Torres: Team-work was crucial for victory

Fernando Torres believes team-work enabled him to become the leading goalscorer at Euro 2012 as he became the first player to score in two European Championship finals as Spain beat Italy 4-0 last night.

Victory meant Spain became the first international side to win three successive major international tournaments.

The Chelsea striker once again started on the bench as Vicente del Bosque chose Cesc Fabregas to lead the line, but Torres made a significant impact when he came on with 15 minutes remaining as he coolly slotted home the third and teed-up Juan Mata for the fourth.

He told Marca: “You can’t ask for more, but it is the work of the team and the togetherness that has brought us here.

“You always want to win more and more, but right now we have to enjoy this. We have won by a distance against a great team like Italy.

“We are very happy. This was the objective that we had at the start of the tournament.

“We knew we were the opponent to beat, that it was going to be more difficult than ever and it has been.

“We had luck in some moments of the championship but at the end we will reflect on what today means in Spanish football history.

“We have dominated from start to finish and enjoyed a magical evening. Now we can say that national teams of the future will concentrate on us to try and make history.”

The goal and assist also meant Torres was awarded the Golden Boot despite only starting three of Spain’s six games and scoring on three occasions.

“Football is like this,” he said. “This is my third Euros, in the previous ones I played almost all the games and scored two goals. In this one I have played less but won the Golden Boot.

“Football can be just or unjust like that depending how you look at it and that is why we like it so much.”