Five in a row?

On Thursday evening, Germany's women footballers will take on England in Helsinki in a bid to win their fifth consecutive European Championship.

However, they had a tough time fending off Norway in the semi-final on Monday night. Germany went in trailing by a goal to nil at half time, after Norway scored from a corner, using a clever set-play to confuse the German defense. Coach Silvia Neid was fairly modest after the match, when asked what magic she had worked in the half- time team talk.

"During the break, I just pointed out the things we needed to do better," Neid said.

However, Neid's involvement in the German victory was far greater than she herself suggested. The tactical changes she made at half-time - which freed the Germans up to push forward against a defensive Norwegian side - helped transform the game. Furthermore, all three German goals came from substitutes that Neid introduced in the course of the match.

Simone Laudehr equalized on 59 minutes, and two minutes later Celia Okoyino da Mbabi put Germany in front, completing the game's turnaround. Norway struggled to threaten the German goal after falling behind, and in the dying moments Fatmire Bajramaj grabbed another for Germany, putting the result beyond any doubt.

However, the win was nowhere near as convincing as the comfortable 4-0 victory against Norway that the German women chalked up in the groups stages.

"Sometimes as a team you play poorly for part of a match," goal-scorer Simone Laudehr said stoically after the game. "But we really wanted to reach the final, and tonight, we fought for it."

As the women's game continues to struggle for international recognition, just 2,765 spectators attended the high-profile match in Helsinki.

Germany square off against England - who scraped into the final with a 2-1 win against the Netherlands after extra-time - in the final on Thursday evening. The Germans are hot favorites for that encounter, and it's hardly a surprise: if they win it will be their fifth consecutive European Championship, and their seventh in total.

msh/dpa/SID
Editor: Nancy Isenson