gryffindor house in the Harry Potter books because he was wearing a red-and-yellow scarf, led to CBBC 'trending' on Twitter. Which is 'a thing', apparently.
An unfortunate slip-up by BBC's Match of the Day pundit yer actual Alan Shearer during the Euro 2012 final on Sunday night when he noted how the triumphant Spanish team had enjoyed 'an unbelievable amount of sex.'
Lucky old Spainards, I say. That's what comes from winning three major tournaments in a row, presumably. What Shearer actually meant to say – and he quickly corrected himself – was 'success.' Let's hope they don't let it go to their head. Course, yer actual Shearer had a fair bit of sexy success himself. Yer actual Keith Telly Topping really rather enjoyed watching that.
There will be no Scottish or Northern Irish players in the men's British Olympic football squad when it is announced on Monday. BBC Scotland claims to have learned that manager Stuart Pearce will list eighteen players from England and Wales. Fifteen of the squad must be under twenty three, with Ryan Giggs, Craig Bellamy and Micah Richards the three permitted overage players. None of the England players at Euro 2012 were considered for the squad. Four reserve players will also be put on stand-by, should anyone withdraw from the squad.
There were Scots, including Steven Fletcher and Barry Bannan, on Pearce's shortlist of thirty five players. The Scottish Football Association, along with their Northern Irish and Welsh counterparts, have taken no direct involvement with Team GB and have made it clear they do not want their players involved for fear of risking their countries' separate identities in world football. But they cannot block any players from participating if they wish to do so. The women's football squad was named earlier this week, with Scottish duo Ifeoma Dieke and Kim Little the only non-English players selected. The men's Team GB were drawn in Group A at London 2012 alongside Senegal, Uruguay and United Arab Emirates. They begin their Olympic campaign against Senegal at Old Trafford on 26 July before facing the United Arab Emirates at Wembley on 29 July, and Uruguay at the Millennium Stadium on 1 August.
But the whole team played their part to seal the largest winning margin in a European Championship final. The scoreline was, perhaps, a shade cruel on Italy, who were forced to play the last thirty minutes with ten men following an injury to Thiago Motta shortly after they had made their third and final substitution. However, even when the teams were equal in number, reigning World and European champions Spain dominated and never looked like relinquishing their grip on the Henri Delaunay trophy which they won in Vienna four years ago. Their play sparkled with intelligence, imagination, guile and flair as they wove intricate triangles in and around the Italian box whilst effectively cancelling out the Italian's playmaker, Andrea Pirlo. Their goals owed as much to wonderfully constructed build-ups - in which midfielder's Fabregas, Iniesta and Xavi played prominent parts - as they did to clinical finishing. And, remember, they did all this without Carles Puyol and David Villa. Scary. Albeit, the BBC panel's ludicrous arse-licking superlatives at the end of the game felt a bit over-the-top. As good as Brazil 1970? My arse!More than thirteen million viewers watched Spain win Euro 2012 on BBC1 – six times the number that watched the tournament climax on ITV. Spain's crushing 4-0 win over Italy averaged 12.3 million viewers on BBC1, with a fifteen-minute peak of 13.3 million on Sunday night. ITV's - genuinely pathetic - coverage of the same match, fronted by odious breakfast TV flop and greed bucket Adrian Chiles, averaged a risible two million viewers, with a fifteen-minute peak of 2.2 million. Overall BBC1's Match of the Day Live: Euro 2012 Final, hosted by yer actual Gary Lineker, pulled in an average audience of 10.2 million viewers across the entire broadcast, a 41.3 per cent share, between 7pm and 10.15pm. ITV's Euro 2012 Final Live, averaged 1.7 million viewers, seven per cent of the audience, between 7pm and 10.15pm.
I'll repeat that, seven per cent. The advertising-free BBC traditionally outguns ITV on big sporting occasions such as this but the corporation's six-to-one win over its commercial rival – the BBC had an eight six per cent share of the audience during the game itself – was even more comprehensive than usual. The last time ITV broadcast live coverage of a European Championships final – Greece's win in Euro 2004 – the BBC had just over three times as many viewers as ITV, with 10.9 million viewers against 3.4 million. Such is the BBC's traditional ratings lead that ITV decided not to broadcast live coverage of the Euro 2008 final, also won by Spain. The BBC had a five-to-one lead in the 2010 World Cup final, when it drew fifteen million viewers compared with ITV's 3.3 million. The total audience for live match coverage of the final, at 14.3 million viewers, was up on the 10.6 million who watched in 2008 when it was only broadcast on BBC1, and identical to the 14.3 million who watched Greece's win in Euro 2004. But it was down on the 18.4 million who saw Spain's World Cup win, broadcast live by both channels, two years ago. 
England's Euro 2012 exit to Italy remained the most-watched match of Euro 2012, with a live match average of 20.34 million viewers on BBC1 on 24 June, with full coverage including pre- and post-match analysis averaging 17.4 million. The quarter final, which England lost on penalties - as usual - had a five-minute peak of 23.2 million viewers, the highest for any programme on any channel since England versus Portugal in Euro 2004. The first hour of ITV's Euro 2012 final coverage also lost out to BBC2's Secrets of our Living Planet. The Chris Packham natural history series picked up 2.1 million viewers between 7pm and 8pm, including BBC HD. Mock the Week's delayed episode - rescheduled from last Thursday - took 1.52m at 10.10pm. The BBC also offered an alternative CBBC commentary of the Euro 2012 final on the Red Button service, featuring channel hosts Chris Johnson and Hacker T Dog in Salford. Their 'offbeat' version, which included unwittingly comparing the Spanish Crown Prince to a member of the Gryffindor house in the Harry Potter books because he was wearing a red-and-yellow scarf, led to CBBC 'trending' on Twitter. Which is 'a thing', apparently. An unfortunate slip-up by BBC's Match of the Day pundit yer actual Alan Shearer during the Euro 2012 final on Sunday night when he noted how the triumphant Spanish team had enjoyed 'an unbelievable amount of sex.'
Lucky old Spainards, I say. That's what comes from winning three major tournaments in a row, presumably. What Shearer actually meant to say – and he quickly corrected himself – was 'success.' Let's hope they don't let it go to their head. Course, yer actual Shearer had a fair bit of sexy success himself. Yer actual Keith Telly Topping really rather enjoyed watching that.There will be no Scottish or Northern Irish players in the men's British Olympic football squad when it is announced on Monday. BBC Scotland claims to have learned that manager Stuart Pearce will list eighteen players from England and Wales. Fifteen of the squad must be under twenty three, with Ryan Giggs, Craig Bellamy and Micah Richards the three permitted overage players. None of the England players at Euro 2012 were considered for the squad. Four reserve players will also be put on stand-by, should anyone withdraw from the squad.
There were Scots, including Steven Fletcher and Barry Bannan, on Pearce's shortlist of thirty five players. The Scottish Football Association, along with their Northern Irish and Welsh counterparts, have taken no direct involvement with Team GB and have made it clear they do not want their players involved for fear of risking their countries' separate identities in world football. But they cannot block any players from participating if they wish to do so. The women's football squad was named earlier this week, with Scottish duo Ifeoma Dieke and Kim Little the only non-English players selected. The men's Team GB were drawn in Group A at London 2012 alongside Senegal, Uruguay and United Arab Emirates. They begin their Olympic campaign against Senegal at Old Trafford on 26 July before facing the United Arab Emirates at Wembley on 29 July, and Uruguay at the Millennium Stadium on 1 August.
