Germany's striking success

Despite their unexpected 2-1 defeat by Spain in the UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship final, Germany have rewritten the record books in Finland.

Highest goal tally
Silvia Neid's side notched up emphatic victories in their first four games and scored 24 times in five matches overall, meaning they managed more goals than any team in any UEFA national team final tournament at any level, men's or women's. The previous record was 19, set by the former Federal Republic of Germany Under-18 side in the 1965 International Youth Tournament - the competition that has now become the UEFA European Under-19 Championship - and equalled by the Soviet Union in the same event in 1977 and then Spain in the 1999 UEFA European Under-16 Championship.

Group stage record
The 1965 West German total included an 11-0 win against Luxembourg, still the biggest win in any UEFA competition final tournament. That was on their way to a tally of 15 goals in the group stage - a mark equalled by Germany in Finland as well as the former German Democratic Republic in the 1969 International Youth Tournament, who also did not concede in their pool.

Knockout best
Ironically, none of the teams whose records that Neid's team have equalled or better went on to win their tournament other than the 1999 Spanish U16s, whose compatriots defeated Germany in Sunday's final. Germany had already beaten Spain 7-0 in the group stage, and when they went one better with an 8-0 semi-final triumph against Russia they set a record margin of victory in any UEFA final tournament knockout game.

Spanish surprise
Their scoring form deserted them in the final, however, as Spain fulfilled their pre-match promise to be much improved from the side beaten so convincingly by Germany last Monday to leave the Germans on the list of top-scoring teams who have failed to lift their respective trophies.