The European Championship, as Greece proved emphatically in 2004, often escapes the superpower dominance that has marked the World Cup, and this year’s edition starting on Saturday looks there for the taking again.Nine different countries have lifted the trophy since the first Nations Cup finals were staged in 1960, including Spain, the former Soviet Union and Denmark, none of whom have been able to make an impact on the World Cup.That tradition has justifiably fuelled the belief in more than half the 16 nations arriving for competition in Austria and Switzerland this week that they could triumph in the final in Vienna. “Any team can win it. If Greece can win so can Spain,” said Luis Aragones, coach of a Spanish side seen by many as a good bet to end their dire run of tournament underperforming.Torres factorARAGONES has opted to leave 102-cap striker Raul at home, leaving the responsibility for getting the goals with Fernando Torres. It is not a job that troubled him at Liverpool this season, where he scored 33 goals in all competitions to dismiss the idea that he would not be strong enough to hold his own in England. Italy and Real Madrid defender Fabio Cannavaro certainly thinks the move from Atletico Madrid has paid off, saying the razor-fast striker had made “an incredible improvement”. It is often argued that the modern format European Championship is a tougher tournament than the World Cup. That claim looked a little thin four years ago when Greece, 80-1 outsiders, took the title in Portugal after a semi-final line-up that did not include Italy, France or Germany.
