VIENNA, Austria --- A championship 44 years in the waiting is worth a special celebration.

Spain made sure it didn't disappoint its fans Sunday, with a 1-0 victory over Germany to win the European Championship.

Fernando Torres scored in the 33rd minute, and the Spaniards never backed down against a tough opponent. Their last significant title came in the 1964 Euros.

"It is, to me, the most important day in Spanish football in many, many years," Torres said.

Against the highly accomplished Germans, Spain wasn't intimidated. The Spaniards got the goal they needed -- from a slumping striker, no less -- and set off chants of "ES-PANA!" and "Ole, Ole, Ole!" at the final whistle.

"We have won in a brilliant way," coach Luis Aragones said. "We will be able to start saying we can win, a European championship as well as any other thing."

In beating a team that makes a habit of appearing in championship finals, Spain put to rest a reputation for underachieving. Always loaded with talented players, Spain has spent four decades falling short of expectations.

That all changed at these Euros, where the Spaniards swept their first-round games, eliminated World Cup champion Italy in a penalty-kicks shootout in the quarterfinals, then routed Russia 3-0 in the semifinals.

"We played the best for the entire tournament, and we beat some great teams," Torres said.

Germany has won three Euros and three World Cups but was no match in this final. Captain Michael Ballack, questionable before the game with a calf injury, started, but he hardly was noticeable -- except when he left for several minutes to have a bloody right eye treated.

"We had a great tournament but made one mistake too many," Ballack said. "We were lacking of power against a great Spanish team. We couldn't keep up with them."

Torres, who had 33 goals for Liverpool this season but has been invisible in Euros, came through off a brilliant feed from Xavi Hernandez.

German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, at 38 the oldest player in the competition, charged from his net when he saw that defender Philipp Lahm was beaten on the right side. But Torres chipped the ball over the sliding Lehmann and into the gaping goal.

This was the last game for 69-year-old Aragones, the oldest coach to win the Euros.

"We have brought him the championship in his last game for Spain," Torres said, "and we are very happy we could make this history for him and for us."