Golden Grings to the fore
Sunday, June 19, 2005
Article summary
By scoring the opening goal of the EURO final, Germany's Inka Grings has clinched the tournament's golden shoe.
Article body
By Paul Saffer in Blackburn
By scoring the opening goal of the UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2005™ final, Germany's Inka Grings moved clear of the field to a position that would earn her the tournament's golden shoe.
Four goals
Grings registered her first goal of the competition when she broke the deadlock in the Group B victory against France, then added two more in a nine-minute spell during the 4-1 semi-final win against Finland. Her 21st-minute header in the final at Ewood Park set Germany on the way to a fourth straight UEFA European Women's Championship success.
Chasing quartet
Birgit Prinz's third strike in England, 18 minutes into the second half, drew her level with Germany team-mate Conny Pohlers, Norway's Solveig Gulbrandsen and Sweden's Hanna Ljungberg. Prinz, who lifted the trophy as captain, was also the most prolific player in qualifying, scoring 14 goals including seven in two games against Portugal. In all, Germany scored 65 times in their 13-game campaign - an average of five per match.
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