Neid enjoys familiar winning feeling

Germany coach Silvia Neid looked back on her nation's fifth UEFA European Women's Championship victory in a row, and seventh overall – having been part of all the previous ones as player or assistant to predecessor Tina Theune – and declared: "It's fun to win tournaments." However, she admitted the 6-2 defeat of England in Helsinki did not totally reflect a thrilling game and defeated manager Hope Powell said: "The scoreline sounds like a walloping, I don't think it was."

Silvia Neid, Germany coach
It's fun to win tournaments and I hope we win more. I wouldn't have imagined the final would have eight goals, I wouldn't have bet on it. In this final there were two good teams, the game went back and forth. I thought England could have got back into the game even at 4-2, I felt safe at 5-2, then I felt England got tired and we were still enthusiastic. I am very happy for [Birgit Prinz], especially as she scored the first goal. She worked hard throughout the tournament. [Inka Grings] asked to come back [after three years out of the team]. It proved to be a wonderful decision.

We prepared well before the tournament. The players have good character, they are intelligent, they pick up what I tell them and they put the theories into practice out on the pitch. As far as I know only Kerstin Stegemann will quit, but no others. She will retire immediately from the national team. There were very good teams in this tournament. It was pretty even, for example nobody thought the Netherlands could reach the semi-finals so that says something about the quality of this European Championship.

Hope Powell, England manager
You have to give Germany credit. They are very clinical, they keep the ball very well and there were a few unforced errors that put us on the back foot. We started very brightly. We came in at half-time 2-1 down and we still believed we were in it, then they got another goal and it shook us up somewhat. We still tried to win the game, then you become a bit exposed. The fact that they are so clinical and tidy in possession is the problem. I truly believe they thought they were in the game tonight.

The scorelines sounds like a walloping, I don't think it was. We moved the ball well at times, had good movement up front. We ran at them, which was part of the plan, to put them on the back foot, and we did that. The two goals we scored we took very well and made them look easy. That's no disrespect to Germany, they are very clinical, keep the ball well, and in the end they had a bit more about them than we did. It's been a bit of a rollercoaster ride with injuries and everything, but that's not an excuse. We got to the final, if you'd said before that we'd get to the final, we'd all have been happy with that. In that respect we're happy with what we've achieved but we're not satisfied with what we've achieved. It will make the girls hungrier next time and one day it will be our day.