Familiar foes used to big stage

By Paul Saffer

Only two countries have won the UEFA European Women's Championship. Only two European nations have won either the FIFA Women's World Cup or Olympic gold. Not surprisingly, then, Germany and Norway face off in the UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2005™ final having met previously in many major occasions - with their head-to-head record dead level.

European duopoly
The Federal Republic of Germany's female team had only been going two years when they played Norway in a 1984 friendly in Helmstedt, the Scandinavians triumphing 4-1 against a side containing current German assistant coach Silvia Neid. They were then drawn together in 1987 European Competition for Women's Football qualifying, Norway winning 3-2 in Germany before a stalemate in Oslo, on their way to starting a duopoly of the continental title which is yet to be broken.

Further finals
Their next encounter was in the 1989 European final, and it was the Germans' turn to celebrate on home soil in Osnabruck with a 4-1 victory. Two years on, and the first official UEFA championship threw these teams together in another final in Aalborg. Birthe Hegstad's 54th-minute goal gave Norway the lead, but Heidi Mohr, who had registered two years earlier, scored twice and Neid clinched a 3-1 German success.

Norwegian delight
The following year Germany secured a friendly victory by the same margin and in the United States in 1994, a 6-3 German win was topped off by a late strike from a 16-year-old Birgit Prinz. However, the following June in the World Cup final, Norway prevailed 2-0 in Stockholm.

German success
In 1997 EURO qualifying, Norway won 3-1 in Jena and drew 0-0 in Trondheim. Norway then overcame Germany 3-2 in the 1996 Olympics, eventually taking bronze, and won a pre-EURO friendly 3-0 in Copenhagen. But in the European finals, in Norway, Germany again drew 0-0 with the hosts, whom they pipped to the knockout phase and claimed the trophy in Oslo.

Olympic drama
World Cup qualifying for 1999 saw both sides claim a home win, and after Norway's 4-1 pre-2000 Olympics success in Gottingen, the teams met again in the Sydney semi-finals. Tina Wunderlich's 80th-minute own goal gave Norway a 1-0 triumph on their way to gold.

Smisek winner
Germany had their revenge in the 2001 EURO semi-final in Ulm, Sandra Smisek the scorer, and in 2002 Norway were twice beaten 3-1 in friendlies. The next year the sides drew 2-2 in China, and Norway's most recent win against Germany was a 1-0 July 2004 friendly success in Hoffenheim.

Series level
At that point Norway led the then 22-match series 10-8 in wins, but this March Germany had a 4-0 victory in the Algarve Cup, and in the pair's opening Group B game in England, Conny Pohlers levelled the overall reckoning with the only goal in Warrington. Match No25 should be something special - most of the previous 24 were.