goal, against Ukraine on 14 June 2006. Despite a successful group phase, where Spain won all their games, Alonso did not achieve international glory as the team were beaten by the eventual finalists France in the first knockout stage of the tournament. Euro 2008 Liverpool's 2007–08 season finished trophyless but the opportunity to win honours awaited Alonso in the form of the Euro 2008 tournament. Alonso featured mainly as a substitute but, with key players resting, he captained Spain in the final group game against Greece, earning the man of the match award. Despite a strong performance, he could not attain a starting position in the team, highlighting Spain's strength in depth. Spain went on to win the tournament and he featured in four of Spain's six matches. Speaking to Spanish journalist Guillem Balagué, he said that Spain's victory was deserved and the players' teamwork had been crucial to the team's undefeated run in the tournament. The Basque was ecstatic at the achievement, declaring, "Right now, we're all just living the moment. It's incredible and we're all walking around in a dream. It's fantastic." Alonso's international success continued as he scored twice in a 3–0 win in a friendly against Denmark in August. 2009 Confederations Cup After Spain were surprisingly eliminated from the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup by a defeat to the United States, Alonso and Spain faced South Africa in the third-place match. After 90 minutes, the game was deadlocked at 2–2, so extra time was added, where Alonso scored a free-kick in to the bottom corner of the goal to help Spain win third. 2010 World Cup Alonso started every game for Spain during the 2010 tournament, playing alongside Sergio Busquets and Xavi in midfield and helping his side to lift their first-ever World Cup trophy. In the 28th minute of the final against the Netherlands, he received a "Kung fu-style" kick to the chest from Dutch midfielder Nigel de Jong, the foul was controversial since it appeared to be a foul worthy of a straight red, but was only ruled out to be a yellow card given by referee Howard Webb. This left Alonso in pain and in fear of a broken rib. Despite this pain, he continued playing on for another hour. Euro 2012 On 23 June 2012, Alonso played his 100th match for Spain in the quarter-finals against France in which he scored both goals