UEFA Women's Euro 2001 (partially found footage of international football matches; 2001)

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Claudia Müller scores the golden goal for Germany in the Final.

Status: Partially Found

The UEFA Women's Euro 2001 was the eighth UEFA-sanctioned Women's European Championship. Hosted in Germany, it commenced from 23rd June to 7th July 2001, with the Final seeing the hosts beat Sweden 1-0 via a golden goal in front of 18,000 at the Donaustadion to claim its third consecutive European Championship, and its fifth title overall. The tournament is known to have received some coverage, including via Eurosport.

Background

Prior to the final tournament, 16 teams were split into four groups of four.[1] Topping a group ensured automatic qualification, whereas finishing second or third advanced teams to the play-offs.[2][1] In Group 1, France edged out Sweden, with Spain joining the latter in the play-offs.[3][1][2] Norway achieved a 100% record in Group 2, England and Portugal taking the play-off places.[4][1][2] Defending champions Germany topped Group C, and were later declared hosts for the final tournament.[5][1][2] Italy and Ukraine moved into the play-offs, as did Group 4's Denmark and Finland after Russia achieved a 100% record.[6][1][2] In the playoffs played over two legs, Sweden defeated Finland 10-3 on aggregate; Denmark achieved the same result against Spain; Italy beat Portugal 3-1; while England outmatched Ukraine 4-1 to become the only qualified nation that did not feature in Euro 1997.[7][8][9][2][1] In contrast, Spain were the only team present at 1997 not to subsequently qualify for 2001.[8][1]

Holding the home advantage, Germany were declared the joint-favourites for the tournament, having won the Euro 1997 Final against Italy.[10][11][9][8] Additionally having won Euro 1995, Germany were seeking to claim their third consecutive European Championship.[10][2][9] This was surprisingly the second time Germany gained the opportunity to achieve this accolade, having been denied this at Euro 1993.[2][10] Another fancied team was Norway, the current Olympic champions after edging out World Cup holders United States 3-2 for gold.[12][13][2][9] In the same tournament, Norway had beaten Germany 1-0 in the Semi-Finals, the latter ultimately winning bronze by defeating Brazil 2-0.[12][9] Germany's manager Tina Theune-Meyer reportedly admitted Norway should be considered the true favourites heading into the tournament.[9] However, Norway were dealt a blow when striker Marianne Pettersen decided not to travel for the competition.[14]

Naturally, not all teams were as optimistic; England just qualifying for the final tournament was seen as a big success for the nation, which had historically suffered from a general lack of interest and respect in the women's game.[15][7] While a group stage exit was expected, the Lionesses were at least aiming to have the media and general public take the sport more seriously, especially as interest in hosting Euro 2005 loomed.[15][7] Nevertheless, England and France both entered young teams seeking to gain valuable experience for later tournaments, France harnessing technical development strategies reflective of their senior men's team's success at the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.[9]

Overall, the tournament was declared a success.[16] Prior to the Final, Euro 2001 had attracted over 70,000 fans in-attendance, nearly doubling the figure for Euro 1997.[16] Television coverage had also increased, with television countries from all four Semi-Finalists covering the games live.[16] Additionally, Germany's opening match against Sweden attracted "every fourth television set" in the host country to transmit the encounter.[16] This, combined with the ever-growing potential of established and developing women's football nations, led to UEFA optimism regarding the subsequent Euro 2005 and European women's football as a whole.[16]

The Tournament

Group Matches

The tournament began on 23rd June 2001. Germany began their title defence in Group A against Euro 1984 champions Sweden.[17][11][1] The Germans nearly claimed the lead three minutes in from a Claudia Müller shot, but it was actually the Swedes who took the lead. After 14 minutes, Hanna Ljungberg achieved a low shot within the German penalty box. However, conceding only motivated the defending champions further, and they equalised after 42 minutes by having Müller head in a free-kick from Maren Meinert. In the second-half, a long ball from Pia Wunderlich was reached by Müller, making it 2-1 after 65 minutes. Germany sealed a 3-1 win after 78 minutes, courtesy of a Meinert strike. A day later, England opened the scoring against Russia just before half-time, when Angela Banks fired a low shot via Karen Burke's low cross. Alas, Russia counter-attacked throughout the second-half, and eventually equalised after 62 minutes, Alexandra Svetlitskaia having obtained the ball from a long pass to score within the England penalty box. Still, England held on to secure a 1-1 draw.[18][19][1]

