Spain and Germany ready to vie for supremacy
Sunday, May 15, 2016
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The WU17 EURO culminates with Monday's Borisov decider, where Germany can claim a third final win over a Spanish side seeking to join their great rivals on four titles each.
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U-17 Women's World Cup play-off: Norway v England, 14.00CET, Traktor Stadium, Minsk
WU17 EURO final: Spain v Germany, 19.00CET, Borisov-Arena, Borisov (live on Eurosport)
• Germany chase hat-trick of victories over Spain in WU17 final as competition's most-titled sides meet in Borisov on Monday
• Germans have won all four of their finals, beating Spain in two – 2009 (7-0) and 2013/14 (penalties after 1-1 draw)
• Both coaches predicting cagey start: "Waiting for other to make first move"
• Reigning champions Spain can catch rivals on four titles, on occasion of their record sixth final (out of nine played in total)
• Ominously for Iberians, coach Anouschka Bernhard has lifted trophy in every other year of reign, starting with 2011/12 debut
• María Antonia Is 'Toña' can crown maiden season as head coach, having assisted in 2015 triumph in Iceland
• Five-goal Lorena Navarro is joint-top scorer alongside England's Alessia Russo
• Monday 19.00CET (20.00 local time) kick-off at Borisov-Arena; live coverage on Eurosport
Toña, Spain coach
We will have to be defensively solid, and we'll have to be decisive in front of goal – we can't afford to waste chances. I think it might be like the first game between us [2-2 on matchday one], because we know each so well now. Both teams will be watching and waiting for the other team's move. I think it will be really tight to begin with, but we'll see if one team gets the advantage.
Anouschka Bernhard, Germany coach
I expect a high-level game – it will be close, evenly matched, very interesting. It will be important to find a balance between offensive and defensive play. I think the first couple of minutes will be important in order to see which gets better in the game. This will be the important moment.
Previous results
Matchday one: Germany 2-2 Spain
Matchday two: Czech Republic 0-1 Spain; Italy 0-0 Germany
Matchday three: Czech Republic 0-4 Germany; Spain 3-1 Italy
Semi-finals: Spain 4-0 Norway; England 3-4 Germany
• Also on Monday third-place play-off between Norway and England to decide who wins third and final FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup slot for Jordan 2016
• England boss John Griffiths: "Norway are a good team, their structure and forward line caused us problems [on matchday one]. They had a degree of flexibility"
• Norway coach Lena Tyriberget: "The players know there's a World Cup to play for. That's a big deal for them"
• 14.00CET (15.00 local time) start at Traktor Stadium in Minsk