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Saturday, July 27, 2013

WOMEN'S SOCCER 2013: Germany, Norway advance to UEFA Women’s EURO final; In Canada, the match will be broadcast live on TSN2 and RDS (09.45 ET / 06.45 PT).

Germany and Norway target final flourish

Tournament statistics

Germany
Norway
5
Goals scored
7
28
Attempts on target
19
45
Attempts off target
29
36
Corners
25
58
Fouls committed
42
5
Yellow cards
4
0
Red Cards
0

Standings

 
FIFA
Women's World Cup Canada 2015 | Coupe du Monde
Féminine de la FIFA Canada 2015
25 July 2013
Germany and Norway have advanced to the 2013 UEFA Women’s EURO championship final that will be played Sunday 28 July in Sweden. The championship will kick off at 16.00 local at the Friends Arena in Solna.
In Canada, the match will be broadcast live on TSN2 and RDS (09.45 ET / 06.45 PT).
Seven-time winners Germany are five-time defending champions, having won every European final since 1995. Germany reached the 2013 final after knocking off hosts Sweden in the Wednesday semi-final. Striker Dzsenifer Marozsán – the Golden Ball winner from last year’s FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup – scored the lone goal of the 1:0 semi-final win.
Two-time winners Norway reached the 2013 final after winning 4-2 on kicks against Denmark in the Thursday semi-final. Following a 1:1 draw, goalkeeper Ingrid Hjelmseth made a pair of saves to give Norway the edge in the post-match kicks from the penalty mark.
Both Norway and Germany are also former FIFA Women’s World Cup champions, with Norway winning in 1995 and Germany winning in 2003 and 2007. Norway is coached by Even Pellerud (who won the title in 1995) while Germany is coached by Silvia Neid (who won the title in 2007).
The UEFA Women’s EURO 2013 runs 10-28 July. The continental championship precedes the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015 Qualifiers which start on 20 September 2013.

Germany and Norway target final flourish


Published: Saturday 27 July 2013, 17.51CET

Germany's Silvia Neid stressed how important it will be "not to concede first" against Norway in Sunday's final, with rival coach Even Pellerud hopeful of another win against the holders.


by Chris Burke & Paul Saffer
from Solna


Germany and Norway target final flourish
Germany and Norway will compete for the trophy on Sunday ©Sportsfile

Click here to find out more! 

Tournament statistics

Germany
Norway
5
Goals scored
7
28
Attempts on target
19
45
Attempts off target
29
36
Corners
25
58
Fouls committed
42
5
Yellow cards
4
0
Red Cards
0

Standings

Click here to find out more! 
  


Published: Saturday 27 July 2013, 17.51CET

Germany and Norway target final flourish


Germany's Silvia Neid stressed how important it will be "not to concede first" against Norway in Sunday's final, with rival coach Even Pellerud hopeful of another win against the holders.


A supremely relaxed Silvia Neid explained that her Germany team "must play better" if they are to claim a sixth consecutive UEFA Women's EURO title on Sunday, the holders having lost to final rivals Norway during the group stage.
Germany succumbed 1-0 to Even Pellerud's impressively resilient side to finish runners-up in Group B, and Neid emphasised how important it will be "not to concede first against them" at the Friends Arena in Solna.
"They have an intelligent game," explained Neid, while opposite number Even Pellerud – who coached Norway to victory against Germany in the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup final down the road at the old Råsundastadion – said the match will be "almost like playing against good friends". He nevertheless urged his charges to beware Neid's attacking players if they hope to beat them again.
Silvia Neid, Germany coach
The two finalists deserve to be there and in Norway we meet a compact, robust team that can play all over the pitch. They are versatile; they can defend quite deep but also play higher on the field. They have an intelligent game. It will be a question of who is better on the day.
Norway have different styles of playing. We must be patient and it's important not to concede first against them as, if they take the lead, they will play with two banks of four within 30m of goal. We must be patient but we must keep up the pace and, the longer it is goalless, the more they too will open up a bit and play with their strong forwards. They have dangerous forwards, like Sweden have dangerous forwards, so we must be aware of that.
I have very profound memories of the [1995 FIFA Women's World Cup final]. We lost 2-0 to Norway and I was a player and I messed it up, in a way. I had a chance to score a goal but I passed to Sandra Smisek and she missed. Like now, Even Pellerud was Norway coach; he definitely has good memories. Fortunately I'm no longer a player, I can't mess up – we have strikers who do things better these days.
The fact that fewer goals have been scored in the tournament demonstrates the strong development tactically, physically and technically. As much as men's football has developed in the last 18 years, women's football has developed too.
[On losing to Norway in the group stage] It's not an extra motivation we need. It just shows that the Norway players on the bench are very strong; they have a strong squad. We know tomorrow we must play better, but a final is a different situation to a group match.
Nadine [Angerer] prepared for this tournament by losing weight, 6kg. She sent out a signal to the other players about that – that they must work hard. She is a leader and made sure the young players lost their shyness when they came into the team.
Group stage results
Germany 0-0 Netherlands
Iceland 0-3 Germany
(Lotzen 24, Okoyino da Mbabi 55, 84)