Whereas the opening Group A matches proved competitive, the second pair of games were comparatively massacres. Russia maintained a 0-0 score against Germany, before a 43rd minute Bettina Wiegmann header turned the game on its head. Once the 90 minutes were completed, Birgit Prinz and Meinert, as well as two strikes from Sandra Smisek, ensured Germany won 5-0 and became the first to reach the Semi-Finals.[20][21][1] It was little better for England, as Sweden's Jane Törnqvist quickly got her side the lead, with a curling shot from Kristen Bengtsson making it 2-0 after 26 minutes. In the second-half, Ljungberg and a direct corner kick strike from Sofia Eriksson secured a 4-0 victory.[22][23][1]

Heading into their final group game, Germany had always beaten England in previous encounters.[24] While England were the clear underdogs, they did hold Germany by the first-half's end, and Burke had narrowly missed a few counter opportunities. Alas, German pressure finally delivered after 57 minutes, via a Renate Lignor strike. Karen Smith nearly scored an equaliser seven minutes later, but was denied by the post. Wiegmann then made it 2-0 after 65 minutes, before Lignor scored her second two minutes later. Kelly Smith missed a late consolation penalty, though despite the loss, BBC Sport did praise the side for its "best performance of the tournament".[25][26][1] Meanwhile, Sweden required just a point against Russia to qualify. Despite dominating most of the first-half, Sweden nearly conceded when Jönsson accidentally gifted the ball to Olga Letiouchova, narrowly saving an attempt from the Russian striker. Russia battled throughout, desperately aiming to both defend and go on the counter-attack. Alas, Sweden finally broke the deadlock after 76 minutes, when substitute Linda Fagerström capitalised on a cross. Sweden held on to win 1-0 and progress to the Semi-Finals. However, defender Törnqvist suffered a serious injury, taking her out of the tournament.[27][28][1]

In Group B, Italy started their campaign strongly, Patrizia Panico taking the lead following a chip over Denmark goalkeeper Heidi Johansen. Panico proved relentless in attack, and scored her second after 72 minutes after heading in a Tatiana Zorri cross. Denmark did pull one back courtesy of Julie Rydahl Bukh, and did launch a late comeback attempt. Ultimately, Giorgia Brenzan saved a last-grasp free-kick from Gitte Krogh to ensure a 2-1 victory.[29][30][1] Meanwhile, Norway and France engaged in back-and-forth attacks early during play. However, a Bente Kvitland throw was converted into a pass by Ragnhild Gulbrandsen, which reached Monica Knudsen and allowed her to open the score after 14 minutes. After 18 minutes, Kvitland launched a long ball, which was converted into a header by Emmanuelle Sykora for 2-0. 40 minutes in, a shot from Linda Ørmen was saved, but was rebounded into Dagny Mellgren's path, consequently allowing her to make it 3-0. Norway controlled proceedings to claim a vital three points.[31][14][1]

Les Bleus also started poorly against Denmark. After France conceded a penalty, Krogh converted to make it 1-0 for the Danes. Five minutes afterwards, Christina Bonde scored from a 30-metre free-kick for 2-0. However, France earned a morale booster as a Marinette Pichon strike was deflected, making it 2-1. Six minutes later, Pichon set up an opportunity for Stéphanie Mugneret-Beghe, who converted to level the game. In the second-half, Denmark were awarded a second penalty, but this time Krogh's strike was saved by Corinne Lagache. However, the Danes made it 3-2 after 71 minutes thanks to Jullie Hauge Andersson. Once again, though, France equalised thanks to a 20-metre lob from Gaelle Blouin. Ultimately, France's resistance was unglued when Corinne Diarce was sent off, weakening the team's defence. This was punished in the 90th minute, when a free-kick from Bonde was saved, only to rebound towards an opportunistic Krogh. Denmark achieved a vital 4-3 win.[32][33][1] Meanwhile, in a rematch from 1993 and 1997, Italy's Panico again set up a goal, this time via a pass that reached Rita Guarino and edged out the Norwegian defence, Guarino capitalising for 1-0 after 14 minutes. But just two minutes later, Norway equalised via a Gulbrandsen pass reaching Mellgren. Norway were generally considered the stronger side and produced the most opportunities in the second-half, though Panico and Guarino narrowly missed out on a few levelling opportunities. Ultimately, neither side broke the 1-1 deadlock.[34][35][1]

