An ecstatic German team lifted the FIFA U-19 Women's World
Championship trophy following a deserved 2-0 victory over China in
Bangkok's Rajamangala Stadium on Saturday.
Twenty-three thousand supporters were treated to a lively yet
structured display of soccer, with an early goal from Simone
Laudehr and a late one from Melanie Behringer separating the two
finalists.
German coach Silvia Neid couldn't hide her joy during the
on-pitch celebrations.
"Our goal was to be one of the last four teams in the
tournament, and it's obviously a very special achievement to win
the world championship," said the typically calm coach. "China
played well and made it difficult for us. We knew they would play
defensively, but we were able to take advantage of some
opportunities as we have done throughout the event."
Germany struck first while the Chinese were still settling into
the contest. Striker Anja Mittag won a foul on the left side of
China's box and then put the resulting free-kick on target with a
header. Goalkeeper Zhang Yanru dove to her left to deny the number
nine, but she could only push the ball out into her own area. The
first one to it was the sliding Laudehr, who gave the Europeans a
dream start to what many had expected to be a defensive battle.
After the match, China boss Wang Haiming admitted the early goal
was a big blow.
"Going behind that early always makes things more challenging,"
said the taciturn coach. "My players still worked hard and showed a
lot of spirit. Even at the end of the match when our fitness was
pretty much gone following six matches in Thailand, we continued to
fight. Ultimately, it was not enough against an outstanding German
team."
With coach Neid pulling all the right tactical strings, Germany
held their lead firmly. And they were given the insurance they
needed to avoid some dramatic closing minutes when Behringer hit a
rocket of a shot from 20 meters into the Chinese net.
That was more than enough for a German team that proved
themselves the class act of Thailand 2004 and fully enjoyed their
post-match celebrations under the hazy Thailand moon.
German captain Annike Krahn summed up their joy after the
contest: "It's a special honor for us to be world champions, and
it's a special honor for me to play on such a team. The most
important thing throughout the tournament for us was team spirit,
and it carried us through a difficult final."
The United States took bronze with an emphatic 3-0 win over
Brazil at Bangkok's monstrous Rajamangala Stadium.
(China Daily November 29, 2004)
