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Road to the final

Eight teams with their own distinct motivations and aspirations set off on the road to the final – a 13-day, 16-game odyssey which ended in Marijampolė.

Road to the final
Road to the final ©Sportsfile

Staging their first UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship, and involved in the final tournament for the first time after failing to progress beyond the first qualifying round in their previous ten attempts, Lithuania were given a crash course in the level of quality by a ruthless Netherlands side, who were appearing in their third final tournament and mercilessly emphasised their experience in the space of 15 minutes. The Dutch's fast transitions and effective use of wing play – eight of their nine goals came from wide or in the channels – provided a lesson Lithuania would draw the right consequence from for their second game, while it swelled the confidence of Marleen Wissink's side for their subsequent challenge with Germany.

©Saulius Čirba

The perennial title favourites, bidding for a hat-trick of consecutive triumphs, had to work hard for the win over a Finland side whose focus was firmly on attacking their opponents with a courageous 1-4-1-3-2 system which mutated into a compact 1-4-4-2 with lots of balls recovered in midfield from their organised, compact pressing. Germany created 21 chances, but could only hit the target six times, with as many blocks and nine missing their aim. Finland were more efficient with their fewer opportunities and took the lead with a characteristic move over the right wing, the composed low finish from Aino Vuorinen the final touch following a string of 14 passes. Germany maintained their initial 1-3-4-3 shape and continued to chisel away at the Finland defence, forcing a defensive mistake which the athletic Shekiera Martinez pounced on to level. Martinez subsequently showed her predatory instincts to drill in a winner at the death following a corner.

Injuries prevented England coach John Griffiths from fielding several key players in his side's opening fixture against Poland, who took the lead early in the second half. Paulina Tomasiak was unsurprisingly involved, underlining her aerial ability – which went hand in hand with her excellent technique down the wing throughout the game – to tee up Paulina Filipczak to volley in. A common trait which would emerge from England's play was their pace on the ball and bursts on the counter-attack, and this is how they levelled matters just shy of the hour mark. Poland could not clear their lines and Jessica Park's distance effort took a bounce over Poland custodian Sara Kierul. Paris Mckenzie headed England in front from a corner – the only goal of the tournament scored directly from a set piece – but there was to be a sting in the tail as Tomasiak levelled in stoppage time with a rising shot into the top corner following good work from sitting midfielder Adriana Achcińska, who again showed her excellent all-round ability.

Italy offered tough resistance to Spain in Group B
Italy offered tough resistance to Spain in Group B©UEFA.com

Italy's return to the final tournament for the first time since beating England to third place in 2014 saw them face last year's beaten finalists Spain in Šiauliai. Only three of Spain's ten attempts on goal hit the target, but there they were met with the stubborn resistance of Camilla Forcinella. Italy's goalkeeper made one key intervention in the first half, but it was her communication and positioning which formed the foundations of a solid Italian defence – something which would be seen again in Massimo Migliorini's side's second group game with Poland. Spain's Eva Maria Navarro, appearing in her third straight finals, tried to find a way through with her pace and excellent dribbling qualities, but when she did get round the back, there were no takers for her deliveries. Her impact on the tournament was only delayed 80 minutes, however.

Spain got their first three points on the board in their second game against England, beginning with attacking intent and a high tempo which suffocated their opponents for the first 20 minutes. They were rewarded as early as the fourth minute, when Paula Arana Montes put them in front. England pressed high up the field in the first half, but their main threat came on the counter-attack, with positive transitions, just like in the 26th minute when Ebony Salmon brought them back on terms. Navarro then registered in her second straight finals to be Spain's match-winner in Alytus.

Italy built on their opening draw against Spain with Chiara Ripamonti and Heden Corrado holding things together well at the back. Their reading of the game and the latter's distribution, combined with another commanding performance from Camilla Forcinella in goal, kept a plucky Poland at bay. Tomasiak was again outstanding for the well-organised Polish side, and had captain Adriana Achcińska not picked up an early injury, limiting her contribution significantly, it may have been a different story.

Finland made six changes for their clash with the hosts in Šiauliai, but their system and mentality was unaltered from their narrow defeat to Germany. Annika Huhta was too hot for the Lithuanians to handle, with a hat-trick proving she knows how to finish in addition to create, while Joanna Tynnilä enjoyed the extra freedom afforded to her with two assists. The hard-working Ugnė Lazdauskaitė embodied the Lithuanians' battling belief compared to their opening fixture, with Kibirkštis sending the right message with her endless encouragement on the touchline.

