Q: Comments on the final …
Friederike Kromp, Germany coach: “We have had a long journey, ten wins in a row. We are so happy to be in the final now and playing against the reigning world champions [holders of FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup from 2018]. Spain as always are the benchmark in Europe, maybe the benchmark in the world, so we can’t wait to challenge them. We are really happy to be in the final tomorrow, we are really prepared and looking forward to playing against each other.”
Jella Veit, Germany captain: “I am very happy that we are in the final. It is great that the two best teams will play against each other. For all of us it’s amazing because we have never have had such a big tournament and I think it will be a tough game. I am really happy.”
Kenio Gonzalo, Spain coach: “We are looking forward to playing in the final. It was not easy for us as our round 2 mini-tournament was played late. We are so excited to be in the final.”
Marina Artero, Spain captain: “We have worked hard to stay here until the final. It has taken months of work, we are very excited to play the final tomorrow. We know we have a very hard team in front of us in Germany but we are very excited.”
Q: Can the teams play this match at the same level after a tough tournament?
Friederike Kromp, Germany coach: “The schedule is very tough with five games in 13 days, especially as the girls are 16 and 17 years old, playing 90 minutes, and our semi-final was so hot, such difficult conditions. But it is a final so everyone wants to give their all so we will be prepared and focused on that and will give a lot of energy and emotions, it will be a good game, I’m sure about that.”
Kenio Gonzalo, Spain coach: “Spain and Germany have faced off a lot of times in the Women’s U17 EURO [6 times in the 13 finals]. We are very excited as we have in front of us a very tough team and it is a good chance to grow. It is going to be a very, very beautiful game which fans of both teams can enjoy.”
Q: How have you felt in our country the last 14 days and your impressions of these cities?
Friederike Kromp, Germany coach: “We had a really good time here. The people are friendly and open minded. We loved staying over here, for us it was only the city of Sarajevo. From a touristic perspective it is a pity we didn’t see Mostar, I would love to see it, maybe I will come here as a tourist in the next months. From the football perspective it was perfect as we had no change, no switch, we had our base here for three weeks. Everything was perfect and we will have a wonderful day tomorrow.”
Kenio Gonzalo, Spain coach: “We have been in two different places hosting the championship, Mostar and Sarajevo. Mostar was an amazing place for us. Sarajevo is an Olympic city with the spirit of sport and we are very happy to stay here.”
Q: For captains – how did they enjoy the tournament?
Jella Veit, Germany captain: “I think the best thing is the experience. Nobody [in the squad] has played such a big tournament. The emotions now we are in the final, it is amazing.”
Marina Artero, Spain captain: “For is it was a fantastic experience, none of us had been in this kind of tournament. It’s incredible for us to be in the final.”
Q: For coaches – how do you manage the emotions ahead of the final?
Friederike Kromp, Germany coach: “Emotions and pressure are a privilege. I am so proud to have this privilege. As a head coach it is my first final, it is my fifth final on the coaching staff and fifth final against Spain. It will be very tense and I am curious to see how the girls will manage it. For us as coaches it is a great experience as well, it is a very positive emotion. We are very happy and looking forward to it.”
Kenio Gonzalo, Spain coach: “In my opinion being in the final is a great opportunity. We are very excited and we have a great chance in playing this match. The most important thing is not the winning, it’s the way we have reached the final.”
Q: What does the fact neither team have conceded a goal here say about them and are they looking forward to the challenge of being the first to score against their opponents?
Friederike Kromp, Germany coach: “It is outstanding and very impressive that both teams have kept clean sheets with four wins over here, Spain for longer [both round 2 games]. We had a friendly in January in Marbella, that time we scored one goal [Spain won 2-1].
“What does that say about our team? It didn’t happen by accident, we have very strong defenders. As a coach you are very happy when you have defenders like that. In the end that makes the difference. We are very happy and proud about this as we have had good opponents like France, the Netherlands and Denmark, and we didn’t concede any goals. That is a very big step for reaching the semi-finals. The final and the World Cup.
“On the question of if we can score tomorrow, I am very curious to see how both teams will match up as both teams want to have a lot of possession, they want to be dominant and have the ball. It will be a very good final and hopefully we will keep the clean sheet and make it tomorrow.”
Kenio Gonzalo, Spain coach: “It is good for us, we are looking forward to having a great match, to make no mistakes and try to keep this up. This is the way to win the match.”
