Germany in different class

Women's European Championship final/Germany - 3 Norway - 1: It was clear from the choreography on the winners' podium, all hands moving in unison to accompany the lifting of the trophy, that Germany were practised in this kind of thing.

Yesterday, after all, was their fourth consecutive European Championship title; they even received a new cup into the bargain, having kept the old one after victory number three. But there was no sign of any win-weariness.

"I don't compare my titles," said the German captain Birgit Prinz. "It's always something new, and you always have to work hard to win."

It was Prinz's goal, deflected off the Norwegian defender Ane Stangeland, that made her coach sure the title was within reach. "All through the tournament I had the feeling we could win," said Germany's coach Tina Theune-Meyer afterwards. "When the third goal went in I had that feeling again."

A crowd of 21,000 made its way to Ewood Park for the final, about 118,000 to the tournament as a whole, making it a clear success. The train to Blackburn yesterday was much like any match-day train. Even the weather conditions were favourable to the future of women's football as envisioned by the Uefa president Lennart Johansson, the combination of downpour and a temperature to make any woman sweat ticking at least two of the boxes he identified as key to the sport's marketability.

But in Germany they are already attracting sponsors: today the team will fly home to a champions' reception having comprehensively outclassed the rest of Europe. In five games they did not drop a point and conceded only two goals.

Yesterday Theune-Meyer, who will now retire, said her side was not "so far ahead" - but they had faced their stiffest test in their opening game.

That was also against Norway and then, too, Bjarne Berntsen's side had created chance after chance but had been profligate in their finishing.

Yesterday for swaths of the game Norway outmanouevred their opposition going forward. Dagny Mellgren, Lise Klaveness and Trine Ronning all came close. But the match turned on a disallowed "goal" late in the first half when Stine Frantzen was adjudged offside. Had she held up her run by a hair's breadth, it would have been 2-2; moments earlier she had put Mellgren through for Norway's first.

Germany, in contrast, looked less entertaining but more efficient going forward, and set up their triumph in three quick minutes. First Renate Lingor flicked on a corner to the head of Inka Grings, who nodded goalward with Anja Mittag getting the final touch. Next Lingor was lengthening her stride again to meet Carlsson's long pass, promptly lofting the ball over Bente Nordby in the Norwegian goal.

For the rest of Europe, the worry is that every success bolsters Germany's future strength. After they won the 2003 World Cup, the number of girls joining teams rose by 15 per cent - in the face of a declining birth rate that has seen the opposite trend among boys. As Theune-Meyer said, "We have a good structure through from the age of 15. It's like a red thread."

GERMANY: Rottenberg; Garefrekes, Hingst, Jones, Minnert; Carlson (Gunther, 81), Lingor, Pohlers; Mittag (Wimbersky, 59), Prinz, Grings (Smisek, 68).

NORWAY: Nordby; Paulsen, Christensen, Stangeland, Folstad; Stensland; Mellgren, Gulbrandsen, Ronning (Knutsen, 83), Frantzen (Herlovsen, 59); Klaveness (Blystad-Bjerke, 86).

Referee: A Ihringova (Slovakia).