Ieva Kibirkštis speaks to reporters post game
Ieva Kibirkštis speaks to reporters post game©Saulius Čirba

"There's nothing to lose; they have to enjoy the experience, because the girls will remember this forever," said Lithuania coach Ieva Kibirkštis, whose side showed they had taken the message on board for their second appointment in front of their fans.

Similar encouragement came from Germany coach Anouschka Bernhard after her team fell two goals behind to the Netherlands, who had been reduced to ten players following Claire Dinkla's dismissal early in the second half. Julia Pollak had a hand in both goals as the holders levelled late on, finally finding a way through a well-drilled Dutch defence to make their extra player count as the clock ticked down.

That result meant Germany needed just a point from their final fixture to be assured of their place in the semi-finals for the tenth time in 11 editions, although they came up against the hosts' pride which, despite being reduced to ten players in the 28th minute, saw them fight through to the break only one goal behind. "It can't be about results – our goal was to be competitive and that we wouldn't be scared," said Lithuania coach Ieva Kibirkštis, who could remain proud of her team's efforts, despite an 8-0 defeat. Germany forward Shekiera Martinez also had good reason to be proud as she moved onto six goals for the tournament. More, however, was still to come from the 1. FFC Frankfurt 16-year-old.

England's Salmon leapt into action with an 18-minute hat-trick finally puncturing the resistance of a hard-working Italy side which had kept a clean sheet in five halves, but ultimately ran out of energy against fit, fast and agile opponents. The Azzurrine managed just two corners in their three matches and went 207 minutes before conceding their first goal. Salmon then turned the screw and led England into the semi-finals for the fourth time, to face Germany for the second time since their 2016 meeting, which Bernard's team edged by the odd goal in seven.

Spain squeezed past Finland in Marijampole
Spain squeezed past Finland in Marijampole©Saulius Čirba

The other semi-final would be between Spain, who continued their match-by-match improvement with their hitherto best team performance in putting five past Poland without reply, and Finland. The Iberians' perpetual movement on and off the ball had Poland on the back foot and chasing shadows for much of the 80 minutes with the lively Paola Hernández Díaz and Navarro taking the game to their opponents while Ana Tejada kept things together at the back. For Spain, it meant a ninth semi-final appearance in nine finals appearances.

The Netherlands became the latest to discover the tactical astuteness of a well-organised, disciplined Finland side. The tournament's first goal on a direct free-kick, with three players dummying to shoot before Kaisa Juvonen drilled a low shot past a five-player wall into the bottom corner, gave the Finns the lead before Aino Vuorinen stole in ahead of her marker to convert captain Tuuli Enkkilä's cross. The Dutch pulled one back with a Romée Leuchter penalty, but ran out of time as they sought the equaliser which would have taken them through. Finland thus marked their tournament debut with a place in the final four.

There, they made a superiorly experienced Spain side work hard for their fifth straight final appearance and "left a message to all upcoming teams that hard work and trust in your own abilities will pay off," according to Technical Observer Anja Palusevic. Indeed, starting from their goalkeeper Anna Koivunen, who provided security from the back, the tournament debutants played with a remarkable all-for-one, one-for-all attitude, with each player supporting their team-mates. Spain had to raise their game accordingly, but they managed this in their distinctive fashion. Twenty two passes preceded Navarro's goal which broke Finland's resistance, after Koivunen had reinforced their belief with a penalty save, and a sixth final appearance was theirs.

Their opponents would be familiar to them, with Germany capitalising on a weary England by putting eight goals past John Griffith's team without reply. Martinez brought up a tournament record of nine goals with her second hat-trick on Lithuanian soil as Germany pressed high up the field, overloading their opponents with their wing-backs, in particular down the left. Most of Germany's attacks came centrally, however, with defender Greta Stegemann getting forward and helping drive the space, often creating two-v-one and three-v-two situations. England could not cope, and after the deadlock was broken in the 23rd minute – Ivana Fuso's shot crashing down off the crossbar and in off the back of England goalkeeper Kayla Rendell – there was only going to be one winner: Germany, back in the final for the eighth time.

Finland's comeback clinched the World Cup spot
Finland's comeback clinched the World Cup spot©Saulius Čirba

With the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 2018 taking place in Uruguay in November, England still had plenty to play for as they returned to action three days later to face Finland for Europe's third ticket to that tournament. Despite some personnel changes, tiredness was still on show, however, as the hard-working, disciplined Finns underscored their fighting qualities by cancelling out an opener from England's impressive Park with two second-half strikes. It would be they joining the finalists in South America – a first World Cup finals following on from their highly impressive and successful EURO debut.