The reigning champion Austria was stronger than Finland on Tuesday evening in the European American Football Championship final played in Krefeld, Germany, winning with a score of 27-0 (14-0).

Austria did not give Finland a chance for an upset in Saturday’s final. The team quickly took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter with two long passing plays, and Finland’s offense could not keep up with the scoring. Austria’s strong defense managed to shut out Finland in the second consecutive final. Finland’s defense provided the offense with several opportunities to advance from good field positions, but the ball was never carried into the opponent’s end zone.

Austria’s offensive star was running back Sandro Platzgummer, who has NFL experience, scoring one touchdown and rushing for 61 yards on nine carries. The player with the most yards in the game was Finland’s second-generation national team running back Arttu Blomqvist, who recorded an impressive 74 yards.

In Finland’s defense, the most tackles were made by Felix Salonen (7), Timi Nuikka (6), and Viljo Lempinen (5). Nuikka, who was awarded the best player for Finland, intercepted a pass from the opponent’s quarterback once.

Finland entered the European Championship tournament with a significantly revamped young team, which included 10 national team newcomers and as many as 27 players born in the 2000s. The silver medal can be considered a hard-fought victory. The 27-0 loss is one point better than the final that ended with a score of 28-0 in 2023.

Learn more: Game statistics

Image: Jarmo Vehkomäki