Germany and Spain players dream of glory

The anticipation was tangible when UEFA.com sat down with players from Germany and Spain ahead of their UEFA European Women's Under-17 Championship final showdown in Chesterfield on Sunday. 

"It is something incredible which we all dreamed of. We came here with the objective to make it as far as possible and we have done it step by step. We all had high hopes, and we're looking forward to the final," enthused Spain forward Andrea Sánchez – the tournament's joint-top scorer with four goals. "I feel the same. We've been dreaming of this since we were young. I'm very excited," said Carmen Menayo.

Germany duo Saskia Meier and Nina Ehegötz are no less enthusiastic about the prospect of landing their fourth title at this level. "It's a great feeling. It's unique. We're really looking forward to the final and we'll do all we can to win," midfielder Meier told UEFA.com. "Of course the expectations are high, but making the final is not something you can take for granted. A lot of work has gone into it," Ehegötz added.

Jorge Vilda's side arrive at this junction unbeaten and having dispatched Germany 4-0 in the group stage. Their undoubted class came to the fore again in the semi-finals as they defeated England 3-0. "That moment was something incredible. We were all waiting for the referee to blow the final whistle, and when she did, we were all shocked, we couldn't believe it. We'd just made it into the final. It was unbelievable," said Sánchez.

Germany, meanwhile, showed signs of nerves in their last-four victory against Italy, eventually prevailing 1-0 despite an unconvincing second-half showing. "In the final, we'll give that extra five per cent, like we did in the first half [against Italy]. That's the way we're going to go into this game and, in the end, we'll win it that way," explained Meier.

To watch the interview in full, click on the video player above.