Germany has won four European Women’s Championships in a row, a run that England will try to end when the two teams meet in Helsinki on Thursday. The game marks England’s first final since the inaugural tournament in 1984, when England lost to Sweden. England hasn’t beaten Germany, World Cup winner and six-time European champions, in 18 attempts.
Despite the team’s lopsided history, Germany coach, Silvia Neid, believes the match will be “a classic.” Neid hailed the attacking force England has become under Hope Powell, saying: “[Kelly] Smith and [Karen] Carney are outstanding and she has tall defenders opponents have to respect. [Eniola] Aluko is doing a lot of things right, [Katie] Chapman and [Fara] Williams in front of the defense have a very good passing game and a good eye.”
Germany has effectively used its deep squad in Finland. Substitutes Simone Laudehr, Célia Okoyino da Mbabi and Fatmire Bajramaj all scored in the semifinal. “It’s difficult for our opponents to cope with the different types of players in our team,” Neid said. But Powell suggests that Germany has showed some vulnerability in this year’s tournament. “They’ve conceded goals in this tournament, which they didn’t do in 2007,” Powell said. “They have frailties, as do every other team. We recognize they have strengths, and we also recognize they have weaknesses and those are the areas we will try to exploit.”