Fernando Torres's goal that gave Spain a 1-0 victory over Germany on Sunday not only decided the Euro 2008 final but was also one of the best in the tournament. His 33rd minute strike, clipped home from an acute angle after he muscled past Philipp Lahm, was the 77th and final goal to join those that were brilliantly volleyed, headed and fired home - or even tapped in after bouncing out of a puddle.
Spain went into the final having already scored 11 goals, more than any other team in the tournament, with forward David Villa, who missed the final because of injury, finishing as the competition's top scorer with four. The best of his strikes was the second of a hat-trick against Russia in a 4-1 win in Spain's opening match.
Villa began the move when he retrieved a loose ball deep in his own half and began a quick counter attack. Joan Capdevila and Andres Iniesta then combined before Iniesta found Villa who sprinted into the box and shot past keeper Igor Akinfeyev.
Germany scored some stunning goals on their way to the final but Bastian Schweinsteiger's strike against Portugal in their quarter-final was outstanding. Lukas Podolski and Michael Ballack exchanged passes on the left to escape the Portuguese midfield and, after sprinting down the wing, Podolski's low hard cross was rammed home first time by Schweinsteiger at the near post.
BLISTERING GOAL: Ballack scored a blistering goal from a free kick against Austria while team mate Philipp Lahm's winner against Turkey in the semi-final was another superb strike.
Just four minutes after being exposed for Turkey's 86th minute equaliser, Lahm latched on to a Thomas Hitzlsperger pass that freed him on the left and he curled the ball past the advancing Rustu Recber to seal Germany's place in the final.
Although Turkey lost to the Germans, they had a thrilling journey to the last four, sealing their place in the knockout stages with a remarkable 3-2 win over Czech Republic after trailing 2-0 with only 15 minutes remaining.
Nihat Kahveci's second goal was remarkable. Released by an angled pass from Hamit Altintop, Nihat beat the offside trap, steadied himself, and then curled the ball over Petr Cech and into the net off the underside of the bar for the winner. The Dutch, who lost in the quarter-finals, bagged 10 goals, with Wesley Sneijder scoring two of the best in the tournament.
His first came in a 3-0 win over world champions Italy after an unstoppable breakaway began with Giovanni van Bronckhorst clearing off his own goal line after an Italian corner. He then galloped 60 metres upfield before hitting a wonderful cross-field pass to Dirk Kuyt and he found Sneijder, who poked the ball past keeper Gianluigi Buffon to score.
Sneijder's late long-range strike against France was another stunner and came minutes after Arjen Robben's angled third for the Dutch which was followed by his usual shrug of satisfaction. Other memorable strikes included Zlatan Ibrahimovic's drive for Sweden against Greece, Podolski's volley versus Poland, Pepe's for Portugal against Turkey and Hakan Yakin's goal for Switzerland versus the Turks on a quagmire of a pitch in Basel.
Yakin's effort was a simple one that will live long in the memory after the ball bounced through a puddle formed by the severest of the flash storms that added to the drama.