3 German players were picked for the UEFA’s best XI of the Euro 2008.

Goalkeepers: Buffon (Italy), Casillas (Spain), van der Sar (Holland).

Defenders: Bosingwa (Portugal), Lahm (Germany), Marchena (Spain), Pepe (Portugal), Puyol (Spain), Zhirkov (Russia).

Midfielders: Hamit Altintop (Turkey), Modric (Croatia), Senna (Spain), Xavi (Spain), Zyryanov (Russia), Ballack (Germany), Fabregas (Spain), Iniesta (Spain), Podolski (Germany), Sneijder (Holland).

Striker: Arshavin (Russia), Pavlyuchenko (Russia), Torres (Spain), Villa (Spain).…

Germany lost 1-0 to Spain in the finals of the Euro 2008 tournament. Spain put on a commanding display throughout the game and after Fernando Torres scored in the 33rd minute, Germany were never able to really get back into the game and threaten the Spanish goal.

Heavyweights in European football who produce a constant stream of individual talents, Spain had not won a major tournament since 1964 but finally shook off their tag of being chokers, not able to cope with the pressure of the highest stage.

They have also been perceived as a nation divided by their regions – the lyrics to their national anthem are not used – but full-back Sergio Ramos had kept mentioning the word “united” this week, and when Torres secured the Henri Delaunay for them they were just that.

Just shy of his 70th birthday, Luis Aragones will now leave his post as coach, probably for Fenerbahce, as a champion. Vicente del Bosque has been tipped to take over and he will inherit a young squad who have their sights on the World Cup.

While Portugal appeared destabilised by Chelsea announcing Luiz Felipe Scolari as their new coach during these finals, there were …

Ballack has been declared fit to play for the final.

Here is Germany’s starting line-up:

Lehmann, Friedrich, Lahm, Mertesacker, Metzelder, Schweinsteiger, Frings, Ballack, Hitzlsperger, Podolski, Klose.

Löw sticks with the XI that started the second half of the 3-2 semi-final victory against Turkey.…

Germany captain Michael Ballack is doubtful for Sunday’s Euro 2008 final against Spain because of an injury to his right calf, the German Football Association (DFB) said on Saturday.

Ballack missed training on Friday back at the team’s base in Tenero and he was unable to join the eve-of-match session at the stadium in Vienna on Saturday. The DFB said the question of whether he could play was ‘fully open’ with just over 24 hours to go before the final.

The 31-year-old midfielder has scored two goals during the tournament and was the outstanding player in the 3-2 win over Portugal in the quarter-finals. He was less impressive against Turkey in the semi-finals but his absence would be a huge blow to the German team, who are bidding for their fourth European Championship title.

Ballack has never played in a major final for Germany. He missed the final of the 2002 World Cup through suspension and was part of the team that lost the 2006 semi-final to Italy.…

German President Horst Köhler and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will be in the stands on Sunday to watch Germany take on Spain in the Euro 2008 final. “The chancellor will be in Vienna to cheer on the Mannschaft,” government spokesman Thomas Steg explained.

Merkel was in Basel on Wednesday to witness Germany’s narrow victory over Turkey in their semi-final. Several government ministers will also attend the final. Among these are Wolfgang Schäuble, Minister of the Interior and responsible for sports, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Norbert Lammert, President of the Bundestag.

Spain has confirmed that King Juan Carlos and Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero will be at the match, after the Spanish side booked a place in the final by beating Russia 3-0 on Thursday.

Harrison Ford, Spanish opera singer Placido Domingo and Jamaican reggae artist Shaggy, singer of the tournament’s two mascot songs, are among the invited guests from the entertainment industry.

Former top sportsmen and sporting officials due to attend include German ex Formula One champion Michael Schumacher, 1974 World Cup winner Franz Beckenbauer, International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge and FIFA president Sepp Blatter.…

Germany will now face Spain in the European Championship Finals to take place on Sunday. Spain won in convincing fashion against Russia in the other semifinal game 3-0 to book their place in the finals.

Looking at the form of the two teams, Germany will certainly have to up their game to be able to match Spain, after an unconvincing win against an understrength Turkish side.…

Germany coach Joachim Loew has praised Torsten Frings for his attitude on Thursday after the disappointed midfielder was not called up by Löw in the game against Turkey. He later came off the bench at the start of the second half to play a key part in the Euro 2008 semi-final victory over the battling Turks.

Read more about what Löw had to say about Frings.…

In case you missed the exciting semifinals between Germany and Turkey, here’s the highlights from the game.

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