Germany Powers Past Sweden to Reach 2nd Straight European Championship Final

Despite a 40-point effort by the Swedes, the reigning Champions are headed to Vienna as finalist!

In a game that was supposed to be lopsided, Germany breathed a sigh of relief by finally vanquishing the stubborn Swedes 52-40, in the European American Football Championships final match of Group A play. With the win, Germany sealed a berth in the championship final on Saturday. The crowd at St. Polten, Austria was treated to an evening of terrific action in a see-saw battle between two explosive offenses, with the outcome not being decided until late in the game.

The Germans exploited Sweden’s weakness against the running game with tailback Danny Washington putting on a clinic for the ages. Washington scored six (!) touchdowns, rushing for 276 yards on 23 carries. Sweden’s defensive line and linebackers were constantly caught off guard by his cutback and counter moves while Germany’s huge offensive line gave him room to see the openings that at times were gaping.

Time and again, when Germany struggled offensively, they would hand the ball to the diminutive Washington and watch him scamper down the field using his blazing speed to outrun the Swedish defenders.

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Roger Kelly is an editor and a writer for AFI. A former PR Director the B.C. Lions of the Canadian Football League for 7 years, he now lives in Sweden writing about and scouting American Football throughout the world.