Rampant Germany do it again

As in the inaugural UEFA European Women's Under-17 Championship, 40 teams began the 2008/09 edition and four sides competed for the title in Nyon – and again Germany emerged as winners, following up a men's U17 success the month before with a 7-0 final defeat of Spain.

Germany had already sailed through qualifying with 46 unanswered goals, but two teams who had not made it to the inaugural finals, Norway and Spain, earned their place this time around and met in the first of the last-four fixtures. Spain opened the scoring in the tenth minute through Amanda Sampedro and although Norway created most of the chances, Esther González clinched a 2-0 win early in the second half.

In a rematch of the inaugural 2008 final, Germany then faced France and with Carolin Simon, Lynn Mester and Claudia Götte all remaining from their 3-0 triumph a year earlier, the holders prevailed 4-1. Neither side had conceded in qualifying, but in the space of six minutes after the half-hour, three goals were scored. Kyra Malinowski put Germany in front and although Anaïs Ribeyra quickly equalised, Annika Doppler's long-range effort restored the reigning champions' advantage. Six minutes after the interval Malinowski made it 3-1 and rounded goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin late on to complete the first Women's U17 finals hat-trick.

As a curtain-raiser to the final, Norway and France played a thrilling third-place match. Both sides had hit the woodwork when Norway captain Catherine Dekkerhus struck from a tight angle with 17 minutes left. But Anaïs Ribeyra quickly headed an equaliser and scored again in the last minute before France substitute Tatiana Solanet sealed a 3-1 win from distance.

Spain, hoping to repeat their shock defeat of Germany in the 2004 Women's U19 final, came close through Esther ten seconds into the decider – but within three minutes the holders led when Ramona Petzelberger's corner was headed in via the crossbar by Mester. Malinowski turned in a Nicole Rolser cross on 17 minutes, and for good measure she struck three times in the first ten minutes of the second half after captain Johanna Elsig had converted a penalty. Germany's spearhead capped the occasion with her fifth of the match from a tight angle.