Yearender: Olympics sparkle at height of magical British summer

One arena where a British national team performed much as it always does at major tournaments was in the national game of soccer.

For once, under a new coach Roy Hodgson, expectations were not exaggeratedly high for England before the European championships jointly hosted by Ukraine and Poland and losing on penalties to Italy in the quarterfinals was greeted with a resigned shrug rather than outraged indignation.

Spain, the country who took 44 years to win a major tournament, became the first to win three in a row, retaining the European title after triumphing in the 2010 World Cup.

They destroyed Italy 4-0 in the final and their endlessly inventive midfielder Andres Iniesta was named player of the tournament.

Barcelona's Lionel Messi challenges Benfica's goalkeeper Artur, just before he was injured, during their Champions League Group G soccer match at the Nou Camp stadium in Barcelona, Dec 5, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]

Iniesta's Barcelona team mate Lionel Messi was carried off in a stretcher with what appeared to be a serious knee injury after colliding with Benfica goalkeeper in a Champions League group match on Dec 5.

Four days later the Argentine scored both goals in a 2-1 La Liga win over Real Betis to overhaul German Gerd Mueller's previous record of 85 goals in a calendar year set in 1972. Both goals were set up by Iniesta.

Pele's record of 75 scored in 1958 was already well behind him and, at the age of 25, Messi is in exalted company.

"Leo is supernatural. He doesn't have limits," marvelled Barcelona defender Gerard Pique.

Britain's golden year lingered into December, with yet further cause for celebration through sports developed in Victorian public schools whose passion for organised games inspired Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympics.

England, 12/1 outsiders before the match, thrashed world rugby union champions New Zealand 38-21 at Twickenham to bring an abrupt halt to increasingly fevered speculation that the current All Blacks team are the best side ever to play the game.

Then the England cricket side, humiliated in the first test of a four-match series in India, bounced back with captain Alastair Cook leading by example to win the next two by convincing margins.