Germany 0-1 Norway (Isaksen 45+1)
• Held by a compact Dutch side in their Group B opener, Germany then looked to have clicked into gear as they dismantled Iceland in Vaxjo. However, Neid's team slipped to their first UEFA Women's EURO loss since May 1996 as they were beaten by Norway and finished section runners-up to their final group stage opponents.
Quarter-final result
Italy 0-1 Germany (Laudehr 26)
Angerer; Maier, Krahn, Bartusiak, Cramer; Kessler, Goessling; Lotzen, Mittag (Marozsán 52), Laudehr; Okoyino da Mbabi (Däbritz 68).
• The holders repeated their narrow last-eight victory against the Azzurre of four years ago, player of the match Simone Laudehr scoring with a deflected shot through a ruck of bodies following a right-wing corner.
Semi-final result
Sweden 0-1 Germany (Marozsán 33)
Angerer; Maier, Krahn, Bartusiak, Cramer; Kessler, Goessling; Lotzen (Leupolz 78), Marozsán (Schmidt 89), Laudehr; Mittag.
• Starting in place of injured club-mate Célia Okoyino da Mbabi, Dzsenifer Marozsán settled a breathless encounter 12 minutes before the break. The hosts gave everything, particularly in the second half, but a combination of stoic Germany defending, wasteful finishing and the woodwork ensured a sixth successive final appearance for the holders.
Team news
Germany are hoping for good news on forward Célia Okoyino da Mbabi, who has a record 19 goals in this campaign including qualifying but suffered a hamstring injury in the quarter-final defeat of Italy. "Célia trained this morning and it looked quite good," said Neid. "But we have to wait for the end of this official training session [at the Friends Arena] before we can make a decision." Okoyino da Mbabi was able to complete the hour-long work-out.
Even Pellerud, Norway coach
I find it very exciting to play against Germany again for the second time in this championship, but more so because of my own long record of playing big games against Germany from the early 90s, through the 90s and up to now. They're a team we respect a lot, a team with great traditions. There's been a very tight connection between the staff of the Norwegian team and the German team for decades, so it's almost like playing against good friends tomorrow, but at kick-off we have to forget all the old times.
I've said several times in this championship that the next opponents are a formidable team, and that's been proved right. There have been fantastic, tight games from the beginning against Iceland to Denmark. But at least we can say we have got good practice and we'll need that practice tomorrow. We know Germany, we know how they play and we know their players. We have a lot of admiration for their record over the last three decades. We know it's going to be another tough game.
These girls are very fit; they've had two days to recover, but also the mentality is good. They'll do everything to get another win for Norway. I'm not concerned about their legs. It's more about us getting used to the thought of playing Germany again and hopefully beating them again – and we think that is possible.
For me as a coach, it was a really good sense of satisfaction in terms of long-term perspective [to beat Germany in the group stage], because we gave a number of players the chance to prove what they could do without having great experience in international football. These girls were thrown into deep water and they survived, and that was a good message for me and the future.
We haven't talked so much about the game plan yet, but I know that when Germany have the ball we will defend. When we have the ball, we will try to attack. But seriously, in their last game against Sweden, they were very willing to attack; they were running, sprinting, taking it to the Swedish defence. That attacking play was very impressive to watch. It will take a really good team effort to manage those attacking players because they came in waves.
Group stage results
Norway 1-1 Iceland (Hegland 26; M. Vidarsdóttir 87(pen)
Norway 1-0 Netherlands (Gulbrandsen 54)
Germany 0-1 Norway (Isaksen 45+1)
• Pellerud's charges took top spot in Group B thanks to a 1-0 defeat of Germany in Kalmar. Ingvild Isaksen's goal ended the holders' 59-game unbeaten run in UEFA European Women's Championship matches. That came after a frustrating 1-1 draw with Iceland and a 1-0 success against the Netherlands, Solveig Gulbrandsen hitting the winner in her first major tournament back from retirement.
Quarter-final result
Norway 3-1 Spain (Gulbrandsen 24, Paredes 43og, Hegerberg 64; Hermoso 90+2)
Hjelmseth; Mjelde, Rønning, Christensen, Akerhaugen; Gulbrandsen, Isaksen (Dekkerhus 76), Stensland; Hansen (Ryland 81), Hegerberg (Thorsnes 71), Hegland.
• Norway reached the semi-finals courtesy of a comfortable 3-1 defeat of Spain in Kalmar, Gulbrandsen breaking the deadlock and an Irene Paredes own goal doubling their lead, before Ada Hegerberg's excellent effort put the match to bed. Jennifer Hermoso struck Spain's consolation in added time.
Semi-final result
Norway 1-1 Denmark aet, 4-2 pens (Christensen 3; Knudsen 87)
Hjelmseth; Mjelde, Rønning, Christensen, Akerhaugen; Gulbrandsen, Isaksen (Dekkerhus 63), Stensland; Hansen (Thorsnes 58), Hegerberg, Hegland.
• Goalkeeper Ingrid Hjelmseth was the hero for Pellerud's side in the shoot-out, saving penalties from Line Røddik and Theresa Nielsen. Norway had started strongly when Marit Christensen chested in the first corner of the match on three minutes, but Denmark fought their way back and forced extra time via Mariann Gajhede Knudsen late on. Holding their nerve from the spot, the Norwegians ultimately prevailed.
Team news
Pellerud indicated that he has no injury concerns ahead of the final, saying: "We have a good record in terms of injuries. We are relatively healthy. Yes, we are a bit tired but I'm sure we can squeeze out a little bit more tomorrow."
Match fact
Germany and Norway have met in three previous UEFA European Women's Championship finals, with Germany winning all of them. They took their first continental title, as West Germany, by triumphing 4-1 in Osnabruck in 1989, before Silvia Neid's goal decided the 1991 showpiece against a Norway team coached by Pellerud. They then downed their old rivals 3-1 in Blackburn to win UEFA Women's EURO 2005.
Did you know?Norway's group stage victory against Neid's team ended Germany's 59-game unbeaten run in UEFA European Women's Championship fixtures, a sequence that included 53 wins and six draws. The last side to have defeated them before that was Norway as well, the Scandinavians winning 3-1 on German soil in a qualifier on 2 May 1996.


