ENSCHEDE, August 5, 2017 – Comparisons between women’sand men’s football have been avoided at the UEFA Women's EURO 2017.
Now that Denmark and the Netherlands are in Sunday'sfinal, however, it is somehow inevitable.
Both play the enjoyable, attacking football that theirmen's teams used to play. Even the Danish coach, Nils Nielsen, after knockingout Germany, said that the ‘total football’ of the Dutch men practised was now,in some ways, being replicated by his team.
The Netherlands, coached by Sarina Wiegman, also followthe country’s playing culture. They have won all of the five games en route tothe final, scoring nine goals and conceding only one.
On Sunday, Enschede will see a new champion being crowned- only Germany, Norway and Sweden have won the competition previously - andthese two teams will be appearing for the first time in a UEFA Women’s Eurofinal.
The comparison with men’s history is necessary again. In1988, after the Cruyff generation, a Dutch team with Gullit, Rijkaard and VanBasten reached their Euro final for the first time and won for the only tme.
Four years later, it was Denmark who surprisingly won thecompetition, also on the first and only final they reached. Their success wassurprising not only because Denmark – even with Schmeichel and Brian Laudrup -beat the former champions and Germany, but because the Danes were not supposedto play.
The eruption of civil war in Yugoslavia saw the countrywithdraw and Denmark took the place, when some of the players had already lefton vacation.
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The two teams met in a group stage match in Rotterdam, onJuly 20, when the Netherlands won 1-0 with a penalty scored by Sherida Spitse.
In the press conference after the defeat, Nils Nielsensaid: “In a certain way, I like that the Netherlands won. They need to gofurther in the competition. I am saying this because now I hope they go withus, so we just need to beat Norway. That is all I want.”
Indeed, Denmark claimed a victory against the otherScandinavian side, while the Netherlands won against Belgium, helping the Danesinto the quarter-finals en route to the final.
