Germany – Norway Highlights
GERMANY 3 - NORWAY 1
Germany have won Euro 2005 in front of 21,105 fans at Ewood Park this evening with a 3-1 win over Norway, although the Norwegians will feel a little aggrieved after having a goal controversially ruled out for offside whilst the score was just at 2-1.
UEFA 2005 Women’s European Championships Match Report
THE FINAL
Scorers Grings, Lingor, Mellgren, Prinz
ScorersPlayed at Ewood PArk, the home of Blackburn Rovers Football Club
Match Highlights
1 mins Here we go. Can this young exciting Norwegian side stop Germany from winning their fourth successive Women’s UEFA European Championships? These are the only two nations to have won the European Championships over the last seven years, with Germany winning on five of those occasions and they are hot favourites again here today to add to that impressive figure. Norway coach Bjarne Berntsen has left the tired legs of talented sixteen-year-old Isabell Herlovsen on the bench, but surely she’ll play some part.
2 mins Norway hit the post! The flag was raised for offside anyway, but that’s a promising start for the Norwegians. Ronning hit the shot after a richot off her team-mate Frantzen fell straight into her path.
10 mins Good effort for Germany. A nice free-kick routine resulted in a cross from the left bye-line by Conny Pohlers and Sandra Minnert puts her shot wide, though she was under pressure by Norway’s defence. Pohlers has had a great tournament and the Norway defence need to keep a close eye on her.
16 mins A free header from a corner for Norway’s Lise Klaveness. The ball bounces wide. It wasn’t easy, but she should really have tested the German keeper Rottenberg.
20 mins Great save by Nordby! An in-swinging corner from Pohlers falls to striker Prinz. She fires the ball towards goal, but the Norwegian goalie does well to tip it over the bar.
21 mins GOAL 1-0 Germany! The reigning champions take the lead. Grings heads the ball down from the corner and Mittag flicks it in from a yard out.
22 mins Almost another for Germany! Prinz powered her way to the bye-line and her pull-back is just missed by Polhers. Norway must stay focussed now, if they go another goal down, it will be extremely difficult.
23 mins GOAL 2-0 Germany! It looks over all ready now. It was a superb goal by the Germans. A lovely ball over the top to Lingor who had made a great run and she coolly lofted the ball over Nordby to double her teams lead.
35 mins Norway are still working ever so hard, but have yet to create any clear openings in front of goal.
40 mins GOAL 2-1! A pin-point pass through the middle by Frantzen, running inside form the left wing and Mellgren is through on goal. She pokes the ball past the on-coming keeper Rottenberg and Norway are still in there fighting. They haven’t given this up yet and it’s game on once again.
43 mins 2-2! Oh no, it’s been disallowed for offside. It shouldn’t have been though. Norway have been robbed of a perfectly good goal here. Frantzen emphatically drilled the ball into the net with her left foot, when a headed knock down from Mellgren fell at her feet after a deep cross from the right hand side.
45 mins A fine strike from Gulbrandsen. Norway’s two goal heroine from the semi-final goes close from distance. A right footed effort sees Rottenberg go down low to the left and turn the ball round the post from a corner.
Half Time 2-1 Germany. That was a great half of football, but the score should really be 2-2. There is no way that Norway’s second goal was offside. Having played extra time in their semi-final match, tiredness might become a problem for Norway.
49 mins Good save by Rottenberg! A lovely ball through for Lise Klaveness and the Norwegian star hits a good left footed drive towards goal. The German keeper falls to her left and knocks the ball clear.
52 mins Norway are starting to put Germany under a little pressure now, but without really testing the German defence.
58 mins Norway have brought on their teenage wonder-kid Isabell Herlovsen in place of the hard working Stine Frantzen. Let’s see if she can reproduce the form that has made her one of the stars of the tournament.
62 mins GOAL 3-1 Germany! It was a lucky goal, but they all count. World Player of The Year winner Prinz unleashes a shot from 25 yards out. Nordby would have easily saved it, but a wicked deflection of the defender Stangeland, wrong foots the Norwegian keeper and Germany look set for yet more silverware in the women’s game.
70 mins Great move by Norway! Some nice work by Gulbrandsen, who played the ball down the line for Mellgren, whose excellent cross eventually found Klaveness at the back post, but her shot was straight at Rottenberg.
80 mins Super Save! Nordby, who has had a brilliant tournament, stops Prinz from increasing the Germans lead with a diving save to her right from close range.
90 mins Another great save from Norway’s Nordby, who flung herself at the feet of Pohlers who looked all set to score from close range, latching onto a deep cross.
Full Time PRE –TOURNAMENT FAVOURITES GERMANY HAVE WON EURO 2005.
Germany Team Silke Rottenberg, Steffi Jones, Britta Carlson (Sarah Günther 80 mins) , Renate Lingor, Ariane Hingst, Sandra Minnert, Anja Mittag (Petra Wimbersky 58 mins), K. Garefrekes, Birgit Prinz, Inka Grings (Sandra Smisek 68 mins), Conny Pohlers.
Norway Team Bente Nordby, Ane Stangeland, Gunhild Følstad, M. Christensen, Ingrid Stensland, Lise Klaveness (Kristin Bjerke 85 mins), Marianne Paulsen, Dagny Mellgren, Solveig Gulbrandsen, Trine Ronning (Marie Knutsen 83 mins), Stine Frantzen (Isabell Herlovsen 58 mins).
Player Of The Match Solveig Gulbrandsen – Despite being on the losing side, the Norwegian midfielder was fantastic again today and typified everything that has been good about Norway this tournament. She never gave up, a tireless runner throughout and always looked a threat on when on the ball.