Denmark required a win against Norway. The sides were generally evenly matched, with a Anita Rapp strike narrowly saved by Johansen. Meanwhile, Denmark's Krogh struck the ball just over the bar following a Christina Petersen cross. Rapp then almost beat the Danish defence were it not for an Andersson tackle, with UEFA claiming Rapp likely would have scored without Andersson's intervention. In the second-half, Hege Riise struck a 25-metre free-kick, which proved just too high for the Denmark goal. Finally, with six minutes of normal time remaining, a long ball from Denmark was fired, startling the Norwegian defence. Pederson charged in and beat goalkeeper Bente Nordby to achieve the sole goal of the game.[36][37][1] In the final group game, France's Elodie Woock set up several opportunities, eventually finding Mugneret-Beghe who converted for the opening goal. While Panico struggled, Silvia Tagliacarne did make some equalising chances, although two shots failed to properly challenge the French defence. After 74 minutes, Italy conceded a penalty, enabling Françoise Jezequel to score. The coup de grace for Italy's campaign came when Panico was sent off after 90 minutes, ensuring a 2-0 France victory.[38][39][1]

Semi-Finals and Final

Group B ended with Denmark unexpectedly topping the group with six points. Norway edged out a disappointed Italy via goal difference, and next faced Germany, in a Semi-Final match many predicted would be the Final.[40] A grudge match following the 2000 Summer Olympics tournament, the game initially started slowly, with Norway primarily forced on the defensive. Lingor's 30th minute free-kick was rebounded by the woodwork, and a Prinz charge was stopped by Nordby. In the second-half, Norway nearly took the lead, stopped only by the crossbar rebounding an Ørmen header from Mellgren's cross. After saving a Meinert volley, Nordby was ultimately unable to stop a series of key plays from Lingor and Prinz from reaching Smisek, who headed the ball in for 1-0 after 57 minutes. The hot weather generally impacted Norway more than Germany, and Prinz nearly doubled her team's lead when her shot was deflected back by the goalpost. Germany ultimately dominated the game despite only scoring one goal, with analysts noting the team's stronger performances during second-halves.[41][42][1]

In the other Semi-Final, Sweden's Fagerström performed a back pass which startled the Danish defence and enabled Ljungberg to pass towards Nordlund, who converted for 1-0. Ljungberg had several opportunities to double her team's lead, with one strike being easily saved by Johansen, only to deliver a cross shot that certainly required a more impressive save from the Danish goalkeeper. 36 minutes in, Ljungberg botched a shot well into the Denmark box, which was deflected by Johansen and subsequently cleared by Pedersen. Alas, Denmark were unable to secure an equaliser, Pedersen's best opportunity being confidently saved by Jönsson. Sweden therefore reached their third Euro Final, in a rematch of the Euro 1995 Final where they lost 3-2 to Germany.[43][1][10]

The Final occurred on 7th July, with around 18,000 in-attendance at the Donaustadion. The match's build-up was turned on its head when downpour emerged. Notably, Germany's starting line-up consisted of the Euro 1995 line-up bar two new players. Germany initially started well, exploiting a less-than-confident Hanna Marklund, which nearly allowed Smisek to break the deadlock. But after Marklund stopped another Smisek charge, Sweden began to turn the tide of battle, generally winning a gruelling midfield conflict. However, the Germans did have one further goalscoring chance courtesy of Wiegmann, though Jones' finisher was stopped by Jönsson. From there, Sweden were on the attack in the first-half, Malin Moström's shot being saved by German goalkeeper Silke Rottenberg, and Therese Sjögran's chance just missing the target. At the start of the second-half, the Swedes were again on-top, in a sharp contrast to Germany's previous fixtures. Moström again was denied an opener, this time by Doris Fitschen. Wunderlich nearly punished this, only for her missing a critical 54th minute shot. It seemed, therefore, that Sweden were more likely to win the encounter.[44][45]

However, Germany had quite the counter when they brought in Müller, who turned out to be a super-sub. She troubled the Swedish defence who two key shots, including a header saved by Jönsson, and a close-in attempt also narrowly stopped by the Swedish goalkeeper. After 78 minutes, a Wunderlich strike was saved, but rebounded towards Lingor. However, her attempt was blocked by the woodwork. While Sweden's confidence was affected, it did not prevent Svensson from nearly stealing the win near the end of normal time, Rottenberg's intervention being Germany's saviour. Extra-time was therefore played; eight minutes in, Germany had cleared the ball from its box, and a Meinert pass enabled Müller to charge through the Swedish defence, to bring herself in a one-on-one situation with Jönsson. She ultimately beat the Swedish goalkeeper to score the golden goal, giving her side in front of home fans their fifth title, and their third consecutive European Championship.[44][45][1] Post-tournament, German manager Theune-Meyer declared Euro 2001 to be her side's best ever performance, citing improving standards across Europe as enhancing the challenge of winning the tournament.[46] Germany's domination of the European Championship carried on through 2005, 2009, and 2013, before finally being toppled in 2017.[10]

Availability

UEFA confirmed in a post-tournament report that some matches received live television coverage, particularly in Germany, Italy, Denmark, and Sweden.[16] At the very least, the Semi-Finals and Final were broadcast live by German and Swedish television channels.[16] Additionally, Eurosport also provided some coverage, including a report on the Final. Thanks to UEFA uploading a video regarding the best goals from the tournament, it can assumed all matches were fully filmed.