Four nations East Asia Cup continues

Japan and Korea DPR drew 0:0 on match day two (Thursday 25 July) of the 2013 East Asia Cup, a four-team competition that runs 20-27 July in Seoul, Korea Republic. Both sides have four points (a win and a draw) after two matches, although Japan holds a slight edge in the standings based on goal differential.

Japan won its opening match 2:0 over China PR on 20 July while Korea DPR won 2:1 over Korea Republic on 21 July. Third-place China PR won its second match 2:1 over Korea Republic on 24 July.
On Saturday 27 July, the host will face Japan while China PR will face Korea DPR. Japan is two-time defending champion of the East Asia Cup.


Canadian camp coincides with European U-19 preparations
In advance of next month’s 2013 UEFA Women’s Under-19 Championship in Wales, both Norway and Denmark will face a visiting Canadian team that is likewise making preparations for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Canada 2014.
The Canadian camp in København, Denmark runs 23 July to 3 August, with matches against Norway on 31 July and Denmark on 2 August. The youth teams all feature players born 1994 or later.
The eight-team UEFA Women’s Under-19 Championship runs 19-31 August. Four teams – two from each group – will qualify for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Canada 2014. Denmark is in a group with England, France and Wales while Norway is in a group with Finland, Germany and Sweden.
The FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Canada 2014 runs 5-24 August in Edmoton, Toronto, Montreal and Moncton. The match schedule for the 16-team tournament will be announced next month.

Laying foundations for women’s football
Women’s football has grown exponentially and rapidly in recent years. A high quality and hugely competitive FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011™ was followed by a similarly successful event at last year’s London Olympics, with both tournaments notable for a massive spike in spectator and media interest.
Women’s football at grassroots level is also developing at a significant rate and, importantly, cutting across social and gender divides across all corners of the globe. There are now over 30 million female players with girls comprising 12 per cent of youth players. Underpinning this generational change is FIFA’s commitment to developing the game and providing an opportunity for women from all walks of life to be involved in football at some level.
To read more, please visit FIFA.com.


FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015
The FIFA Women's World Cup is held every four years, with the next edition to be played in Canada in 2015. It marks the first major sporting event hosted in Canada from coast to coast, with matches to be played in Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montréal and Moncton. The FIFA Women's World Cup will feature the 24 best women's football teams in the world.
The FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015 will be preceded one year earlier by the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, one of two FIFA women’s youth tournaments. The FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup returns to Canada for the first time since 2002. The FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Canada 2014 will feature 16 teams featuring players born 1994 or later.
The National Organising Committee for the FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015 features Victor Montagliani (chair), Steven Reed, Janine Helland, Doug Redmond, Clare Rustad, Walter Sieber and Peter Montopoli.

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