大象传媒

Vienna

Something's got to give at the on Sunday. Germany's mental rigour comes up against a Spanish outfit that is widely regarded as the most complete team at Euro 2008.

And when the losers trudge off, beaten and vanquished, they can console themselves with the thought that they are far from alone in their abject disappointment. Both countries are at fever pitch as the final moves ever closer, with the match dominating television, radio and newspaper coverage.

I was watching a German TV channel the other day and, through the course of the final few minutes of a chat show, the female presenter put on a German baseball cap, then a scarf and finally starting waving a flag around. Mercifully, the programme then came to an end.

The fan miles in Germany have been packed to the rafters throughout the tournament. The is actually 500 metres longer than it was during the 2006 World Cup and 500,000 will attend on Sunday to watch the final on the big screens.

The fascination in Germany with their team's campaign is in part attributable to the fact that there have been so many ups and downs, creating an emotionally engaging experience for the viewer. Germany have been inconsistent; they tasted during a difficult group stage, , but then required a .

A recent survey in Germany even suggested that 55% of the people watching the matches are women, the theory being that females love being part of a shared viewing experience and have become engrossed in their team's travails.

As for the snappily dressed Loew, he is a huge hit with the ladies in Germany, even if his reputation as 'Cool Jogi' has been questioned by a national press that feels he has lost his head at times on the touchline.

Journalist Marc Schmidt believes that many informed football fans in Germany acknowledge Spain are the worthy favourites on current form but wonder whether they will come unstuck, as Portugal did in their quarter-final meeting. But he reckons there are a lot of fans who simply haven't considered losing and are looking forward to a victory parade in Berlin on Monday.

Certainly, there is a strong body of opinion that Spain are the team under the most pressure. Loew said on the eve of the final that his team are "under a positive pressure" now that they have reached the final, whereas Spain skipper Iker Casillas talked of the need to be "successful for 44 million people".

Arguably, victory is more important for Spain, who have not won a major title since the 1964 European Championship, while Germany have reached 11 finals in the intervening 44 years.

Winning Euro 2008 would ensure that Spain complete a process of reinvention, casting aside both their reputation as perennial underachievers and the notion that regional differences are so strong that they undermine the national team.

As Spanish football expert said: "The success of the Spanish team is breaking all kinds of clich茅s, stuff like people from not being able to play with people from ."

If the was Spain making a statement to the world, announcing itself as a country that had left behind the era, then Balague feels that the success at Euro 2008 is about the Spanish proving something to themselves.

"Now we are saying that it is fine to feel Spanish," said the Barcelona-born journalist. "You can be Spanish and be Catalan. Spain is a nation of nations but it is also something else. I can be identified by everything Catalan but everything Spanish as well."

Balague believes the Spanish flag has been hijacked in the past for political reasons but that in Austria and Switzerland it is the symbol of a united and successful team. "I'm completely proud of what is going on here, of my country winning," he added. "It makes me emotional to see it."

Spanish fans have travelled to the tournament in great number and from all parts of the country, while the exploits of the team have captivated the viewing public back home. Balague's mother, no fan of football, has been ringing her son for regular updates.

For years, supporters of the team have chanted a line that translates roughly as "we just come here to drink and we don't care about the score". It hints, perhaps, at the expectation levels of the past. But the expectation levels have changed through this most memorable month.

And as Spain coach Luis Aragones said on Saturday evening: "The one who comes second is soon forgotten."