Luis Aragones's side scored more goals than anyone, played better football than the rest and in the end had too much nous for the ultimate tournament team Germany.

The coach is a remarkable man for a 70-year-old as he showed when given 10 'bumps' by his triumphant team at the final whistle.

I have to admit I thought he was going to keel over when he was put back down on the pitch.

That sight will remain one of the great memories of the tournament, but there were plenty of others.

Michael Ballack's free kick against Austria that got the Germans through the group stages springs immediately to mind.

And there was Russia's awesome display to defeat the red hot favourites Holland in the quarter finals which gave those of us who tipped them to win hope that it might just be time for the sleeping giant to awake.

Slaven Bilic danced, almost in the style of David Pleat, when his side took a late lead against Turkey.

His face when the Turks equalised two minutes into injury time in the same game said more than a thousand words.

There was the lightning strike which knocked out BBC One's semi-final coverage which meant we did not have to listen to John Motson for a period of time.

A few of the big players disappointed, notably France and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The French never looked interested in being at the event and got what they deserved when they went out early.

The same could be said of the Manchester United/Real Madrid player, whose value has surely gone down over the past month.

Big players do it on the big stage - just look at David Villa and Fernando Torres for confirmation of that.

Overall it has been an enjoyable experience and the hosts Austria and Switzerland are to be congratulated. Let's hope Poland and Ukraine do as good a job in 2012.

ENGLAND'S one-day cricket side have a real problem - if Kevin Pietersen fails, they fail too.

Skippering the side for the first time against New Zealand at the weekend, the Hampshire batsman made just six runs and his team were beaten by 51 runs.

Replacing the suspended Paul Collingwood was just reward for Pietersen who has been our outstanding player in the 50-over game.

But making the best player skipper does not always work. It did not for Ian Botham when he led the side in the 1980s and he produced amazing feats once the role was taken from him.

England already rely heavily on Pietersen so let's not burden him with having to lead the side as well.

DWAIN Chambers is set to take legal action against the British Olympic Association in order to run at the Beijing Games.

His case should be laughed out of court.

He has served the mandatory two-year ban for taking illegal substances but the BOA has stiffer penalties - a lifetime exclusion from the Greatest Show on Earth.

He knew the rules, he broke them and now he should accept his punishment.