Spain Hope To Make History With Third Straight Major Win

If Italy, as expected, fail to beat Spain in the final of Euro 2012, Vicente del Bosque's side will have achieved a truly remarkable feat - winning three major tournaments in a row. No other side has ever managed it (unless we're counting the Olympics, which we're not). What's more, they'd have done so without ever really breaking a sweat.

Should Spain win at the Olympic Stadium, they'll probably win 1-0. It's their modus operandi, like Arsenal in the 1990s or Jose Mourinho's Chelsea. They don't score nearly as many as they could, of course, but that may well be besides the point. When push comes to shove, they don't concede either. Ever.

Since June 2006, Iker Casillas has seen his goal breached four times during the knockout rounds of the Euros and World Cup. All four goals came in penalty shootouts. Spain have played 900 minutes of football - ten matches' worth - and have yet to concede a real goal. Even if you wanted to be silly count the shootout goals, Spain's defensive record is equivalent to shipping 15 goals over a 38 game season.