Alas, no full match broadcasts have fully resurfaced from UEFA and unofficial sources, with home media releases being non-existent. While UEFA has uploaded some highlights onto its UEFA TV platform, including of the Final, the Germany-Russia game, and the Denmark-France encounter, little else has publicly re-emerged. One possibility is that prohibitive costs of a broadcasting company uploading its footage, combined with UEFA's lack of interest to produce a public archive, are the main factors for the lack of available media surrounding Euro 2001.[47]

Gallery

Videos

UEFA providing the best goals of the tournament.

Eurosport reporting on the Final.

External Links

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 RSSSF detailing the results for qualification for the final tournament, and the final tournament itself. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 UEFA summarising the tournament from the qualifiers to the Final. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  3. ↑ Archived UEFA summarising qualifying Group 1. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  4. ↑ Archived UEFA summarising qualifying Group 2. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  5. ↑ Archived UEFA summarising qualifying Group 3. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  6. ↑ Archived UEFA summarising qualifying Group 4. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 BBC Sport reporting on England beating Ukraine to qualify for Euro 2001. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 RSSSF detailing the results of Euro 1997. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 Archived UEFA previewing Germany's aim to win its third consecutive European Championship, and Theune-Meyer admitting Norway should be considered the favourites. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 90 Min summarising all Women's Euro Finals prior to 2022. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Archived BBC Sport reporting on the Germany-Sweden group match. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 RSSSF detailing the Women's Football Tournament at the 2000 Summer Olympics. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  13. ↑ Archived BBC Sport reporting on the Norway-France match. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Archived UEFA reporting on the Norway-France match. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Archived BBC Sport reporting on England aiming to increase positive recognition of the women's game. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 16.6 Archived UEFA reporting on the tournament's success, including from a television perspective. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  17. ↑ Archived UEFA reporting on the Germany-Sweden group match. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  18. ↑ Archived UEFA reporting on the England-Russia match. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  19. ↑ Archived BBC Sport reporting on the England-Russia match. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  20. ↑ Archived UEFA reporting on the Germany-Russia match. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  21. ↑ Archived BBC Sport reporting on the Germany-Russia match. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  22. ↑ Archived UEFA reporting on the Sweden-England match. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  23. ↑ Archived BBC Sport reporting on the Sweden-England match. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  24. ↑ Daily Mail noting Germany's record against England prior to Euro 2022. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  25. ↑ Archived UEFA reporting on the Germany-England match. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  26. ↑ Archived BBC Sport reporting on the Germany-England match. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  27. ↑ Archived UEFA reporting on the Sweden-Russia match. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  28. ↑ Archived BBC Sport reporting on the Sweden-Russia match. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  29. ↑ Archived UEFA reporting on the Italy-Denmark match. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  30. ↑ Archived BBC Sport reporting on the Italy-Denmark match. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  31. ↑ Archived BBC Sport reporting on the Norway-France match. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  32. ↑ Archived UEFA reporting on the Denmark-France match. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  33. ↑ Archived BBC Sport reporting on the Denmark-France match. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  34. ↑ Archived UEFA reporting on the Italy-Norway match. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  35. ↑ Archived BBC Sport reporting on the Italy-Norway match. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  36. ↑ Archived UEFA reporting on the Denmark-Norway match. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  37. ↑ Archived BBC Sport reporting on the Denmark-Norway match. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  38. ↑ Archived UEFA reporting on the France-Italy match. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  39. ↑ Archived BBC Sport reporting on the France-Italy match. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  40. ↑ Archived UEFA reporting on the end of Group B, and Italy's disappointment of not making the Semi-Finals. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  41. ↑ Archived UEFA reporting on the Germany-Norway match. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  42. ↑ Archived BBC Sport reporting on the Germany-Norway match. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  43. ↑ Archived UEFA reporting on the Sweden-Denmark match. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 Archived UEFA reporting on the Final. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  45. ↑ 45.0 45.1 Archived BBC Sport reporting on the Final. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  46. ↑ Archived UEFA reporting on Theune-Meyer's post-tournament comments. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
  47. ↑ r/WomensSoccer discussing the lack of available women's football broadcasts, potentially due to rights issues. Retrieved 7th Jun '23
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