This summer's competition is Euro2012; the biggest soccer/football competition aside from the World Cup. It is held every four years just as the world cup, but on the alternate even years (2012, 16, 20 where as the WC is 2010, 14, 18, etc).
The tournament features 16 European sides, 14 had to compete to quality while 2 sides had automatic bids (Poland and Ukraine the co-hosts of the tournament).
The competition has been wittled down to two sides, the defending European and World champions Spain who beat its Iberian rival Portugal on Wednesday night to reach the final, and Italy; who after eeking out a penalty-shootout win over England in the quarterfinals, beat Germany Thursday night.
Some of the highlights of the tournament?
Greece and Germany meeting in the quarterfinals in a match that was widely referred to as the 'debt derby' (for those speaking American English, derby is pronounced darby, and is synonymous with the word 'rivalry'). The Germans won handily.
England going out of the tournament on a game decided on penalty kicks. (They've only won 1 match decided on penalty kicks of 8 they've played in.)
Mario Balotelli (pictured above) establishing himself as a true force to be reckoned with scoring both goals in Italy's upset of Germany. Balotelli is the mix of all the bad reputations that athlete's get, petulant, arrogant, lewd, rich, but he's the petulant, arrogant, lewd, rich guy you want on your side and not on your opponent's.
By the way, the final match just ended. Spain repeats as Euro champs (a first) with a 4-0 victory over Italy.
