Spain recorded the biggest European Championship final victory of all-time to defeat Italy and become the first team to win three successive tournaments.
Leading through first-half goals from David Silva and Jordi Alba, Spain's victory was sealed when final substitute Thiago Motta was stretchered off, leaving the Azzurri to play the final half hour with 10 men.
And just to rub it in, Chelsea duo Fernando Torres and Juan Mata scored in the final minutes to complete a sensational victory.
In the end, Spain were the best team in Euro 2012 by a considerable distance. They turned the final into a procession and the sense of jubilation should be greatly enhanced by this being the night when they were rewarded for having absolute conviction in their principles.
They never wavered in the face of great scrutiny and Vicente del Bosque's formation, however unorthodox, was proven ultimately to be based on real foundations, to the extent that it now feels faintly bizarre a team of this brilliance could ever be accused of not playing with enough shine.
Boring Spain? The debate is so ridiculous it really should be put in a box and kept in a place where we don't have to be subjected to it again.