Women's Euro 2005

Germany Women 4-1 Finland Women
Holders Germany powered their way into the final of Euro 2005 with a comprehensive win over Finland. Germany were three goals up inside 12 minutes, first Anja Mittag feeding Inka Grings to round off a swift breakaway. Mistakes by goalkeeper Satu Kunnas and Evelina Sarapaa allowed Conny Pohlers to tap in, with Grings adding a third after more poor Finnish defending. Minna Mustonen's header gave Finland hope, but on 57 minutes German skipper Prinz's tidy finish wrapped up the win. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Germany Ladies: Rottenberg, Jones, Grings, Prinz, Lingor (Gunther 75), Mittag (Fuss 46), Minnert, Carlson, Pohlers, Hingst, Garefrekas (Wimbersky 62). Subs Not Used: Wunderlich, Smisek, Holl, Angerer, Omilade. Goals: Grings 3, Pohlers 8, Grings 12, Prinz 62. Finland Ladies: Kunnas, Vaelma, Julin (Malaska 81), Valkonen, Salmen, Sarapaa (Thorn 69), Makinen, Mustonen (Uusi-Luomalahti 46), Kalmari, Rantanen, Kackur. Subs Not Used: Junkkari, Ahonen, Lindqvist, Talonen, Lindstrom, Matikainen. Booked: Salmen. Goals: Mustonen 15. Att: 2,000. Ref: Dagmar Damkova (Czech Republic).

Gulbrandsen puts Norway in final
Solveig Gulbrandsen's extra-time volley broke Sweden's hearts and put Norway in the final where they will meet Germany. Gulbrandsen lobbed in Norway's opener and laid on another for Isabell Herlovsen, who glanced in a header. Sweden's equalisers came from Hanna Ljungberg, who scored first with a header and then with a stabbed finish. The decisive goal came in the 109th minute, Gulbrandsen cracking home a controlled volley at the far post from Dagny Mellgren's cross.

Backlash over Johansson's remarks
Lennart Johansson's claim that sponsors of women's football could cash in by promoting the players' physical attributes has provoked angry reaction. The Uefa president said on Friday: "Companies could make use of a sweaty, lovely looking girl playing on the ground, with the rainy weather. "It would sell," he told BBC Five Live. Ex-England star Sue Smith said: "It's disappointing someone high up in the game said something like that. You want people to watch for football reasons." Johansson did condemn his Fifa counterpart Sepp Blatter for his comments last year when he called for players to wear "tighter shorts". But Johansson himself is now the subject of criticism from several leading lights in the women's game, who feel his remarks are ill-advised and ill-timed on the back of a successful Euro 2005. Helen Donohoe, head of policy for the Women's Sports Foundation, said: "I cannot imagine some other president of another sport like swimming or athletics saying something so crass. "We're not prudes - we recognise that sex sells from stars like David Beckham to Freddie Ljungberg and Serena Williams - but it's not the grounds for a sustainable growth of the sport." Smith continued: "You don't want people just to watch us for aesthetic reasons. "Yes sex sells, and people buy things because Beckham promotes it and he's very good looking but that is up to the individual and should not be the way the whole of women's football is viewed. "There are much better ways of saying it rather than talk about girls coming off the pitch sweating and then looking lovely." Swedish international Frida Ostberg added: "I get really fed up with this sort of thing. "In a superficial world it is what is on the surface that sells, but we should be interesting for what we do on the pitch." The Football Association's Euro 2005 marketing campaign was partly designed to dispel the "old-fashioned view that women footballers cannot be feminine". "The promotion was around the game as a sport and the players as athletes," explained FA media officer Alex Stone. "And our catchphrase - 'a more beautiful game' - acknowledged their marketability as females. "But we see this as only one part of a broader strategy to widen the appeal, from grassroots to the elite game." Johansson's comments came during an interview in which he actually attacked Blatter and made clear promoting the players' physical attributes was only one way of helping to broaden the appeal of the game. "Some people are only happy if they have something being published about them every day in the newspapers, so I hope you understand I took his comments as a joke and not a clever one," Johansson added. He also praised the quality of the current European Championship which is being held in England. "I always enjoy ladies football because they perform better and better every year - compared to what it was 10 years ago it is quite something else," the Swede said. "The crowds for the England games have been fantastic and it shows we made the right decision bringing the tournament to that country." Germany and Norway meet in the final of the European Championship at Ewood Park on Sunday.

Johansson denies 'sexist' claims
Uefa president Lennart Johansson has defended his controversial remarks about female footballers, insisting "I'm not a sexist". Johansson caused a stir by suggesting the women's game could benefit financially by promoting the image of "sweaty, lovely looking girls." But Johansson countered in The Times newspaper: "All I was saying is that women are more marketable than men. "I would never want to upset or criticise the women's game." The Swede had been quick to criticise Fifa president Sepp Blatter in January after he called for women to wear tighter shorts. However, Johansson stuck by his assertion that promoting the physical assets of female players was one way of promoting the sport. "The PR for the women's game could be done a little differently and they could benefit from that," said Johansson. "Even if women, like men, are playing a match and sweating and it's raining, when they come out of the dressing-room they are still ladies and they have different products that they can sell. "All I was saying is that the women's game must understand that they need sponsoring and publicity and positive results. "I'm not surprised my comments have been taken the wrong way. "I would have been best-advised not talking to the media."

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