Six-goal Germans take fifth successive European Championship title

England gave the favourites a run, but second-half onslaught settled matters

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Germany's women footballers really do take some beating. On Thursday night the reigning World Champions outclassed and outgunned a plucky England side in the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, winning 6-2 to take their fifth successive UEFA Women's European Championship title.
      The match played out in front of a decent crowd of 15,877 was a feast of goals, including one strike from distance by Germany's Melanie Behringer that would not have disgraced the English Premiership.
     
Germany got off to a brisk start and were 2-0 up through a Birgit Prinz goal and Behringer's screamer from 35 metres before 22 minutes were on the clock.
      But the English were not about to lie down and die, and brilliant work from Kelly Smith inside the six-yard box set up Karen Carney for a simple tap-in goal.
      Thereafter the English held their own until the break, and denied the Germans - who had the country's President Horst Köhler in the stands cheering them on - the chance of any premature celebrations.
     
A third German goal from Kim Kulig immediately after the break looked to have settled matters, but back came the English girls, and Kelly Smith reduced the arrears just four minutes later.
      More goals seemed inevitable as both teams were throwing players forward, and Inka Grings did the business for Germany, with two strikes in ten minutes just after the hour-mark.
      There was no coming back from a 5-2 deficit, and captain Birgit Prinz rubbed salt in the English wounds with a second personal goal a few minutes later.
     
The scoreline was a little unkind on the English girls, although there was no denying that the Germans were worthy favourites and worthy winners of a title they have now stubbornly held on to since 1995.
     
In Inka Grings they had a world-class striker, who top-scored with six goals during the tournament, and rather eclipsed Prinz, the biggest star in the side going into the Championships.
      The 31-year-old Prinz, three times voted the world's best female footballer, had had a quiet time thus far, but showed her own class with a brace of goals when it counted.
      Among the bravest players on the field on Thursday night was the England captain Faye White, who fractured a cheekbone in the quarter-final against Finland, and missed the semi-final while having treatment back home. White played the full ninety minutes in a specially-designed face-mask, and a good many of the England supporters in the crowd had also donned Zorro masks in her honour.
     
The fact that more than 15,000 people turned out to watch a game where the Finnish hosts were not involved was encouraging for the sport of women's football, especially as the final was played on a weekday and the date clashed with the opening of the domestic ice hockey season.
      Finland were knocked out at the quarter-final stage by England, who started the tournament disastrously with a defeat to Italy but then got better and better as things went on.
      The Netherlands, beaten 2-1 by the Finns in the opening group stages, made it through to the semi-finals before losing out to England after extra time, and Norway - surprise winners over fancied Sweden in the quarters - gave the Germans a brief fright in the other semi-final before succumbing 3-1.
      Complete attendance figures are not in yet, but the largest crowd at the finals - 16,324 - witnessed Finland's opening match against Denmark.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  England end Finnish women´s involvement in Euro 2009 (4.9.2009)

Links:
  UEFA
  UEFA Women´s European Championships 2009 (Wikipedia)

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