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Success yet to sink in for proud Torres

Fernando Torres may have taken his winning goal in Vienna with deadly precision but taking on board the full meaning of Spain's glory may take a while longer.

Fernando Torres celebrates his winning goal
Fernando Torres celebrates his winning goal ©Getty Images

Vengloš praise
"It is a great feeling, we cannot believe what we have achieved," said Torres. "You watch these European competitions on TV, and you want to be a part of it and we were." And nobody more so, arguably, than the Spain No9. The Liverpool FC player scored the only goal of the game against Germany 12 minutes before half-time, outmuscling Philipp Lahm and chipping delightfully over goalkeeper Jens Lehmann. Yet the strike told only half the story according to Dr Jozef Vengloš, a member of the UEFA Technical Team who named Torres Carlsberg Man of the Match. "He was playing up front on his own, playing off the last Germany defender and was very good at leading the line and making good runs," he explained. "He helped other players to support him."

Pride
This is Torres's first trophy as a professional. He failed to win anything in six years with Club Atlético de Madrid, and his 24 goals for Liverpool last season were only enough to claim fourth place in England's Premier League. Hence the 24-year-old's obvious delight. "It's the first cup I have won, and was always a dream to me, just fantastic. I'm proud to have a chance to enjoy a beautiful moment like winning the cup. I'm proud to see so many people here enjoying themselves and it's a real satisfaction that we've achieved what we set out to do. We have grown as a team throughout the tournament and it was good not only for Spain but also for football, as the best team won and that's not always the case."

World Cup target
Few would dispute that Spain have been the best team in Austria/Switzerland and, with Luis Aragonés's side having ended a 44-year wait to lift a major international trophy, Torres has set his sights on more. "It's been a fantastic season for me, my best season in fact," he said. "I have to keep going now as I want to win more titles and become one of the best players in Europe and the world. It's the first big trophy for me and I hope it won't be the last. This is the most important day in Spanish football for too many years as well and now we have to go for the [FIFA] World Cup." Few would bet against Spain in South Africa but, for now, it is time to step back and savour the moment. "We have to enjoy this victory first," said Torres. "I think that only when we are back in Spain will we understand what has happened."

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