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MOTD- Germany 1-0 Norway Euro 2013 final

By on July 28, 2013

Germany edged out a narrow 1-0 win over Norway to claim the women’s European Championship title for a sixth consecutive time. Norway’s women’s national team saw two penalties saved and a goal disallowed for offsides while Germany’s Anja Mittag stole the show with the only goal of a tight final in Solna, Sweden.

Although Norway were given many chances, Germany began the match dominantly, hitting the crossbar in the first minute. Silvia Neid’s side won a free-kick on the right, which was swung into box and met by the unmarked head of Annike Krahn. Krahn powered a looping head back towards the front post, and Norway goalkeeper Ingrid Hjelmseth was slow to react, letting the ball bounce back out off the crossbar. Norway had trouble fining their into the game, tending to drop back very deep when not in possession, but the European side came close to taking the lead in the fourteenth minute. Caroline Hansen slipped Maren Mjelde in down the right, with Mjelde’s low shot from the edge of the box causing trouble for Germany goalkeeper Nadine Angerer.

Germany still controlled the match, with Da Mbabi thrashing a volley just over the bar before heading just wide of the post. Despite their dominance, the 2011 Women’s World Cup quarterfinalists luck changed when Da Mbabi touched ankles with Cathrine Dekkerhus inside the Germany box. A penalty was awarded, but Trine Ronning only saw her spot-kick down the middle amazingly saved by an acrobatic kick from Angerer. Norway then started to dictate the pace of the match, before Germany reclaimed their title as the more dominant side.

Neid’s side maintained in control as the match rolled into the second half, and the German’s halftime talk inspired the German ladies, as they grabbed the opening goals of the match only three minutes into the second half. Neat one-touch passing around the halfway line from Dzsenifer Marozsan and Simone Laudehr allowed the latter to send Da Mbabi in down the left, leaving the Norway defenders stranded. Da Mbabi took the ball to the edge of the box and squared it to Mittag, who let the ball run across her body before placing a shot into the corner of the net from eight yards out.

Germany should have added to their lead as Da Mbabi had her header from a corner blocked off the line before her shot from the following corner was cleared off the line by Toril Akerhaugen seconds later. Norway’s luck continued, with Even Pellerud’s side being awarded another penalty after Hansen was brought down inside the box in the fifty-ninth minute. Solveig Gulbrandsen stepped up to take the penalty, but her powerful shot down the middle was fantastically saved by the arm of Angerer, who had dove to the left.

Norway seemed energized by the penalty miss, and they had a goal disallowed for offsides before Thorsnes somehow had her low tap skip inches wide of the post. Although the slight underdogs’ seemed certain to grab an equalizer, Germany managed to pull the game back into their control, with the 2009 Euro’s champions almost doubling their lead in the eighty-second minute. Maier was released down the right before cutting it back to Akerhaugen, who saw her low shot bounce back out of the far post. Despite the high pace of the match neither side threatened much after that, with Germany being crowned champions of Europe for the sixth consecutive time.
Man of the Match: Nadine Angerer

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.