Neid still seeking Germany progress

Antonio Cabrini, Italy coach
It was a very intense game from both sides. There was not one side who dominated the other and the result was just down to experience. Germany just about had more than us. For the rest, I'm pleased with the work that the girls have done and how they played during this EURO.

We need more focus at times, but things went against us. It was a very even game and there was no difference between the sides at all. Neither side took control of the match and this shows that we've closed the gap on the big nations, despite being small. This augurs well for the future.

It's been a positive experience for Italy. We've grown on the international stage and that is the most important thing. I'm sorry to go out like this, but we need to carry on working this way and improving each time.

The regret is that we were not clearly inferior, apart from 15 minutes against Sweden. We held our own against everybody and we even played some quality football. This means that women's football is improving in Italy.

Silvia Neid, Germany coach
It was a great game, we conceded only two chances and now we're among the top four in Europe, so that's great. I was not really surprised by much, they were as strong as we thought. We were able to rely on good defensive work and at half-time I said we had to work better and get the ball moving more.

Our strength is playing the ball well out of midfield. Players have got to get used to the fact that you need to have good control. If you don't, you have two or three opponents there and this is a process that the players have got to learn.

Laudehr's selection was not a gut feeling, it was tactical. We knew their right side was dangerous with [Melania] Gabbiadini, we knew she has a perfect understanding with [Patrizia] Panico, so we thought how we could deal with that. Cramer is a relaxed, balanced player who gets her job done well with little emotion. Then we needed a good midfielder to come back and Jenny helps to double up.

That's what we wanted so we chose Laudehr because she is strong in defence. She has the best stamina levels of our players and so it was to be expected she could do that for 90 minutes. We knew if it didn't work, we had another option and we had alternatives and variations available in the second half.

I've seen a great deal of Sweden. They're a great team, they've scored 13 goals because they have a great attack with [Lotta] Schelin and [Kosovare] Asllani and very good players out wide. They are very solid in midfield with [Carloline] Seger, and pulling [Nilla] Fischer back was a good idea. They're a good side from back to front, but why should my players have any fear? They don't need to.