An ecstatic German team lifted the FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship trophy following a deserved 2-0 victory over China in Bangkok's Rajamangala Stadium on Saturday.

Twenty-three thousand supporters were treated to a lively yet structured display of soccer, with an early goal from Simone Laudehr and a late one from Melanie Behringer separating the two finalists.

German coach Silvia Neid couldn't hide her joy during the on-pitch celebrations.

"Our goal was to be one of the last four teams in the tournament, and it's obviously a very special achievement to win the world championship," said the typically calm coach. "China played well and made it difficult for us. We knew they would play defensively, but we were able to take advantage of some opportunities as we have done throughout the event."

Germany struck first while the Chinese were still settling into the contest. Striker Anja Mittag won a foul on the left side of China's box and then put the resulting free-kick on target with a header. Goalkeeper Zhang Yanru dove to her left to deny the number nine, but she could only push the ball out into her own area. The first one to it was the sliding Laudehr, who gave the Europeans a dream start to what many had expected to be a defensive battle.

After the match, China boss Wang Haiming admitted the early goal was a big blow.

"Going behind that early always makes things more challenging," said the taciturn coach. "My players still worked hard and showed a lot of spirit. Even at the end of the match when our fitness was pretty much gone following six matches in Thailand, we continued to fight. Ultimately, it was not enough against an outstanding German team."

With coach Neid pulling all the right tactical strings, Germany held their lead firmly. And they were given the insurance they needed to avoid some dramatic closing minutes when Behringer hit a rocket of a shot from 20 meters into the Chinese net.

That was more than enough for a German team that proved themselves the class act of Thailand 2004 and fully enjoyed their post-match celebrations under the hazy Thailand moon.

German captain Annike Krahn summed up their joy after the contest: "It's a special honor for us to be world champions, and it's a special honor for me to play on such a team. The most important thing throughout the tournament for us was team spirit, and it carried us through a difficult final."

The United States took bronze with an emphatic 3-0 win over Brazil at Bangkok's monstrous Rajamangala Stadium.

(China Daily November 29, 2004)