Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova

The FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 2012 in Azerbaijan came to an end on Saturday with a tense and thrilling final between the French and North Korean teams with France crowned champions on Baku's Tofig Bahramov Republican Stadium.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, UEFA President Michel Platini, and member of FIFA`s Executive Committee Lydia Nsekera attended the final game.

By beating North Korea 7-6 on penalties after a dramatic 1-1 draw in the final, France again displayed its key qualities and Lady Luck played a part as well.

"It's just magical; we're struggling to come to terms with what we've achieved, but that doesn't matter too much, as it'll sink in later!" exclaimed France captain Sandie Toletti, grasping the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup trophy proudly.

"I think that France won the first half and North Korea the second," France coach Guy Ferrier said afterwards. "But I think that overall we deserved the victory."

One of the pre-tournament favorites for the crown at Azerbaijan 2012, North Korea started the competition well but found it increasingly difficult to click into gear come the knockout stages -- eventually succumbing to a strong French side in the decider.

"We mustn't be pessimistic and I'm not leaving here disappointed, far from it. Failure is the mother of success," Hwang Yong Bong, North Korea coach, said.

The game was followed by a solemn awards ceremony, which featured the awarding of referees, as well as the tournament`s best striker, best goalkeeper and best player.

The awards were presented by President Aliyev, UEFA President Platini, and FIFA Executive Committee member Nsekera.

Earlier in the final day, Ghana made history as Mas-Ud Dramani's side won the third-place play-off against reigning U-17 women's European champions Germany with a first-half goal from Priscilla Okyere.

Ghana has undoubtedly taken a step forward at Azerbaijan 2012 by reaching the quarterfinal stage.

According to coach Dramani, the fact that Ghana have made such progress, despite the problems they had to endure during their preparatory period, has firmly underlined the future potential of the African women's play.

"We don't have a qualifying championship that compares to the European one, but we do have plenty of passion...And when you see that both ourselves and Nigeria qualified for the quarter-finals, that means our football has come a long way. One day we [an African team] will be world champions," Dramani said.

The Germans dominated ball possession after the restart, but they struggled to create meaningful opportunities against the Ghanaians, who worked tirelessly.

As always, the FIFA Technical Study Group (TSG) has been monitoring the action and analyzing every game. Former France and China PR coach Elisabeth Loisel has been in charge of the TSG throughout Azerbaijan 2012, and she shared her observations on the competition in an interview with FIFA.com.

"It's clear that the newcomers still have a lot to learn," Loisel said. "As was the case at the last edition of the tournament, they all went out in the first round. They lack a bit of experience at this level, and you cannot expect too much from a team in their first appearance. However, there are countries like Gambia and Azerbaijan where women's football did not even exist until a few years ago, and it is extraordinary for those nations just to be able to field a team in such a major competition. Most important, though, is the legacy that this tournament will leave in the countries, particularly here in Azerbaijan. I hope the federation continues the efforts it has made over the past three years, and that this young team carries on improving."

The FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 2012 finished with a spectacular climax as the players collected their awards, and a world superstar took to the stage. It was Jennifer Lopez who wowed the crowds at the opening ceremony, but the honors at the end went to world-famous singer Shakira, who rocked 27,000 people gathered at Tofig Bahramov Stadium in Baku with her hits "Waka Waka" and "Addicted To You", celebrating with the players on a fabulous final day.

The closing ceremony was a riot of blazing color, traditional costume and typical folk instruments, yet again underlining the beauty and richness of Azerbaijani culture. To the background of tuneful local music, a ball juggler surrounded by colorfully clad local dancers showed off her skills in the center circle, whetting the crowd's anticipation for the final showdown.

The U-17 Women's World Cup followed hot on the traces of the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Japan 2012 and the Women's Olympic Football Tournament in London, and the first FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in Eurasia.

Hosting grounds for the championship games were five stadiums in Baku and the central stadium in Lankaran, southern Azerbaijan.

Alongside women's football giants such as USA, Germany, Brazil and Japan, there were several newcomers as Gambia, China, Uruguay and hosts Azerbaijan, all making their tournament debuts.

The first U-17 Women's World Cup was held in New Zealand in 2008, while the second FIFA U-17 took place in Trinidad and Tobago in 2010.

Azerbaijan was chosen to host the third championship under the FIFA Executive Committee's decision passed in March 2010.