Angela Merkel was portrayed across Europe as the big loser of a eurozone showdown in Brussels after the German chancellor was forced to accept the crisis-fighting measures championed by countries struggling with their debts.

Newspapers in Spain, Italy and France on Saturday toasted the triumph of their leaders - Mario Monti, Mariano Rajoy and Francois Hollande - in pushing Merkel into a U-turn that would have been unthinkable.

Even German newspapers said Merkel had been made to accept demands for the eurozone rescue fund to be able to inject aid directly into stricken banks from next year and intervene on bond markets to support troubled member states.

"There's no doubt about it - the chancellor was blindsided at the euro summit," wrote columnist Nikolaus Blome of Bild, a daily with 12 million readers.

The summit ended on Friday with a deal on new steps to try to prevent a catastrophic breakup of the single currency.

Popular at home for insisting on austerity measures and tough conditions for those indebted eurozone states getting help, Merkel was quick to put a positive spin on the summit, telling reporters: "We had an interest in finding solutions."

There was no sign that the summit had damaged her reputation on Friday as both houses of parliament voted to back the eurozone's permanent bailout scheme. And Merkel does not face any particular political challenge at the moment.

But the concessions of "Frau Nein" were far bigger than earlier compromises in the name of saving the euro.

"Merkel caves in - money for ailing banks," read the headline on Germany's left-leaning Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

Bild wrote: "Italy and Spain got what they wanted: It'll be easier to borrow excessively again. It was the first time in more than two crisis years that euro states didn't follow Germany's orders."

Footballing comparisons have been widespread after Italy knocked Germany out of the Euro 2012 tournament in a shock 2-1 victory on Thursday.

"This time it was worse, the defeat was about the euro," said Deutschlandfunk radio.

In France, daily Liberation had a front page splash showing Hollande and Merkel dressed in their national football shirts with "1-0 to Hollande" over the top.

It said it was the pressure from the thee leaders that made Merkel buckle.